Headstone of an Unknown Australian Soldier in the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, Fromelles, Armentieres, France.


"In 2009, archaeologists excavated several mass burial pits at Pheasant Wood near Fromelles. The remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers were recovered from these pits, mass burials made by the Germans after the Battle of Fromelles. Considerable efforts have been made to identify these men, who remains have lain where they were buried together for more than 90 years. This has been a labour involving both the authorities and also many dedicated amateurs, working hard to try and make sure that as many graves in the new cemetery as possible bear a name, and as many families will finally know the exact resting place of their relative. The number of remains discovered was so high that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) created a new cemetery for their reburial, the first new war graves cemetery to be created by the CWGC since the end of the Second World War. This cemetery is located at the north-west edge of the village, not far from the church and only about a quarter of a mile from Pheasant Wood itself, where the men were buried by the Germans."


Size: 2380px × 3624px
Location: Fromelles, France
Photo credit: © Maurice Savage / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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