FRENCH WAR GRAVES PROJECT COMES UNDER SCRUTINY

peter.veth@anu.edu.au

Increasing scrutiny of the French War Graves Project (Fromelles) was featured in a front page critique by SMH journalists Jacquelin Magnay, Kate McClymot and Brad Walter on July 6. Questions have been raised by them about the rate of recovery of individuals, excavation and screening methodologies, contingency funds for anticipated events such as rain (toxic seepage is currently an OH @ S issue on the site) and the overall quantum of the bid. The successful bid was purportedly only circa 60% of the other two lodged with the Department of Defence. The successful tender did not include the team who previously surveyed the site from Glasgow University Archaeology Research Division. Exploratory excavations by the Glasgow team had indicated that the Project to exhume, identify and reinter some 400 British and Australian soldiers would cost AUD4.9M. Peter Francis of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has countered the criticism noting that the methodologies were appropriate and that the project timelines were going to be met. The viability of DNA testing seems to be a particular point of conjecture.