The remains of Private Harry James Birch of the Cheshire Regiment and four unknown soldiers were recovered during roadworks in the Poelcapelle-Hulsthoutseweg area of Belgium in 2018.
The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Poelcapelle British Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium last week.
Pte Birch, who served with the 16th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment, died on 22 October 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres. Pte Birch was formally identified using DNA provided by his great-nephew, but the first clue to his identity was a leather belt found with him which bore traces of his regimental number and part of his name.
Alexia Clark, MOD War Detective, said:
“It has been a privilege to organise this burial service for Pte Birch. When you consider the half-a-million men still missing from the First and Second World Wars, every one we can identify feels like an achievement. I am delighted that Pte Birch’s military family have now been able to give him the dignified burial he had been denied for so long.”
Sadly, despite extensive research, it has not been possible to identify the four men found alongside Pte Birch. In total 2,068 men lost their lives in Belgium between 22 and 24 October 1917, and more than 1,000 of those remain missing.
Image: Crown Copyright
