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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Lisajb on Monday 11 November 19 07:04 GMT (UK)

Title: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: Lisajb on Monday 11 November 19 07:04 GMT (UK)
Just found this - really interesting read.

https://news.sky.com/story/war-detectives-how-one-soldier-was-found-and-identified-a-century-after-his-death-11856932?fbclid=IwAR0X7yz91uUA3z6eLSJNk5v7DcbyV57hQHQ2N3WvRvGiUU7O25vfWnbydMs
Title: Re: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: pollymann on Monday 11 November 19 09:15 GMT (UK)
Yes, it was. I watched a tv programme recently on the ITV Hub "Long Lost Family Special: The Unknown Soldiers" showing the work that is involved.
Title: Re: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: LizzieW on Tuesday 12 November 19 11:51 GMT (UK)
Quote
I watched a tv programme recently on the ITV Hub "Long Lost Family Special: The Unknown Soldiers" showing the work that is involved.

I did too, but one thing I noticed was that they looked at the soldiers attestment papers/records.  But what about soldiers' records like my g.uncle's which were destroyed in WW2.  If my g.uncle's remains were ever found - and he died at Cambria in 1917 - it would take much longer to find his descendants and as he wasn't married and had no children, that would be looking for descendants of his siblings.  I guess they'd start with DNA and then hope there was a badge somewhere near the remains.  Otherwise it would mean looking at the names on the Cambria War Memorial of the soldiers, and there are thousands, and going from there.
Title: Re: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: pollymann on Tuesday 12 November 19 12:14 GMT (UK)
Yes, the burned papers are going to make things much more difficult. It would be nice if everyone could be identified but that looks doubtful. Still a few more soldiers identified will give closure to a lot of families.
Title: Re: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: Ruskie on Tuesday 12 November 19 12:38 GMT (UK)
Very interesting - thanks for posting Lisa.  :)
Title: Re: How fallen soldiers are identified
Post by: Maiden Stone on Wednesday 13 November 19 00:30 GMT (UK)
Genealogists can volunteer to research a missing soldier and build his profile here:
 "Commemorating the Missing: Creating a genealogical memorial, and a genetic memorial, for the missing of World War One"
https://commemoratingthemissing.blogspot.com/p/home.html
One of them was a son of the family who had lived in the house where I was born.