Search for relatives of Private buried in First World War mass grave
RELATIVES of a Bourne soldier killed in the First World War are being sought so he can be laid to rest 93 years after he died.
Private John Swift from Bourne has been named by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as possibly being one of many soldiers in a mass grave in France which is now being excavated.
He served in the 2nd/7th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was killed at the Battle of Fromelles on July 19, 1916.
Now the commission and the Ministry of Defence are hoping to find possible relatives who will undergo DNA tests to help identify his remains and allow an individual burial in France.
Pte Swift's name is not on the Bourne war memorial in South Street and the discovery of this lost soldier was made by Lincolnshire man Richard Parker while researching his family history.
Richard, 47, who lives near Lincoln, said: "So far no relatives have come forward and I wondered if the Mercury could make an appeal to see if there are any relatives locally who may be able to help.
"I personally have my great uncle as one of the missing too and offered to help in the search for other relatives of the missing.
"If any living relatives could volunteer for DNA testing it may help a local lad finally have a marked grave 93 years after he was killed."
If Pte Swift can be identified, members of the Bourne branch of the Royal British Legion want to have his name put on the memorial.
Retired Nobby Middleton, 77, of Gladstone Street, Bourne is vice-chairman of the Bourne Legion branch and also chairman of the services committee.
Mr Middleton said: "If he's originally from Bourne he should be on it."
Committee member Tim Bladon, 76, of Wendover Close, Rippingale, said: "It is important to get his name on the memorial in honour of the service he gave to the country if he resided in Bourne."
Anyone who believes they may be related to John Swift is asked to call the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, on 01452 712 612. extension 6303.
Who was Private John Swift?
PRIVATE John Swift's parents were Charles William Swift and Sarah Swift, who lived in Meadowgate, Bourne.
On the 1901 and 1911 census the family lived at 13 Gladstone Street, Bourne.
In 1911, Pte Swift moved to London and was living with his grandmother and aunts.
However his siblings, Annie Ashby (born in 1887), William Henry (1888), Edith (1890) and Kathleen (1900) appear to have remained in the area.
Their father Charles was a local grocer and William was a printer.
Pte Swift's parents address is listed as 3 Meadow Gate, Bourne, after his death.
It is not clear when he joined the army, but as a member of 2nd/7th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment he was sent to France.
The Battle of Fromelles began on July 19, 1916, and was the first major battle on the Western Front involving Australian troops.
Within a 24-hour period the 5th Australian Division had suffered 5,533 casualties, of which 1,780 were killed, and the 61st British Division suffered the loss of 1,547 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
About 400 Australian and British soldiers were buried by the Germans in mass graves at Pheasant Wood, in the village of Fromelles.
The group burial at Pheasant Wood was confirmed during a limited excavation in May 2008.
The recovery is being overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on behalf of both the Australian and British Governments. The full archaeological excavation of the site and individual re-interment of remains in the new Commonwealth War Cemetery at Fromelles started in May, 2009.
The battle took place within a limited timeframe and by careful examination of records of the "missing" it has been possible to draw up a pool of possible identities for those buried in the mass graves.
This is expected to take up until November depending on several factors including weather, soil conditions and the actual number of remains recovered.
Anthropological and artefactual analysis of recovered remains and material, together with DNA testing should be completed in early 2010.
Lincolnshire man Richard Parker is helping find relatives of soldiers killed at Fromelles and discovered Pte Swift's name.
Richard said: "My great uncle Leonard Twamley was also killed at Fromelles.
"The commission is seeking relatives of this soldier to carry out DNA tests in order to positively identify remains and thus give him a fitting individual burial.
"So far no relatives have come forward and I wondered if you might make an appeal to see if there are any relatives locally who may be able to help.
Bourne British Legion Committee member Tim Bladon, 76, of Wendover Close, Rippingale, is backing the call to put Pts Smith's name on the memorial if his remains are identified.
He said: "It is important to get his name on the memorial in honour of the service he gave to the country if he resided in Bourne."
Bourne mayor Trevor Holmes is joining the appeal for information.
He said: "It would be fitting to be able to lay this son of Bourne to rest in a marked grave after all these years and to inscribe his name on the Bourne war memorial to honour the giving of his life in the service of our country."
The man fighting to preserve our war memorials –
pages 32 and 65
Search for Pte Swift's family and DNA tests
* DNA samples will be taken during the course of the excavation which, if viable, may lead to some of the bodies being identified
* Due to the extremely small quantities of DNA present in some sets of remains, it is possible that some will not produce a useable profile
* The DNA testing is being conducted by LGC Forensics in Abingdon on behalf of the MoD.
* Any families who come forward will be asked for their family tree and photographs to help identify who would be the best match for testing.
* Afterwards they are invited along to a session explaining the process and what the project is all about.
* A DNA kit with a swab is then sent out, which must be returned to the forensics to look at to see if it matches the DNA of the dead soldier they are believed to be related to.
* Once identified, the soldier will have an individual burial in a military cemetery in France.
Anyone who believes they may be related to John Swift can call the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, on 01452 712 612, extension 6303. Do you think you could be related to John Swift? If so, call the newsroom on 01778 425876 or e-mail smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk
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