WWI soldiers laid to rest 110 years after death, identified through forensic work and a button
Two Scots identified from the 1915 Loos campaign are laid to rest with full military honours in France, more than a century after they were killed.
Two World War I soldiers have been laid to rest more than a century after they were killed in action. The remains of Lieutenant James Grant Allan of the 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, and Lance Corporal Gordon McPherson of the 7th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, were discovered by construction workers at a site on the outskirts of Lens in northern France.
The discovery also yielded six other soldiers whose remains could not be identified. British Ministry of Defence war detectives used forensic techniques and a small set of buttons to identify the two Scots, then traced families and checked records to confirm the identities. McPherson, who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos on September 25, 1915, had a button from the Newcastle Corporation Tramway in his pocket. Following the discovery, investigators checked the 1911 census and learned that his father had worked for the tramway; a DNA test sent to his next of kin confirmed his identity. Allan’s remains were identified through artefacts suggesting an officer and subsequent genealogical tracing; after studying Lt Allan’s family line, detectives located relatives and tested them, with Lt Allan's family providing a positive match. Nicholas Allan, the lieutenant’s great-nephew, said he felt a profound sense that something had been completed in honouring “this great-uncle of mine who I barely knew existed.”
The eight men were buried with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Loos British Cemetery Extension in Loos-en-Gohelle, France, which was established to receive newly discovered remains during ongoing work in the region and was inaugurated by The Princess Royal last year. CWGC France Area Director Jeremy Prince said, “We are proud to offer these soldiers a final resting place worthy of their courage and service.”
A bagpiper played as pallbearers from the 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland carried the coffin of Lieutenant James Grant Allan, and pallbearers from Scottish regiments stood over the coffins during the burial service. The discovery and interment are part of a continuing effort to identify and honour fallen service members whose remains are found long after hostilities have ended.
The Loos British Cemetery Extension, opened to receive later-found remains, reflects ongoing work in the Loos region to bring closure to families and preserve the memory of those who died in the Great War. The eight identified men and the other remains discovered in Lens illustrate how advances in forensic science and archival research continue to connect a century-old war to present-day families and communities.