IDENTIFIED BY TEETH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20174, 11 August 1927, Page 6

IDENTIFIED BY TEETH.

REMAINS OF NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS.

RECOVERED IN FRANCE. (From Our Parliamextart Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 8. The great care exercised by the Imperial War Graves Commission in investigating all possible clues which might lead to the identification of unknown soldiers buried in the scattered graves of France has led to the discovery of the names of two more New Zealand soldiers whose remains were located in Beaumont Hamel. Identification was proved by the artificial teeth of the soldiers. A summary of the report of the Imperial War Graves Commission was made available by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr R. F. Bollard) to-night. “In October last,” the report ran, “ the commission advised that the bodies of two unknown New Zealand soldiers had been exhumed in the field from point sheet 57 DQ to 10D 1 6 (Beaumont Hamel), and reburied in the A.I.F. burial ground, Grass lane, Flcrs, plot 6, row 6, graves 1 and 2 respectively. On the body reburied in grave 1 a mutilated diary rover, marked ‘With the compliments of H. Stone and Son, men's clothing, boots, and stationery, tobacconists, gnd fancy good stores, Methven,’ was recovered, together with N.Z.K. titles Ist Canterbury Regiment, collar badges, and full upper set of artificial teeth. “No personal effects were recovered from the body reburied in grave 2, but N.Z.R. titles and full upper and lower sets of artificial teeth were found. It was estimated that the height of both unknown men was approximately sft bin. “As it was not possible to effect identification from the records held by the Imperial War Graves Commission and the High Commissioner for New Zealand, the former requested that investigations should bo made in New Zealand. A careful search of the records showed that the two New Zealand soldiers, both of the Canterbury Regiment, who were killed in action on March 29, 1918, were reported as having been buried in the field at map reference 57, DQ, IQD, 1 6. Dental' reports, as contained on the soldiers’ medical files were obtained from the Defence Department, and on being submitted to the Imperial War Graves Commission resulted in the following communication being received through the High Commissioner: ‘From the information you hive supplied, in view of the fact t,hat these two soldiers were reported to have been buried together at map reference 51 DQ, 10D, I 6, and as their dental reports agree favourably with the details shown on the report rendered at the time of removal, it is believed that the bodies now at rest in graves 1 and 2 respectively of A.I.F. burial ground are those of the soldiers you mention. Temporary wooden crosses bearing their names and full regimental particulars have been erected, and in due time headstones will take their place.'" Mr Bollard said that he did not think it fitting to disclose the names of tlm two soldiers referred to, but it would be of interest to know that the mother of one of the soldiers was still a resident of Methven.