152 replies to this topic

[Yvonne Heslinga]

6 British soldiers found in Comines-Warneton

I could'nt find it in english, so I have to give you the url to the dutch article and the french:


http://www.forumeers...pic.php?t=23731

http://www.7sur7.be/...-Warneton.dhtml

Regards,
Yvonne

[Aurel Sercu]

Right, Yvonne. I was a little surprised that this piece of news was not on the Great War Forum yet.
It's been in our radio news today.

Aurel

(Added 2 minutes later)
In a nutshell : remains of 6 British soldiers found in Komen-Waasten (Comines-Warneton, province of Hainaut (Henegouwen), near the French border, 9 or 10 km southeast of Ypres)
It was amateur-archaeologist Patrick Roelens who found them in 2008. But the finding was not finished until beginning of this month (under supervision).
Patrick Roelens was also the man who some years ago found Harry Wilkinson, near Ploegsteert Wood.
The remains are now in the military base of Langemark-Poelkapelle, and in due time will be handed to the CWGC.
Article does not mention possible identification.

Edited by Aurel Sercu, 05 November 2010 - 06:33 PM.

[Yvonne Heslinga]

The discovery was made by Patrick Roelens who is an amateur-archeologist and was supervised by the institute for Veterans, the bodies of the 6 British soldiers are at the military basis of Langemark-Poelkapelle.

[John Hartley]

Is this guy from the group who have previously found bodies (Richard Lancaster?) around Comines?

[Yvonne Heslinga]

The bodies will later be transfered to the CWGC. And later on they will discuss it with the British Ministry of Defence, there will be a pressconference on the 9th of november in the cityhall of Harelbeke.

Excuses for the hasty translation, and my mistakes.

Regards,
Yvonne

John Hartley, on 05 November 2010 - 06:33 PM, said:

Is this guy from the group who have previously found bodies (Richard Lancaster?) around Comines?

Yes, the same guy.

Thanks Aurel

[John Hartley]

The delay in the story being picked in the UK may be due to a current strike by BBC journalists

[Yvonne Heslinga]

John Hartley, on 05 November 2010 - 06:36 PM, said:

The delay in the story being picked in the UK may be due to a current strike by BBC journalists

Ahm yes, didn't think of it.
Well, we will be your journalists for now

Yvonne

[NigelS]

John Hartley, on 05 November 2010 - 06:36 PM, said:

The delay in the story being picked in the UK may be due to a current strike by BBC journalists

I'm not so sure of that: I would have thought this should have been announced by the MOD (to a lesser extent CWGC), but having looked at the 'Defence News' website and the more recent MOD press releases, there's no sign of it that I can see - perhaps the MOD hasn't been told yet, or don't think it's newsworthy, which is rather odd considering the time of year.

NigelS

Edit: the Mail has it http://www.dailymail...dies-Ypres.html

[Yvonne Heslinga]

It seems to me it's an old article I've read before?

[NigelS]

Yvonne Heslinga, on 05 November 2010 - 07:13 PM, said:

It seems to me it's an old article I've read before?

I think you're right, the Mail doesn't dateline the stories on its website: only 5 soldiers mentioned and as BBC Breakfast News is mentioned...

NigelS

[Steven Broomfield]

The story refers to "more than 80 years after their death", whereas we're now over 90 (even the Mail can do the maths). Also, the site is no longer accepting comments on the article, so I suspect it's pretty mature, as articles go.

[NigelS]

Steven Broomfield, on 05 November 2010 - 07:37 PM, said:

The story refers to "more than 80 years after their death", whereas we're now over 90 (even the Mail can do the maths). Also, the site is no longer accepting comments on the article, so I suspect it's pretty mature, as articles go.

A bit more interrogation of the Mail site revealed a date of 10/11/03! so this discovery has still to hit the UK press!

NigelS

[seadog]

Not altogether surprising that the UK press has not picked up this latest discovery. Try finding a UK newspaper report about the original discovery of the 15 BRITISH SOLDIERS found at Beaucamps-Ligny, France, late last year!. Methinks that the MOD hope that if such finds are ignored and no press release issued to the UK press then nobody will be any the wiser and the public will not ask difficult questions like "is any attempt to be made to identify the soldiers?". Considering the past performance of the MOD and also the reluctance of the CWGC to act in a transparent manner with these finds it is hard not to come the aforesaid conclusion.

