It’s amazing what can be achieved where there is a meeting of wills. We were taken on a most wonderful tour of the Fromelles battlefield. Henri was at pains to ensure that we walked in fields where tourists would normally not dare to go and he insisted that we collect souvenir buttons, bullets and shrapnel balls.
We were then taken on a zigzag course through a series of secondary roads until we arrived at the edge of a young plantation. We were told to park and we all alighted and were led a short distance to what looked like a pile of old rubbish at the edge of a paddock. It was a concrete staircase and we were led down a few metres until we reached a large room. It had a funnel-shaped half-circular aperture in the thick reinforced concrete ceiling. The aperture was where the heavy mortar bombs would fly out from beneath the surface to rain death on anyone attacking the German front. Henri explained that L’Association pour le Souvenir de la Battaille de Fromelles or ASBF had only recently discovered this position and that when they’d pumped out the water, they’d found it literally full of intact war items. The haul included many unexploded heavy mortar bombs including 20 live poison gas bombs.
I didn’t know it at the time but the little secondary road we had driven to the mortar position was the left-hand boundary of Harry’s 31st Battalion during the attack all those years ago. The place where we’d parked our car to walk to the mortar position was where the Germans had stopped the Australians that night. In 1916 our car would have been parked adjacent to piles of dead Diggers and the site of a grenade fight. After that, there’d be other visits to Harry’s battlefield, many more.
At home in Tallarook, on 18 July 2006, I heard Lambis Englezos’ theory that a large number of Diggers who had fought their way into the German positions, and were killed during the Battle of Fromelles, had been later gathered up and buried in mass burial pits behind the lines by the Bavarians. Lambis believed he had found them and had aerial photos of the pits to prove it.
I wrote that I was a descendant of a missing Fromelles man and that if he wanted to speak to me I’d love to hear from him. He was on the phone that night. I expressed my enthusiastic support for his theory and said that I’d like to discuss it with him if he could spare the time. He invited me to come along the very next day to the annual Fromelles anniversary service at the Shrine of Remembrance.
I brought a portrait of Harry in a frame. It was a very moving service and later, when the call was made for wreaths and floral tributes to be laid, I stepped forward and placed the photo of Harry among the flowers. Lambis closed the service and thanked those who had attended for coming. I looked around the room and wondered how many other sons, daughters, nieces and nephews were in the shrine that day, still trying to put pieces into a puzzle.
Lambis and I spoke many times in the weeks that followed. He was very open with his research and one day he invited me to meet his co-researcher, Ward Selby. They were planning their pitch to the panel of experts assembled by the Army History Unit.
I had been studying military uniforms, equipment, weapons, and tactics for many years and it was quickly realised by Lambis and Ward that this knowledge was of value. Additionally, my 14 years as a combat-arms soldier meant that I viewed maps, military documents and photographs with a completely different eye than conventional historians. Lambis and Ward were looking at the pits on one of the aerial photos which were crucial to the argument that the pits were mass burial sites. Lambis and Ward were bogged down. The Army History Unit had said that the pits in the photos might just as likely be mortar pits or defensive works. I chuckled audibly and they did a double take. I said:
Those pits are symmetrically dug; they’re in the open even though there’s a perfectly good forest not five metres from them. There’s been no attempt to hide them at all and they are oriented in the wrong direction to be mortar pits. Aerial reconnaissance was a reality in 1916 and yet there is not a single sign that the Germans cared who saw them … they’re graves.
Another similar bit of photo interpretation happened when Lambis showed me a photograph of a trench full of dead soldiers. He had a theory that this was a photo of dead Australians in a pit at Pheasant Wood. I quickly said, ‘no mate, they are British soldiers. See the brass buttons and the fitted tunics’. From that time on I was in with both feet.
On 16 May 2007 the archaeological team started work at the Pheasant Wood site. It had been a long haul to get them there. Tony Pollard was the head of the Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) team. The Australian Army had commissioned him and his team. They had a great reputation and were commissioned to determine whether Pheasant Wood had been a burial site, its extent, and most importantly whether it remained a burial site. The team conducted an array of tests but they had to be non-invasive – that is they must not dig for remains. The only digging allowed would be in the top few inches of the field.
The metal detector sweeps proved to be the most enlightening of the many tests conducted. There was a wide scatter of metallic wartime artefacts detected across the site, unmoved since the end of the Great War, proving that beyond reasonable doubt, the site remained undisturbed and that in all probability the burial pits remained intact.
Of the hundreds of metallic artefacts recovered from the surface strata of the site, two very compelling objects were recovered. They were small copper amulets. These little medallions were unmistakably Australian. No Australian soldier had ever made it this close to the village of Fromelles alive during the battle in July 1916. The only way these medallions could have got to the site was as the personal belongings of dead men.
