Jul-Aug 09 - Fromelles

August 2009

Matchbox

31 August
The final remains of British and Australian soldiers, buried 93 years ago by the German Army at Pheasant Wood, appear to have now been uncovered by Oxford Archaeology. Those last remains are currently located in the second layer of burials within Grave Five. Overall Grave Five contained 44 men, a figure slightly lower than Graves One to Four that each held around 50.

The 28 sets of remains found in the second layer of Grave Five brings the total number of soldiers to be recovered from the site to 250. This is expected to be the final number. Of the 250, 231 sets of remains have been recovered and are being analysed in the onsite temporary mortuary. Accordingly, 19 sets of remains wil be recovered in the coming week of archaeological excavation operations.

Tool Pouch

Analysis of finds from the graves remains focused on artefacts recovered from Graves One and Two. With that work nearing completion, the focus will soon turn to those from Graves Three and Four. As the excavation of Grave Five continues, several priority artefacts have been recovered and fast-tracked through the process to ensure the stability of the materials. This includes paper and cardboard items.

Examples found are a possible matchbox with 'Pilot' printed on it and a bible which has passages that have been underlined and a section of text that has been annotated by hand. Other items recovered from Grave Five include a leather pouch for wire cutters made by Luhl & Sons, Brisbane and stamped with the war office 'broad arrow', and a pocket compass, made by Sherwood and Co, London and likely to have belonged to an officer or sergeant. This is also stamped with the war office 'broad arrow'. Overall, preliminary observations have noted that, as with the other graves, many of the soldiers from Grave Five were wearing Australian uniforms.

Compass

During the week the site was visited by some esteemed guests; French regional archaeology curators and experts, including Yves Desfosses and Alain Jacques. Also UK experts Alison Taylor (responsible for publications at the Institute for Archaeologists ), Mike Heyworth (Director of the Council for British Archaeology) and Mike Pitts (editor of British Archaeology for the Council for British Archaeology) visited the site and compound. Mike Pitts has a website and his report of what he saw on site is here.

It is anticipated that the archaeological excavation of the final remains from Grave Five will be completed by the end of next week. Work in the mortuary is likely to continue for another five to six weeks.

Pipe

24 August
This week a Media Day was held on site to allow journalists access to the recovery site at Pheasant Wood. The activity was very well attended by many media outlets and allowed access to view the work and question all the specialists involved. Very positive feedback was received on the professionalism and structured approach being taken by all associated with the project.

Lighter

Due to the interruption of the Media Day, the fifteenth week of archaeological excavation of remains from Pheasant Wood was slower than usual. Work focused on Grave Five and recovery of remains from the uppermost layer of the pit was completed. Excavation of layer two is also well under-way.

As reported by the Australian Minister for Defence Personnel, Material and Science, the Honourable Greg Combet, during his Parliamentary Speech on Wednesday 19 August 2009,

progress on the site is on track and being undertaken with the utmost care.

Oxford Archaeology has now recovered a total of 222 individuals. A summary of remains recovered from each grave is as follows: Grave One (50); Grave Two (51); Grave Three (52); Grave Four (50), Grave Six (3) and, so far, Grave Five (16). Neither Grave Seven nor Grave Eight contained any remains. It is estimated that the fieldwork phase of the recover will be completed in about two weeks time. The final number of individuals from all eight graves is not expected to exceed 250 individuals.

Oxford's Team at Work

Anthropological analysis has been completed on 145 sets of remains, with a further 77 sets part-way through the process. Additionally, a significant amount of the stored DNA samples, taken from remains during the period of the pilot project, were dispatched to LGC Forensics during the week and have arrived at Teddington, London. Further samples will be taken from individuals as they are recovered. DNA testing of those samples will commence in the coming weeks.

Media Observe Work on Site

Among the finds this week are more Australian belt buckles, Commonwealth buttons, Australian title shoulder badges, hooks and eyes, uniform fabric and socks. Personal items include a copper alloy petrol lighter, a rosary and a pipe. The lighter is corroded shut, but it can be seen clearly on X-ray. There appears to be nothing inscribed on it.

