Eleven WWI soldiers identified after more than a century as unknown
Eleven Australian soldiers killed in WWI have been identified. They were buried as unknown soldiers.
Private Thomas Easton served in the 30th Battalion. Private Easton died at the Battle of Fromelles in France in July 1916.
Private Easton was buried without a name. Now he has been identified along with ten others.
Scientists used DNA, archaeological findings and historical records to identify them. Easton was born in Jesmond in 1888.
He worked as a miner. He enlisted in Newcastle in 1915 when he was about 26 years old.
Private Easton reached France just weeks before Fromelles. Defence and Veterans' Affairs ministers said the identifications would end 'generations of uncertainty' for families.
The soldiers died in major Western Front battles including Fromelles, the Somme and Passchendaele.
- 11 Australian WWI soldiers
- Soldiers identified
- July 19-20, 1916
- Battle date
Why it mattersFamilies of the unidentified soldiers now get answers. They can mourn and remember their lost relatives by name.
AustraliaThese identifications honour Australian servicemen and offer closure to their descendants, with local connections to Newcastle and across regional Australia.