One of the two distinctly Australian objects recovered from the rim of pit number 4 was a little enamelled Alberton Shire good-luck medallion. That tiny little medallion could have been picked up or destroyed at any time during the intervening 91 years but it wasn’t. Lambis Englezos and the GUARD’s incredible work had brought them to the top of pit number 4, but it was Harry Willis’ medallion that confirmed they were in the right place. I found myself thinking: well done mate, keep calling, we’ll find you.
Alongside Lambis, I advocated through the media to accelerate the investigation process. Initially I was unsure of myself when speaking to journalists but I became more confident and constantly evoked the name of Harry Willis. I figured that the best way to get the job done was to give the public a name to hang onto. To make it about real people, not just about history. It was working. The media grabbed two things from then on: lone crusader Lambis winning in spite of Big Brother; and Harry Willis and his miracle medallion, is he there? His relative is certain he is.
The site at Pheasant Wood had been a burial site. Australian soldiers had been buried there. Were they still there? Probably, but only the shovel could really give the answer. So it was to be. The Australian Army would return to Fromelles in the European summer of 2008 and this time they were going to dig.
The site was about 200 metres long and about 40 metres wide and was surrounded by recently erected temporary fencing with a little portacabin brew-room-cum-office at the nearest end to the access path. About a third of the site was roped-off. The small mechanical excavator was fired up and Garry Andrews, the operator, with incredible skill began to peel layer after layer of inch-deep butter curls of earth from the first trench. It had taken 92 years but finally they were here, and they were digging!
The outlines of the pits were showing strong and straight against the ploughed soil as Gary Andrews’ excavator continued peeling back the layers of soil. As the layers were removed, the tension grew. It was tangible. What if they weren’t there? This was the single biggest project that Tony had ever undertaken, and it carried the greatest personal risk for him too if the pits were empty.
Then on the second night of the dig, on 27 May 2008, there was a distinct change in mood on site. We sensed that they had found them but weren’t announcing it yet. The next day confirmation came for me in the form of a text message from my mate Col Strawbridge in Australia: ‘Congratulations mate. You�
�ve done it. We are so proud of you.’
I immediately rang him and he confirmed that human remains had been found. My wife Liz, daughter Alexandra and I immediately drove to the site. We arrived just in time for Tony and General Mike O’Brien, the army’s project leader, to announce to the gathering press that at around 5 pm the previous evening the first human remains had been uncovered. General O’Brien announced that the site had progressed from a place of historical interest into a place of much deeper significance to the nations of Great Britain and Australia.
I wanted to tell nan. She was my link to Harry. She deserved to be told immediately. It was a bad telephone connection with a big delay and I was very emotional. It went something like this: ‘G’day nan, it’s me, Tim. They’ve found where he’s buried, nan. Here in France.’ It was an incredible moment as nan was having one of those blessed moments of clarity. She told me it was wonderful news and that she was very proud of me and that she was so happy. Then with that lovely touch that only grandmothers have, she said, ‘Make sure you come home soon and visit me, I’d love to see you.’ ‘I will, nan. Love you.’
Since the 2008 dig we had agitated hard to ensure that the Diggers, including Harry, weren’t left in those pits and were afforded a proper attempt at identification and a military funeral. Thankfully that occurred. In July 2010 I returned to Fromelles. It was the culmination of a long journey and many questions had been answered. The army had been splendid. A new cemetery had been built; families had come forward from Australia and the world, offering their family trees and DNA to give the Diggers a chance of regaining their identity. The soldiers had been reburied the previous winter. On 17 March 2010 the first of the names of those identified, Harry’s among them, were announced. Nan’s DNA had helped identify him. There was just one unknown soldier left to be reburied with full military honours and fanfare on the anniversary of the battle. Harry and his mates had been given their final resting place, just as we had wished.
My beautiful nan had recently died, but by the time I reached the familiar village of Fromelles I had reached a stage beyond grief where I was able to be happy. On 18 July 2010, the locals of Fromelles quietly gathered on the old battlefield and paid their respects. I was there with my family. It felt special to be among them. Afterwards, at the new Cobbers School in the village, I presented Harry’s good-luck medallion to the people of Fromelles; the same artefact that had proved the Diggers were in those horrible pits. The gesture was well received. The Mayor made a long and meaningful speech and then presented Lambis and myself with the Medaille de Commune de Fromelles. They had made us ‘Fromellois’ or citizens of Fromelles.
The final reburial of the Fromelles Diggers took place the next day. For me and my family it was a beautiful preamble. It was at the end of the burial that I walked through the gate of the new cemetery for the first time and laid my hand upon Harry’s headstone. I thumped it hard, so that the vibrations might travel down to my relative. I spoke to him. In the next minutes I laid Harry’s 31st Battalion colour patch upon the headstone. It was important to me. He was a soldier again, no longer the subject of speculation, no longer a media story. I sprinkled earth from the graves of Harry’s mother, his brother and my nan. He was reunited with those that had held his name and identity for almost a century.
