WWI Soldier's Postcard Helps Identify Six British Soldiers After Century-Long Search
Six British World War I soldiers whose remains were discovered during an excavation in Belgium have been identified through archival research and DNA analysis, with a postcard found on one soldier proving crucial to the identification. The soldiers, members of the 2/4 Battalion Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, were among over half a million British soldiers still missing from WWI. A memorial service at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium on Wednesday reunited distant descendants and honored the soldiers' sacrifice.
During an excavation in western Belgium, the remains of six British World War I soldiers were discovered and subsequently identified through a combination of archival research and DNA analysis. A postcard from Bradford, England, found on Private Thomas Whitaker proved to be the key breakthrough that helped researchers narrow down the likely identities from among hundreds of thousands of missing soldiers. By matching the postcard with other artifacts including a Lewis Gun and uniforms, researchers at the U.K. Ministry of Defence's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre contacted potential relatives for DNA confirmation. The identifications were confirmed for Privates Thomas Whitaker, Horace Frederick Cook, Frederick Martin, Charles Richard Russels, Courtney Darvill Hart, and Joseph Turnley. A memorial service at Tyne Cot Cemetery on Wednesday featured white marble headstones dedicated to the six soldiers, with family members in attendance, including Joe Whitaker, 22, who read a poem honoring his great-great-uncle.
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WWI soldier's postcard from home helps unite his family after a century
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