Two Scottish WWI soldiers buried with full honours in France 108 years after they were killed in action
Half a million soldiers who fought in World War One remain unaccounted for. On Friday, six of them were laid to rest after being found in a field in France in 2023.
Relatives of two soldiers killed in action during World War One while serving their Scottish regiments have gathered in France to witness their forefathers being buried with full military honours some 108 years after they died.
Private George Fleming Brock and Private Percy Todd, both 11th Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, were laid to rest alongside four unknown soldiers on Friday. Since 1918, they had lain where they fell on the battlefield during the German Spring Offensive, with their remains only discovered in 2023.
Pte Brock of Dunipace, West Falkirk, a former Dux of his school, was serving an architectural apprenticeship with the Stirling firm of Messrs Bruce & Livingston when he enlisted in June 1916. Only a month after joining the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in France, he was seriously wounded by gunshot and spent several months recouperating in hospital.
He rejoined the battalion in January 1918 and by March 28 he was holding positons in in the area of Tilloy-les-Mofflaines when the battalion was overwhelmed by intense bombardment. It was on this day that Private Brock lost his life, aged just 19. His niece was among those relatives who attended the funeral service.
Pte Todd of Radford, Nottinghamshire, was a draper’s manager at Bryan’s Drapery in Isleworth, London, when he enlisted in November 1915.
Pte Todd was also seriously wounded on the first day of the Battle of Arras in 1917, shortly after joining the 11th battalion . After a long recovery, he rejoined his battalion in February 1918, but lost his life less than two months later during the German Spring Offensive, on April 5.
In 2023, during an archaeological survey on a site in Tilloy-les-Mofflaines, the six were recovered. Found with them were a variety of artefacts, including regimental insignia from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
After extensive historical research and DNA testing, two of these casualties were identified as Pte Brock and Pte Todd. The two men were buried alongside four others who could not be identified.
The service on Friday was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, who work to identify the recovered remains of British military casualties.
Nicola Nash, MOD War Detective said: “Private Brock and Private Todd have both been buried today 108 years after they were killed. With half a million British servicemen still missing from World War 1, every identity we make is a huge achievement. It has been a real privilege to give closure to their families and lay these heroes to rest with honour.”
David Royle, Recoveries and Ceremonies Manager at CWGC, added: “For 108 years, these six men lay where they fell on the battlefield. It is a privilege and a source of great pride for the CWGC to have recovered them and worked alongside the JCCC in the effort to restore their identities.
“While four of these soldiers sadly remain unidentified, they are not forgotten. We will care for their graves, and for those of Private Todd and Private Brock, in perpetuity, ensuring that future generations have opportunity to honour and remember their sacrifice.”
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