Families across the Hunter region are being called upon to help solve a century-old mystery surrounding local World War I soldiers who never returned home from battle.
The urgent appeal comes as communities prepare to pause and honour the fallen during Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11.
The Lost Soldiers of Fromelles
Young men from Newcastle, Wallsend, Cooks Hill, Jesmond, Teralba, and Stockton volunteered together and fought with the 5th Division in the devastating Battle of Fromelles on July 19, 1916.
They were among 5500 Australians killed in what many consider the most tragic event in Australia's history. These ordinary Hunter men - miners, clerks, surf lifesavers and sailors - have their names etched on honour rolls throughout the region, but their final resting places remain unknown.
Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch president Peter Griffiths expressed his concern about the missing soldiers. "If people have got people who are missing in an accident or killed in any war or disappeared ... I can't understand why people wouldn't follow it through anyway. That's somebody's brother, son or father," Mr Griffiths said.
The Search for the Final 70
In 2008, a significant discovery was made in France when a mass grave was uncovered at Pheasant Wood in Fromelles. The remains of 250 missing Australian soldiers were recovered from the site.
Since then, dedicated efforts have identified 180 individuals through DNA testing, but approximately 70 men remain unknown - they're now referred to as the "Final 70."
The Fromelles Association of Australia is leading the charge to identify these remaining soldiers and is specifically appealing to Hunter families for assistance.
"Every name we restore is a family reconnected and a promise finally kept," said Fromelles Association of Australia spokesperson Tony Ryan.
"We know who these men are. We simply need living relatives to help us match them with DNA. Even a small family story or a single cheek swab could solve a 109-year-old mystery."
Hunter Soldiers Still Missing
The list of local soldiers who remain unaccounted for includes several men with strong Hunter connections:
- Private Alfred 'Alfie' John Smith from Cooks Hill - a surf lifesaver and clerk
- Private John Hay Wishart from Wallsend - a hospital dispenser who died rescuing a mate
- Private Edward Leslie Downie from Maryville - a young sailor from a large local family
- Private John 'Jack' Bainbridge from Newcastle - a local sportsman lost crossing No Man's Land
- Private Thomas Easton from Jesmond/Teralba - a coal miner who enlisted with mates
Other soldiers from Waratah, Charlestown, Stockton, Lambton, Weston, Cassilis, Wallsend and surrounding communities also remain missing.
The Association's volunteers work closely with the Australian Army's Unrecovered War Casualties Unit in Canberra and provide free genealogical support to families.
"You don't need to know your full family tree," Mr Ryan assured potential relatives. "If you had a great-uncle who went missing in France, or your family has deep Hunter roots, please reach out. One DNA test could honour a soldier's sacrifice and finally return his name."
Remembrance Day Commemorations
As the November 11 Remembrance Day approaches, communities throughout the Hunter will pause to remember the fallen.
The Newcastle Sub-Branch will host the city's service at 11am at Civic Park, featuring a special flypast of an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter flying low over the city from east to west at exactly 11am.
Mr Griffiths emphasised the importance of maintaining these traditions. "I think if we ever lose track of the fact that people go and fight for this country and they die for the country, or get injured, I can't see why people would not sort of respect that," he reflected.
"We remember those who have fallen, those who have been. I'm one of the ones who have been, and I came home in one, well, sort of one piece anyway. A lot of people have been there and done it, a lot of people paid the ultimate price."
He added that it's important to remember both those who served and the families they left behind.
Families who believe they may be related to soldiers lost at Fromelles are encouraged to contact the Fromelles Association directly. The opportunity to finally bring closure to a 109-year-old mystery remains within reach for Hunter descendants.