It is anticipated that Grave Five will be completed in the next two weeks. As fieldwork winds down, the backlog in radiography and processing will start to ease. Anthropology remains on track to be completed by the end of October, most probably sooner.

17 August
Work is now virtually complete on seven of the eight graves at Pheasant Wood. The last grave to be excavated, Grave Five, is well underway, with a few remains left in Grave Three.

Leather Trouser Patches

The total amount of soldiers recovered from their 1916 burial pits is now over 210. Additionally full anthropological analysis has been completed for all the remains from three of the graves.

To ensure thoroughness, Oxford Archaeology use a excavator to excavate below the bottom of Graves Four and Six to prove beyond doubt that no further remains are present in these graves. Nothing was found.
Within Grave Three all but two sets of remains have been recovered. Grave Five has had two-thirds of its upper layer excavated over the course of last week. Around half a dozen sets of remains were recovered, with a further half dozen exposed for future archaeological excavation.

Significant progress on the analysis of artefacts has been made this week, with full recording, research and conservation completed on finds associated with around 70 individuals from Graves One and Two. Of these, the overwhelming majority are Australian. Items continue to be found that have good potential to contribute to the identification process beyond army and country.

Last week, it was reported that a Fusiliers badge had been found and may be associated with The Royal Warwickshire regiment. This week another colour patch of either the 54th or 58th Battalion was found. Other finds include leather trouser patches, perhaps indicating that mounted soldiers are among those buried at Fromelles. Evidence for make shift clothing alterations, in the form of a General service jacket button, which was clearly being used to hold braces in place, has also been found. Other finds that are coming in to the mortuary continue to give a tantalising glimpse at life in the trenches. For example, a possible boomerang badge might be a souvenir, perhaps even made as trench art by the person who wore it. Research is on-going to see if this was the case. In addition, a medallion of Saint Benedict and an exceptionally well preserved portion of what appears to be a phrase book, with one visible page in French and another in English, have also been found. In the book, French phrases include 'Avez-vous des cartes postale illustrees?' (Do you have any illustrated postcards) and 'Avez-vous de l'encre' (Do you have any ink?). English phrases include 'Bring me cigarettes', 'Do you speak English' and 'Don't shoot'.

Future work will see Grave Three completed on Monday 17 August, with about three to four weeks left to complete the operation. Work in the temporary mortuary will continue until the end of October at the latest.

Boomerang Badge	Boomerang Badge	Button and Brace
Colour Patch		French Phrase Book
Fusiliers Badge		Saint Benedict Medallion

10 August
Last week marked the thirteenth week of operations. Now all graves, less Graves Three and Five, have been completely excavated. The total number of soldiers recovered is now approaching 190. Oxford Archaeology remain well on target to complete fieldwork as scheduled by the end of September this year.

Progress in Grave Three this week focussed on the recovery of the final remains from the upper layer and work on the second layer. Over fifty remains will eventually be recovered from this grave. Grave Four was completed on Thursday with 50 individuals collectively excavated from its respective layers. The completion of that pit allowed a team to redeploy into Grave Five on Friday and started hand excavation of the over-burden.

Metal Ring

Operations in the on-site temporary mortuary have continued at pace. Over 100 sets of skeletal remains from Graves One and Two have been fully processed, analysed, recorded and put into long term storage awaiting reinterment from 30 January 2010. Additionally, finds associated with around 50 sets of remains have been similarly handled.

Preliminary recording and conservation of the vast majority of finds has occurred as they have been lifted from site. Priority of preliminary and then fully processing has been given to fragile finds, and finds that may help with identification. The vast majority of finds from Graves One and Two have been of Australian origin. Rising sun badges and Australian belt buckles also predominate in Graves Three and Four, with British items again in fewer numbers. However, this observation on Graves Three and Four is based on items associated with soldiers in the pits and not on the many discoveries that are made during radiographic examination and anthropological processing. Textiles have survived very well in these graves, with particularly good preservation in Grave Four. In this grave, a whole sleeve of a jacket was found, as well as a large part of a cardigan. Significant finds that have been fast tracked recently include two rings, made with a poor quality metal and a New Testament with a very well preserved leather cover. The in-situ location of the bible suggests it had been in the pocket of its owner.

