MAIDENHEAD, England, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --     The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has launched a new website at
http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles to trace the families of men who died in one of
the most tragic battles of the First World War.

Early next month work will begin in northern France to recover the
remains of up to 400 Australian and British soldiers who died in the Battle
of Fromelles in July 1916. The remains currently lie in a number of
newly-discovered mass graves at Pheasant Wood, in the village of Fromelles,
where they had been buried by the Germans after the battle.

The recovery will be overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
and progress can be followed through a new website at
http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles One important aspect of the project will be the
attempted identification of the bodies recovered. The battle took place
within a limited timeframe and by careful examination of records of the
'missing' it has been possible to draw up a pool of possible identities for
those buried in the mass graves. A list of these names will be published on
the website.

Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said: "These men gave their lives for this
country and everything possible will be done to identify and then lay them to
rest with the full military honours they deserve. I urge families whose
relatives may have died in the First World War battle at Fromelles in 1916 to
check this list. We need the British public to look back in their family
trees and come forward if they believe there is a chance their grandfather or
great-grandfather died at Fromelles."

Peter Francis, Head of Communication for the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission explained: "The website will play a key role in keeping the public
up to date with activities at Fromelles. In that spirit we are pleased to be
able to publish the names of men who we believe may be among those whose
bodies will be recovered."

Members of the public who believe they may be related to British soldiers
buried at Fromelles can check the list of names at
http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles or contact Historic Casualty Casework, Joint
Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency,
Imjin Barracks, Gloucester GL3 1HW Tel: +44(0)1452-712612 extension 6303 or 
7330 or email SPVA-JCCC-fromelles-GroupMailbox@spva.mod.uk

Notes for Editors:

1. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking and
maintaining the graves of those members of the Commonwealth forces who died
during the two world wars, for building and maintaining memorials to the dead
whose graves are unknown and for providing records and registers of these 1.7
million burials and commemorations found in most countries around the world.
For more information visit http://www.cwgc.org

2. The Battle of Fromelles began on 19 July 1916 and was the first major
battle on the Western Front involving Australian troops.

Within a twenty-four hour period the 5th Australian Division had suffered
5,533 casualties, of which 1,780 were killed, and the 61st British Division
suffered the loss of 1,547 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner

The group burial at Pheasant Wood was confirmed during a limited
excavation in May 2008. It is believed up to 400 Australian and British
soldiers still lie at this site where they were buried by German forces in
the days immediately after the battle.

A full archaeological excavation of the site and individual
Re-interment of remains in the new Commonwealth War Cemetery at Fromelles
is scheduled to commence in May 2009. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
is overseeing the work on behalf of both the Australian and British
Governments.

3. The full list of names of those servicemen who may be among those
buried at Fromelles is available from the Commission press office.

4. Members of the public who believe they may be related to British
soldiers buried at Fromelles should contact Historic Casualty Casework, Joint
Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency,
Imjin Barracks, Gloucester GL3 1HW Tel: +44(0)1452-712612 extension 6303 or 
7330 or email SPVA-JCCC-fromelles-GroupMailbox@spva.mod.uk

5. The Australian Army has developed a working list of the First
Australian Imperial Forces soldiers it believes may be buried at the site and
is encouraging relatives to register their details. Further information is
available at http://www.defence.gov.au/fromelles

Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, 
Berkshire, SL6 7DX. Telephone: +44(0)1628-507163, E-mail: media@cwgc.org

For further information, please contact Peter Francis on 
+44(0)1628-507163 or by email at peter.francis@cwgc.org