The names of three Maitland World War I Diggers buried in a mass grave in northern France may be revealed this week in a poignant lead-up to Anzac Day.
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The WWI soldiers are believed to be among the 20 Australians recently identified by DNA after their tragic deaths during The Battle of Fromelles 98 years ago.
The diggers expected to be included on the list are Weston miner Private James Balsdon, 27, of the 30th Infantry Battalion, West Maitland auctioneer Private Claud Yeo, 40, also of the 30th Infantry Battalion and Pelaw Main fitter, Sergeant William Wass, 33, of the 54th Infantry Battalion.
Private Douglas Caswell, 22, a butcher from Stockton, from the 30th Infantry Battalion and Private Peter Shannon, 35, a shearer from Merriwa and part of 53rd Infantry Battalion are also expected to be named.
Hunter-based military historian David Dial said the soldiers’ names will be added to the 135 already identified from the DNA of relatives.
“Eleven Hunter Valley men have already been identified by DNA matching during the past few years and I am hopeful that the names of some, if not all, of the five other Hunter men who were buried by the Germans in the mass graves at Pheasant Wood in 1916 will be among the list of 20 to be released,” Mr Dial said.
The historian also believes more men could be identified.
“Private Percy Geason of Merewether and Private Matthew Hepple, of Kearsley, were unknowns when they were identified in 2011 and this could happen again,” Mr Dial said.
“The names of these men were not on the original list put out by the Australian Army History Unit, but their names have always been on a list of possibles which I had compiled from my own research.
“I think these two men’s names, and the name of one other, didn’t appear on the list because no documentation was contained in their service records to indicate they were buried by the Germans in the mass graves at Pheasant Wood.
“There is still a strong possibility that other unknowns killed at Fromelles and whose names were not on the original list may be identified soon as the identification program was scheduled to conclude in 2014.”
The Battle of Fromelles has been recognised as one of the worst days in Australia’s military history and was the first major battle fought by the Australian Infantry Force in France.
The 5th Australian division suffered more than 5500 casualties (dead and wounded) and many of those killed remain unaccounted for almost a century after the battle.
The eleven Hunter Valley men already identified by DNA and buried in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery:
* Private Harold John Bourke, 30th Infantry Battalion, 22, railway employee, West Maitland.
* Private Henry Alfred Cressy, 54th Infantry Battalion, 22, locomotive driver, Boolaroo.
* Private George Croft, 30th Infantry Battalion, 24, hospital attendant, West Wallsend.
* Private Percy Geason, 55th Infantry Battalion, 29, labourer, Merewether.
* Private Charles Henry Hawcroft, 30th Infantry Battalion, 21, labourer, Merewether.
* Private Matthew Hepple, 30th Infantry Battalion, 19, miner, Kearsley.
* Private William Bruce Higgins, 30th Infantry Battalion, 19, grazier, Gloucester.
* Corporal Hassall Marsden Kendall, 31st Infantry Battalion, 21, bank clerk, Singleton.
* Private George Henry Lucre, 30th Infantry Battalion, 23, machinist, Cooks Hill.
* Private John Cyril Wynn, 30th Infantry Battalion, 20, labourer, Largs.
* Private Claude Ward, 30th Infantry Battalion, 23, plumber, Singleton.
