Wartime 44
Australia’s worst 24 hours
The tragedy of the missing at Fromelles resonates once more 90 years after the battle. In May 2008, thanks to the tireless efforts of retired Victorian schoolteacher Lambis Englezos, a team of archaeologists and historians began to investigate a series of burial pits at nearby Pheasant Wood. They were searching for the bodies of at least 170 Australians and even more British troops. Their discovery that the pits did contain bodies aroused wide interest and again brought the battle of Fromelles to the forefront of public attention. Noted experts involved in the investigation tell the story of the battle and the dig.
Page 10
Nigel Steel’s overview recounts the long and complex efforts to prove the existence of the mass grave.
Page 16
Schoolteacher Lambis Englezos describes his quest to find “the missing” of Fromelles.
Page 18
Memorial historian Ashley Ekins offers a blow-by-blow account of the worst day in Australian military history.
Page 24
Memorial historian Peter Pedersen reflects on the battlefield where 2,000 Australians died.
Page 30
Tony Pollard, leader of the archaeological team that found the bodies, talks about the dig and its challenges.
Page 34
British historian Peter Barton reveals how German archives held vital information relating to the missing men.