In the next seven days Grave Three will be completed. It is anticipated that each layer of remains from Grave Five will take approximately two weeks to hand excavate, record and recover. With experts touting the potential to for three layers of remains in Grave Five, the final soldier may be lifted from Pheasant Wood in four to six weeks.

3 August
Fantastic progress by Oxford Archaeology over the last week culminated with the completion of work on Grave Six. Contrary to original estimates from 2008, Grave Six only contained a very small number of remains. The total remains archaeologically excavated from the graves now approaches 170.

Almost all remains have been recovered from the uppermost layer of Grave Three. Around thirty individuals were lifted from that upper level with soldiers in the second layer now being exposed for archaeological excavation.

Shaving Brush Handle

Efforts this week in Grave Four focused on the second layer of burials. Over a dozen sets of remains were analysed, recorded and excavated. Below the second layer of remains is the natural clay base of the pit, indicating that there are unlikely to be additional layers in this grave.

Work on Grave Five, the final grave to be archaeologically excavated, was started early in the week. This involved the creation of a safe working area and appropriate water management systems. Hand excavation will commence on this pit next week.

Detailed cleaning, examination, cataloguing and photography of finds from Graves One to Six continues. Recovered artefacts continue to provide excellent information to assist with the complex identification puzzle. Most artefacts initially help indicate the force in which each soldier served.

Inscribed Buttons

This week, finds include many Australian jacket belt buckles, a Rising Sun badge, small Commonwealth buttons, British buttons and various associated waist hooks. Other items include a shaving brush handle (minus most of the bristles), gas masks, a possible British coin, pencils and metal buttons. Among the metal buttons are four with inscriptions. One has 'Finney Isles & Co, [Queensland?]' and another has 'Everlasting Wear'. The finds that are being recovered continue to be well preserved and in association with individual soldiers.

In the proceeding week, mechanical excavation below the natural bottom of Grave Six will be undertaken to prove beyond doubt that there are no more remains buried there. It is anticipated that by the end of next week the excavation of Grave Four will be finished. Additionally, excavation of the second layer of Grave Three will be well underway.

28 July
Work continues on site, but as has been expected, prevailing environmental conditions have had an indelible effect on the state of the remains. Soil chemistry, root intrusion and the natural water table are just some of the factors that have contibuted to the degradation of remains. This will significantly influence the number of soldiers that can be given the dignity of a named headstone in 2010. This week, finds include many Australian jacket belt buckles, a Rising Sun badge, small Commonwealth buttons, British buttons and various associated waist hooks. Other items include a shaving brush handle (minus most of the bristles), gas masks, a possible British coin, pencils and metal buttons. Among the metal buttons are four with inscriptions. One has 'Finney Isles & Co, [Queensland?]' and another has 'Everlasting Wear'. The finds that are being recovered continue to be well preserved and in association with individual soldiers.

In the proceeding week, mechanical excavation below the natural bottom of Grave Six will be undertaken to prove beyond doubt that there are no more remains buried there. It is anticipated that by the end of next week the excavation of Grave Four will be finished. Additionally, excavation of the second layer of Grave Three will be well underway.

Prayer Book

As the recovery work approaches its fourth month, only Grave Five awaits detailed examination. The graves that still contain remains (Graves Three to Six), are all now open and hand excavation is underway in Graves Three, Four and Six. In the process of mechanically excavating Graves Five and Six last week, three artillery shells were found; two in Grave Five and another in Grave Six. Unexploded ordnance experts were called upon to address the matter and the shells were found to be empty and work recommenced.