Tim Whitford and his nan, Marjorie Whitford, happy that their relative Harry Willis (pictured) has been found and now has a final resting place at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. Taken at Yarram, Victoria on 17 March 2010 – the same day the first successful identifications were announced. (IMAGE JOHN WOUDSTRA / FAIRFAX PHOTOS)
Appendix I
THE ORDER OF BATTLE, FROMELLES
COMMANDER IN CHIEF
General Sir Douglas Haig
GOC* FIRST BRITIH ARMY
General Sir Charles Monro
GOC XI CORPS
General Sir Richard Haking
GOC I ANZAC CORPS
(1st and 2nd Australian Division and NZ Divisions)
General Sir William Birdwood
GOC II ANZAC CORPS
(4th and 5th Australian Divisions)
General Sir Alexander Godley
BRITISH 61ST DIVISION
GOC
Major General Colin McKenzie
182ND BRIGADE
Brigadier General Alister Gordon
2/5th Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/6th Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/8th Royal Warwickshire Regiment
183RD BRIGADE
Brigadier General Gordon Stewart
2/4th Gloucestershire Regiment
2/6th Gloucestershire Regiment
2/7th Worcestershire Regiment
2/8th Worcestershire Regiment
184TH BRIGADE
Briga General Charles Carter
2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Regiment
2/1st Royal Berkshire Regiment
2/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment
2/5th Gloucestershire Regiment
2/1st Buckinghamshire Regiment
5TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION
GOC
Major General James McCay
8TH BRIGADE
Brigadier General Edwin Tivey
29th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Bennett
30th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel J.W. Clark
31st Battalion Lieutenant Colonel F.W. Toll
32nd Battalion Lieutenant Colonel D.M.R. Coghill
14TH BRIGADE
Brigadier General Harold Pope
53rd Battalion Lieutenant Colonel I.B. Norris
54th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel W.E.H. Cass
55th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel D.M. McConaghy
56th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel A.H. Scott
15TH BRIGADE
Brigadier General Harold Elliott
57th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Stewart
58th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel C.A. Denehy
59th Battalion Lieutenant Colonel E.A. Harris
60th Battalion Major G.G. McCrae
Appendix II
THE MISSING DIGGERS OF FROMELLES
8TH BRIGADE
29th Battalion (11)
Pte Henry Bell #191
Pte Justin Breguet #1983
Pte J.A. Cozens #210
Pte S. Farlow #80 found
Pte T. Francis #2584
Pte J. Gordon #1130
Pte H. Haslam #1390 found
Pte A. Johnson #2203
Pte F. Livingston #1168 found
Pte S. O’Donnell #314
Pte E. Oliver #316
Pte W. O’Donnell #319
Pte F. Parry #320 found
Pte H. Pollard #324 found
Cpl J. Ross #1216 found
Pte G. Smith #1245 Cpl A. Tuck #1252
Pte A.J. Weir #358 found
Pte E. Wilkin #1314 found
30th Battalion (10)
Pte J. Balsdon #2274
Pte H. Bourke #1682 found
Pte D. Caswell #397
Sgt C. Church #635
Pte H. Crocker #2010 found
Pte R. Fenwick #882
Pte H. Gardner #889
L/Cpl Fred Glenn #1291
Pte C. Hawcroft #188 found
Pte W. Higgins #196 found
Pte A. James #689
Pte G. H. Lucre #467 found
Lt A. Mitchell found
Cpl C. Murray #1590 found
Pte H. Nelson #728
2nd Lt J Parker found
Pte D.B. Ryan #743 found
Pte M. Spence #4614 found
Pte J. Turner #767 found
Pte L.S. Vincent #777 found
Pte A. Wood #781
Pte J.C. Wynn #2485
8th Brigade Field Co. Engineers (1)
L/Cpl H.T. Smith #4474
31st Battalion (11)
Pte T.H. Bills #605
Pte S. Broom #1522
Pte J.J. Curra
n #494
Pte L.C. Dunn #641
Pte J.J. Goulding #555 POW
Pte W.A. Grace #1537
Pte N.A. Hale #702 found
Pte T. Hunt #1054
Pte S.J. Hyams #2028
Pte J.L. Mason #470 POW
Pte J. Morley #258 found
Pte J. Nevill #269 found
Pte J.R. Smith #3983
Pte L.G. Walsh #311 found
Pte P. Weakley #318
Pte H.V. Willis #983 found
32nd Battalion (23)
Pte W. Barber #346
Sgt O. Baumann #10
Pte A. Batt #352
L/Cpl A. Bennett #1602 found
Pte J.H. Boswell. #891
Pte W.E Boyce #1218
Pte E.N. Burney # 1226 found
Pte T.C. Cartwright#1235
Lt E.H. Chinner found
Pte M. Coriglians #2011 found
Pte J.E. Crocker #79
L/Cpl S.W. Dennis #1252
Pte E.C. Gray #20
Cpl R.C. Green #1274 found
Pte Bertie Greenfield #1275
Pte P.J. Greenwood #3115a
Pte G.A. Griffiths #1276 found
Cpl L.W. Hart #865 found
Pte C.R.S. Hoffman #2050
Pte A. Holmes #955 found
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