Unknown WW1 gunners laid to rest in special ceremony

Two unknown World War One soldiers have finally been laid to rest more than a century after their deaths.

The men were thought to have served with the 330th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, which recruited heavily from Burnley and Accrington in Lancashire.

Their remains were found buried in a shell hole in the town of Zonnebeke in Belgium but, despite detailed historical work and DNA testing, they could not be fully identified.

A full military burial has now taken place at Tyne Cot Cemetery, attended by forces representatives. Efforts are continuing to identify the men.

The service was organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), supported by serving soldiers from The Royal Horse Artillery, and was conducted by the Rev Mark Henderson, chaplain to 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery.

He said: "To bury with dignity those who lost their lives is a great honour to me personally.

"I joined as a chaplain respecting the sacrifice of those in the past, but I was always touched visiting the graves of those with a cross and the inscription on it - Unknown soldier but known unto God."

JCCC case worker Rosie Barron said although the men's identities remain unknown, it was important that their sacrifice was honoured and they had been laid to rest with military honours.

David Royle, recoveries and ceremonies manager at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said: "Burial services like those held this week are a powerful reminder of the cost and tragedy of the First World War.

"Although not possible to identify them by name, despite best efforts, it is an honour for us to now lay them to rest among comrades, and to care for their graves in perpetuity."

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