Norman

[PBI]

Hello Norman...i am getting distinct feelings of Deja Vu here again re the Discovery of yet more remains of British Soldiers Found in Flanders..no doubt the MOD/CWGC will quote the Austerity Cuts as one of numerous reasons why they cant (Cannot be Bothered) to carry out full research to enable to give Names to these Men via the DNA and Isotropic Process,and maybe they think with minimal media exposure these further 6 can also be secrtetly tucked away along with the BL 15...No Fuss,No Ceremony,and then at a much later date give out a press notice on the CWGC Web Site notifying that such and such numbers of so called (Unidentifiable) remains were interred at such a date at such a Date,and that the usual Civic and "In The Know" RBL Hierarchy were inplace to complete the facade...lets look at it from the MODs point of view with a jaundiced Eye..these Men died nearly 100 Years ago,so who cares,and after all old Chap we are Running to a Budget,lets just get them out of the Media Focus ASAP,give it a few Months and they will be forgotten..Pass the Port,theres a good Chap.

[David Faulder]

Can the RBL publicly ask:

"will we remember them"?

[seadog]

I totally agree Russ, still in a week or so on Remembrance Sunday we will have the chance to remember these countrymen of ours found after so many years and this despite the lax attitude of the UK Authorities who no doubt see such discoveries as an inconvenience and something they wish had not happened. If any of you reading this think my comments are a bit strong may I suggest you read this topic.

GWF Topic - Beaucamps-Ligny

Norman

[seadog]

For interest here is an extract from a letter from the MOD via my MP with regard to the BL-15 which I received in October. I think that as a statement of intent it clearly itimates that the 15 soldiers will be interred as "Known Unto God" by the MOD/CWGC at the earliest oppertunity. Sadly I beleive that the latest discoveries will be treated in the same way.

Norman

 mod-letter-2.jpg   77.63K   12 downloads

[PBI]

So in other words the MOD have already decided their course of Action..."We Will Remember Them"...If it doesnt Cost too much.

[egbert]

EXCUSE ME!

...found 2008 and exhumed end of 2010?

Something is not right here  - at least according to the governing law. If somebody discovers human remains it has to be reported to officials immidiately for further investigation and proper handling of the soul. So they have been left there for two more years like a dead cat?

[PBI]

The Remains of the BL15 are held in the CWGC Mortuary at Arras Egbert.I suppose the Comines 6 will join them there.

[egbert]

Ok, so if I get this right - they have been discovered 2008 and brought to a mortuary in 2008? That is alright for me, I thought  Mr Roelens left them on the scene were they once lost their lives, for more than 2 years until now.

[David Faulder]

PBI, on 05 November 2010 - 08:52 PM, said:

So in other words the MOD have already decided their course of Action..."We Will Remember Them"...If it doesnt Cost too much.

It's not even that; if there is a reasonable chance of giving them names, they are potentially those named individuals; to not remember them as such is surely not to remember them, but to vaguely honour a few bodies.

By extension, if a modern day soldier is blown up (together with a few Afghan civilians), the MOD would feel under no obligation to make sure that what came back in the coffin was actually our soldier.  I hope they do feel that obligation, but surely a soldier of 1914-1918 is not worthless than a 2010 soldier.

Either you honour or you do not honour.  [Sorry if some feel the previous paragraph is tasteless, but it is no more so than what appears to be the MOD attitude.]

David

[sabine72]

Egbert,
patrick is one of my good friends,
and yes the bodies were found in 2008 and only recouverd from the field this year,
reason? well many, some I can not explain here, politics, plus walloon region is different then flanders, believe me your head would spin if I tell you all the things that are different.plus I don't know if patrick want's all these people to know what happend two years ago.
I saw patrick last week, he was relieved that the men were finally out of the field, and there is a posibility that one of them will be identified segeant ...., for the name you will all have to waite.
kind regards
sabine

[egbert]

Oh my God!

[joanbelge]

My great uncle was a sergeant who died in the Dranoutre area, he has no known grave, so in answer to the rhetorical question who cares? I care as I know many others do. I know that these bodies are not my relative but they are someones
Joan