Remains of First World War soldiers uncovered
The remains of six British soldiers who died in the First World War have been uncovered in a field in Komen-Waasten, a Belgian village close to the French border. The discovery took place during an excavation by Patrick Roelens, an amateur archaeologist who works with various organisations to excavate many of the battle sites of the war, including the Plugstreet Project, which uncovered the body of an Australian soldier two years ago.
About 10 bodies a year are uncovered in Belgian battlefield sites, but the latest find is unusual because it involves so many men in one place. The remains, which have not been identified, are being kept at the Belgian military base at Langemark-Poelkapelle before being turned over to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. They will in turn take up the matter with the British ministry of defence, which is responsible for identifying the men, if that proves possible.
Komen-Waasten, known as Comines-Warneton to the French-speaking majority of this exclave of Wallonia bordered on one side by France and on the other by West Flanders, was on the front line of the First World War. Both villages were completely destroyed in the fighting, but not before Kaiser Wilhelm had paid a visit to his troops in 1915, and a young Adolf Hitler served in the area, staying several times in Comines. Not far away in Ploegsteert (which gives the Plugstreet project its name), Winston Churchill was stationed, while the village was still part of Warneton.
