Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I would like to speak on the discovery of World War I mass graves at Fromelles in northern France. I have addressed this subject on a number of occasions in the past, arising from representations made to me by enthusiasts who believed from their research that a large number of Australian soldiers from the 5th Division of the AIF whose bodies were never recovered after the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 were buried by the German army in mass graves just outside the village. The investigation, commissioned by the Army, has now confirmed that such graves do indeed exist.

For those not familiar with this story, let me briefly recount some detail. The 5th Division, along with British divisions, on 18 July 1916 were sent across no-man’s-land to invade the German lines as part of what has been called by historians a feint—that is, an attack intended to discourage the Germans from moving troops south to the Somme, where that battle was raging. This foolhardy and botched attack resulted in the worst casualty outcome in history for Australian forces. Almost 2,000 were killed in 12 hours and 5½ thousand in total were killed or wounded.

Many of the dead were left in no-man’s-land until after the war. Then, some remains were discovered and buried in a mass grave at what is now VC Corner. That is just down the road from the village, near the former German line. Not all were accounted for, however, including those who died in the German trenches or, as POWs, having been captured. Apart from Red Cross records confirming the burial of about 169 by the German army, nothing else has been known about their fate, until now.

Following questions I asked at Senate estimates of the Chief of Army, a special group of advisers was convened and an assessment was made: first, that the mass graves did indeed exist and, second, that the bodies remained in situ, notwithstanding recovery exhumations which ceased in about 1923. I am grateful for the Chief of Army’s initiative. Following preliminary research in German archives, the events of the days following the Battle of Fromelles have now been confirmed. The most important outcome, however, is that the expert group from the Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division, commissioned by the Army, have reported confirming the existence of the graves. From this report there is no doubt now about what happened. The German records, unsurprisingly, are meticulous in their detail, as were the instructions from the commanding officer about where the burial should be made, and how and by whom it was to be done. The only riddle yet to be answered is whether the bodies of up to 400 British and Australian soldiers remain there undisturbed.

There is geological information confirming the site of the mass graves. Now, there is also dramatic evidence of an Australian presence, with the discovery by metal detection of two medallions. These could only have fallen from Australian uniforms. As the report reveals, at no other stage would Australian soldiers have been at that site, at the edge of an empty pit where preparation for burial would have been carried out. The first medallion is heart shaped. It is embossed with the ANZAC motif and is understood to have been what was termed a ‘sweetheart badge’, given by a loved one as a keepsake. The second medallion is a horseshoe shape. That is understood to have been presented by the Shire of Alberton in Victoria to local men who volunteered. The only man who enlisted at Alberton and died that fateful night, and whose name appears as one of the 169 missing, has been identified as possibly being Private Henry Victor Willis of the 31st Battalion.

This is a wonderful story of persistence in research and pressure to get something done of such a valuable, commemorative nature. Preparations are being made to investigate the site at Pheasant Wood more thoroughly next summer. But with these results from the current exploratory excavation, it must be satisfying for families to know what happened to their great uncles—as they were in most cases. What is equally important, however, is that the discovery of the German records in Munich has revealed so much more information. There are suggestions that even more information may be available. In fact, it is a wonder that this research was not undertaken long ago. And, further, it is a question of what more ought to be done. Clearly, not all the missing Australians were buried at Pheasant Wood. I am advised that it is expected the majority will be British. The likelihood is that other mass burial sites may exist, to which the German records may also lead us.

This raises the question as to how active governments ought to be in grave-searching from battles fought so long ago. The general policy has been that exhumations and recoveries are only undertaken where skeletal remains are revealed by farmers’ ploughs or other excavations. The discovery of another four Australians outside Ypres in Belgium last year, when a gas trench was dug, is a case in point. In this case, however, it is not a case where burial of a few was hasty in the heat of battle. This is a documented case of mass burial without any evidence of exhumation and reburial, as was the practice after the war. I believe in these circumstances we are obliged to investigate until the circumstances are confirmed or dismissed with authority.

Finally, I congratulate those people from the Department of Defence and everyone else who has contributed to this discovery. That includes the Chief of Army and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, without whose support this would not have progressed so swiftly in more recent times. I would like to recommend to the minister that the report of the Glasgow group’s research at Pheasant Wood be made available publicly. I know from many representations made to me in the past, including from family members from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, from Western Australia and from South Australia, where many of those possibly buried at Pheasant Wood enlisted, that this is a family matter of huge significance.