The field teams continue their methodical work and have now recovered over 130 individuals. Work in Grave Three has been hampened by roots intruding from the nearby wood but nearly a dozen sets of remains and associated artefacts were recovered this week and a slightly larger number have been exposed for lifting. Work on the uppermost layer of Grave Four was completed with over two dozen remains and associated artefacts recovered.

There has been some pooling of ground water in Grave Four. This issue had been expected as it was detailed in the Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) report produced after the 2008 limited excavation. GUARD had observed that the grave was very wet, however plans established by Oxford Archaeology to counter that circumstance have not subsequently been required.

Australian Button

Mechanical excavation of Grave Five commenced and remains were reached at approximately one metre below the present ground surface, notably higher than the other graves.

Finds continue to be processed from Graves One and Two. More fragments of pattern 1908 webbing equipment, Australian jacket belt buckles and small Commonwealth buttons have been identified. More unique items include kit items, such as part of a field dressing wrapped around two safety pins and a domed button with 'Australian Commonwealth' and the insignia of Edward VII.

Two sets of leather brace ends were found on different individuals, both have a hook from a British jacket pushed through them. It has been supposed that this was done to replace a lost button and allow the brace to be attached to the soldiers trousers.

Personal items of note include a Catholic prayer book, 'Vespers', that has a thin leather cover with a cross embossed on it. Also found was a pencil made by The American Pencil Company. The pencil is remarkably well preserved and has knife marks at the tip showing how it was sharpened.

The DNA pilot project is nearing completion with test results due by the end of this week. We hope that sufficient viable DNA has been obtained from the remains so that a full DNA analysis and matching program can be undertaken. Once results have been received and assessed the British Minister for Veterans, the Honourable Kevan Jones and Australian Minister for Defence Personnel Materiel and Science, the Honourable Greg Combet, will make a joint announcement on the matter.

Brace Ends

Grave Six

Pencil

Safety Pins

21 July

The tenth week of operations was shortened by a French public holiday but still resulted in over two dozen sets of remains being recovered. The project is well on schedule with good results both in the pits and for the anthropological team. Aside from the remains that have been lifted from the graves, a further dozen sets of remains have been exposed in Graves Three and Four. Mechanical excavation of Grave One proved beyond doubt that there were no remains left to recover from that pit. Grave One has now been backfilled.

Mechanical excavation of Grave Six commenced on Wednesday. Remains were reached in the western end of the pit between 60-80cm below the modern ground surface. No remains were found at the eastern end and mechanical excavation continued through the base of the grave to confirm. Excavation is continuing from the eastern end to determine were remains lie.

DNA testing of the remains to determine viability of analysis and matching has progressed very well. Results of the pilot are anticipated in the coming weeks, with a joint announcement by respective Australian and British Governments expected thereafter.

Finds from approximately 40 individual sets of remains have now been examined in detail. Oxford Archaeology have produced a site-guide to key finds and find locations (see picture). This combined data shows where associated artefacts have been found on soldiers and has proved particularly useful for identification purposes. The vast majority of identifying artefacts are from the Australian uniform, with a smaller number associated with the British Army. This week, more artefacts have been processed and those from Graves One and Two continue to be identified. Artefacts associated with one individual indicate he was a British soldier. This individual had a large pocket knife, a silver rimmed cigarette holder and a hook, thought to be from the waist of the British Army jacket.

Over the week, Professor Don Brothwell (University of York) visited the site. He is undertaking an European Union funded research project to investigate soils from graves.

In the following week work will continue on Graves Three and Grave Four. A small team is likely to commence hand excavation of Grave Six.

14 July

The ninth week of excavation at Pheasant Wood involved the removal of the final set of remains from Grave One, back filling of Grave Two and hand excavation of Graves Three and Four. All parties are encouraged by the momentum of operations, achieved through good planning and work-flow. The Fromelles Management Board also remains supremely confident that the project will be completed on time and to the highest standard.

Mechanical Excavation of Pits

Over 100 sets of remains have now been recovered. If the results from the first two graves are typical, then a total of approximately 300 sets of remains is more likely than the initial estimate of up to 400.

