As the Hunter community pauses for Remembrance Day to honour the fallen, families are being asked to help bring home the identities of soldiers who never returned.
They were miners and clerks, surf lifesavers and sailors. Young men from Newcastle, Wallsend, Cooks Hill, Jesmond, Teralba, Stockton and across the Hunter who volunteered together, fought together, and never came home.
At the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916, Australia’s first major engagement on the Western Front, more than 5,500 Australians were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Among them were scores of soldiers from the Hunter region serving with the 5th Division. Their names are etched on honour rolls across the region, yet their resting places remain unknown.
In 2008, a mass grave was uncovered at Pheasant Wood in Fromelles, France. The remains of 250 missing Australian soldiers were recovered. Since then, 180 have been identified through DNA. Around 70 men remain unknown – the “Final 70.”
Now, the Fromelles Association of Australia is appealing to Hunter families to come forward and help identify the final soldiers through DNA testing.
“Every name we restore is a family reconnected and a promise finally kept,” said Tony Ryan, spokesperson for the Fromelles Association of Australia.
“We know who these men are. We simply need living relatives to help us match them with DNA. Even a small family story or a single cheek swab could solve a 109-year-old mystery.”
Hunter soldiers still missing
Just some of the men from the Newcastle and Hunter region still missing include:
- Private Alfred “Alfie” John Smith, Cooks Hill – Surf lifesaver and clerk
- Private John Hay Wishart, Wallsend – Hospital dispenser who died rescuing a mate
- Private Edward Leslie Downie, Maryville – Young sailor from a large local family
- Private John “Jack” Bainbridge, Newcastle – Local sportsman lost crossing No Man’s Land
- Private Thomas Easton, Jesmond/Teralba – Coal miner and one of many mates who enlisted together
Others remain unaccounted for from Waratah, Charlestown, Stockton, Lambton, Weston, Cassilis, Wallsend and surrounding communities.
Call for families to come forward
The Association’s volunteers work in partnership with the Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties Unit in Canberra and provide free genealogical support.
“You don’t need to know your full family tree,” Mr Ryan said.
“If you had a great-uncle who went missing in France, or your family has deep Hunter roots, please reach out. One DNA test could honour a soldier’s sacrifice and finally return his name.”
On Remembrance Day, as we pause for the Ode, Australians unite to ensure these men are never forgotten.
“These young men gave their lives for Australia,” Mr Ryan said. “The least we can do is return their names.”
How to help
Families who believe they may be related to soldiers lost at Fromelles are encouraged to contact the Fromelles Association:
Website: www.fromelles.info
Facebook: Fromelles Association of Australia