He may be the last from those found at this grave outside of Fromelles but their are still so many more from all armies missing. Taken from news.com.au/ Buried with dignity - Last lost Australian soldier laid to rest with honours By Lucy Carne From: The Daily Telegraph July 20, 2010 12:33AM Unknown Aussie soldier finally laid to rest Reburied from mass grave after 1916 battle GG and Prince Charles attend service NO ONE knows how bravely he faced certain death on the body-strewn battlefield, or how his family waited in vain for his return. But yesterday, in front of 6000 mourners, an unknown soldier killed in Australia's bloodiest 24-hours - and then abandoned for almost a century in a mass grave in northern France - was finally reburied with the respect his sacrifice deserved. His name is not known but he was the last of the 250 Australian and British WWI soldiers laid to rest since being recovered earlier this year from a mass grave in the village of Fromelles. The British Army Horse Guard that carried Princess Diana at her funeral delivered the remains of the last soldier to the Fromelles Cemetery. In an act of sombre respect, Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce and the Prince of Wales walked behind the coffin as it travelled through the farming village. . "I am profoundly humbled by the outstanding bravery of these men, who fought so valiantly," Prince Charles said. A grassy hillside with lavender and red roses planted between white headstones was the new home for the 250 soldiers who vanished on a horror night in 1916 and lay forgotten in a muddy field. Some have their identity. All now have their dignity. Among the mourners at the emotional ceremony was Caroline Woodward, 51, of Hamilton, western Victoria, the grandniece of famed Australian soldier Simon Fraser who sprinted into no man's land to rescue his injured mates at Fromelles. "This means even more to me as my son is in the army and is going to Afghanistan later this year," she said. The lost soldiers owe their discovery to the advocacy of amateur historian and Melbourne schoolteacher Lambis Englezos. "It is reassuring for us to know they are in the care of a village that will love and protect them. Our boys are in good hands," Mr Englezos said yesterday. The first 249 soldiers were buried at the new cemetery - which is located about ten miles west of the northern French city of Lille - in January and February. The burial of the 250th soldier was held back until the anniversary of the battle yesterday. As the last Aussie was laid to rest at Fromelles, preparations were under way in Belgium for another Australian soldier to be buried there, 90 years after he died in the trenches of WWI. Alan James Mather, 37, of Inverell, was identified by DNA last month after historians found his remains under the site of a German barrage in Ploegsteert, Belgium. The Australian Army will bury Private Mather with full military honours at the Prowse Point Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Ploegsteert, Belgium, on Thursday Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/bur...r-1225894313761?from=public_rss#ixzz0uADZhFEt
