News

Lost sons of Victoria

By Riverine Herald

Apr 24, 2025

Help needed to identify soldiers. Photo by Dave Sayers

As we pause to remember those who fought and died this Anzac Day, a heartbreaking chapter in Victoria’s military history remains unresolved.

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The fate of dozens of young Victorian soldiers who died in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles still lie unidentified beneath French soil.

The Fromelles Association of Australia, working alongside the Australian Army, is renewing its call to Australian families to come forward as potential DNA donors.

Their help could finally name one of the 70 Australian soldiers still unidentified and buried at Pheasant Wood cemetery in France.

Of the 250 men recovered from mass graves in 2009, more than 180 have now been identified through a combination of DNA testing, family research and military records.

But many still remain nameless, their stories preserved only through fragments of family memory.

The association’s website, fromelles.info, hosts more than 300 detailed stories and serves as a central hub for outreach and contact.

Anyone who believes they may be related to a soldier who fought at Fromelles is encouraged to visit the site and connect with researchers.