World War 1 soldiers discovered

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Fourteen World War I Australian soldiers killed in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles have been identified.

Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said the diggers, originally from NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, were among 250 Australian and British soldiers recovered from mass graves in Pheasant Wood, France, in 2009.

Mr Snowdon said it brought the total number of Australians identified at Fromelles to 110.

But, of the 250 recovered soldiers, 100 Australians and two Britons remain unnamed.

The Battle of Fromelles on July 19, 1916, was the first action in which Australian troops fought on the Western Front. It proved disastrous.

The attack was designed to distract German attention away from the main Allied offensive on the Somme, 80km to the south, but resulted in 5533 Australian casualties including 400 taken prisoner.

German troops subsequently buried many of the dead in mass graves. They remained undiscovered until 2007 when patient detective work by Melbourne amateur historian Lambis Englezos revealed their final resting place.

DNA provided by relatives has proved the key to identification, with the number so far named far exceeding initial expectations.

Mr Snowdon said the Fromelles project team was determined to identify as many of the Australians as possible.

"We are encouraged by the success, made possible by the large number of extended family members, both in Australia and Britain, who have provided DNA samples to assist with identification," he said.

Mr Snowdon said the Commonwealth War Graves Commission would now erect new headstones with the identified men's details.

These will be dedicated on July 19 this year during the annual commemoration of the Battle of Fromelles.

Army chief Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie said it demonstrated the dedication of the army Fromelles project team and how the latest scientific methods plus good research could produce outstanding results.

"While identification of remains is an extremely complex process, we are hopeful that we will identify more soldiers in coming years," he said in a statement.

"It is important that we are able to identify these soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice and assist in giving closure to the families."

Lt-Gen Gillespie said the involvement of the lost diggers' families had been vital.

"We currently have almost 3000 family members' details in our records but we still need more," he said.

- AAP