DNA helps identify World War I soldiers killed at Fromelles

That was until last week when his Thursday afternoon lawn bowls game at Port Fairy was interrupted by a phone call from his son Wayne.

The 80-year-old retired plumber from Portarlington could hardly believe what he was hearing.

More than a century after his great-uncle Alfred Thompson died in the World War 1 bloodbath of Fromelles in France, Mr Thompson’s DNA had helped to identify his remains.

“I was that excited I had to give my opponent the measuring tape while I took the call. I was holding up the game,” Mr Thompson said. It took a second call from Wayne after the game finished for the enormity of the news to sink in.

Geelong-born Private Thompson, of the 55th Battalion AIF and New South Welshman Private Claude Yeo, of the 30th Battalion, are the latest soldiers to be identified from the 250 whose remains were recovered in 2009 from mass graves at Pheasant Wood, Fromelles where they were buried by the Germans. Almost 2000 Australian soldiers died in the July 19-20 battle of 1916 and thousands more were injured.

Last week’s notifications by the Australian Army’s UWC-A (Unrecovered War Casualties) unit brings to 152 the number of Aussie soldiers identified using descendants’ DNA and other forensic information.

Mr Thompson, who was on one of his regular camping trips to Port Fairy with wife Beverley when he heard the news, didn’t know of his great-uncle Alfred’s existence, let alone anything about the deadly 1916 Fromelles battle until a couple of years ago when he was contacted by the Fromelles Association of Australia.

Now, along with Beverley and children Wayne, Darryl and Jennifer, he’s hoping to make the pilgrimage to Fromelles for this year’s annual July 19 commemorative service and dedication of Alfred’s grave.

“It’s really good for the family that we’ve found him (Alfred) and now he will no longer be in a grave that says ‘unknown’, but he will have a name,” Wayne said.

Just 23 when he died in battle, Alfred Thompson was a former farm labourer and the half-brother of Mr Thompson’s grandfather William. William’s father remarried after he was widowed and moved to New South Wales after Alfred was born, leaving the then adult William in Victoria. Mr Thompson never knew of his grandfather’s step-siblings.

Now, he treasures the one photo he possesses of “Uncle Alfred”, carrying it carefully in his breast-pocket as he marches proudly each Anzac Day. “I’ll go to the Anzac Day dawn service at Portarlington and march at 11 o’clock and Uncle Alfred will be with me,” he said, patting his pocket. “It’s amazing that we share my great-grandfather’s DNA.”

Mr Thompson received a phone call from Fromelles Association researcher Margaret O’Leary two years ago, requesting he supply a DNA sample to assist in the identification process.

“I’ll never forget, she said, ‘Thank goodness I’ve found you’.”

It was the first time he had any knowledge of Alfred Thompson or his fate at Fromelles, or the New South Wales branch of the family with whom he quickly became acquainted.

“All of a sudden I had all these relatives I didn’t know about,” said Mr Thompson, who was given the photo of Alfred by a newfound cousin.

Port Fairy-based military researcher Maria Cameron, who was involved in the Fromelles mass grave discovery with Melbourne amateur military historian Lambis Englezos, said she was delighted for the families of the newly-identified soldiers.

“It gives the families closure and I believe everybody deserves to have a name on their grave. Just to see the reaction for Brian, you can see how much it means to him,” said Mrs Cameron, who met Mr Thompson after he received the news of Alfred’s identification last week.