Of the remains that have been recovered so far, over half have been fully documented by the anthropological team; this is within the defined timeframe. As each set of remains is processed through the temporary mortuary, the associated artefacts are cleaned, photographed, logged and researched.

At this early stage evidence collected suggests that a large portion of the soldiers recovered fought for the Australian army, with a lesser number associated with the British Expeditionary Force.

Notably two individuals were associated with artefacts that appear to be Australian; a coloured patch and a number badge. This may help determine the battalions in which the soldiers served. One set of remains that may be of a soldier serving with the British Army, had associated artefacts that suggest he was an officer. The state of artefacts demonstrate the excellent conditions for preservation within the graves. A whole boot has been recovered, as well as an associated sock and inner stocking. More personal items have been recovered, including another wallet/coin purse. It is hoped that artefacts recovered with individuals will provide pieces to assist in the identification puzzle.

Also this week the on-site team was visited by Professor Peter Ellis from Griffith University (Queensland), a pathologist. He spent the week with the team confirming protocols and procedures, before returning to Australia.

The 14 July is a National holiday in France - resulting in a shortened exacvation week but it is anticipated that work on Graves Three and Four will start to reveal more remains.

Military Boot

Intact Sock

7 July

As the number of soldiers recovered from Pheasant Wood quickly approaches 100, Oxford Archaeology has reported that all remains from Grave Two have been recovered. The final remains from Grave One should be lifted by the end of this week.

Inside Leather Heart

Last week Oxford Archaeology commenced mechanical excavation of Graves Three and Four. Within Grave Three remains were reached at approximately 1.10 metres below the present ground surface. With ramps and sumps now in place within that pit, teams are able to start hand excavation. In Grave Four, remains were discovered at 1.40 metres below the present ground surface, approximately half the pit still requires mechanical excavation.

Work within the on-site temporary mortuary continues. As each soldier becomes the subject of detailed analysis, the database of information for individuals and there associated artefacts develops. This database will be one of the pivotal tools used by the Joint Identification Board in March 2010. Oxford Archaeology's experienced anthological team has now fully analysed well over 40 of the recovered remains.

As has been the case since the first remains were uncovered, the predominant finds for the week have been belt buckles, buttons and assorted military insignia. Again the most interesting finds have been those of a personal nature; these include a paper train ticket, a heart shaped leather pouch, a leather heart, religious items, a leather coin purse and a leather wrist strap.

The paper train ticket, found in association with an individual, demonstrates just how favourable soil conditions are for the preservation of artefacts. The ticket was a second class return from Fremantle to Perth. This may be a poignant find as Perth was the location that Western Australian soldiers signed up for duty, while Fremantle was their point of embarkation to sail to Europe.

Crucifix in Pouch

When the heart-shaped leather pouch was recovered, it was found to contain a solid gold cross and a copper alloy crucifix. Also present was a small handmade heart made from a piece of leather and stitched around the edge. Inside the heart were fibres, perhaps once paper, and the remains of a lock of hair. Unfortunately, it appears that the pouch did not contain anything that will help identify the owner.

A leather coin purse was found with several internal pockets that contained a collection of coins; eight Ottoman Turkish coins, three English coins, one Dutch guilder, two French francs and one 25 centime piece. The Ottoman coins are of particular interest because it may suggest that the associated individual may have been at Gallipoli.

A further find in Grave One, the leather wrist strap with three leather pockets on it, contained an assortment of coins. These included English ones, but also one from Ceylon and possibly one from the Middle East.

The most pleasing aspects for all people associated with the recovery operation, has been that the majority of individuals disinterred thus far have been found with associated personal items that give information about whether they fought with the Australian or British Army. It remains the project teams hope that the associated personal items, combined with DNA analysis and matching, will be able to provide the dignity of a named headstone to as many of these soldiers as possible.

In the week to follow, mechanical excavation of Grave Four will continue and is expected to be completed Tuesday. The final excavation work in Grave One will be completed and hand excavation of Grave Three commenced. Recovery operations in Grave Four will commence as soon as possible.