Posted on 05/30/2005 5:51:27 AM PDT by Flavius
Efforts are being made to identify the well-preserved body of a World War I soldier found at Passchendaele.
The curator from the site's memorial museum believes the man was an officer with the UK's Lancashire Fusiliers.
On Monday, the man's body will be handed to the Belgian authorities with a specialist UK team to be called in to identify him so he can be buried.
Nearly half a million men died at Passchendaele, near Ypres, in 1917, in one of the war's bloodiest battles.
Museum curator Franky Bostyn said the man had a silver cigarette case, a wristwatch and leather equipment that suggested he was an officer.
"He was in a shell hole, wrapped in his gas cape and when we carefully removed that we saw the whole body was completely preserved," he said.
"He was lying there on his side, a little bit like a baby is, so not in a straight line. He was not buried, just thrown in, but he had his full equipment on him."
Bodies are still uncovered now, nearly nine decades after the fighting stopped.
They are often difficult to identify in the absence of regimental insignia or other clues.
Thanks. I haven't read that particular Service piece in a while, and it's quite appropriate for today.
"I've come to the conclusion that anyone wanting to be a politician should have at least a masters degree in world history."
That sounds like a great idea but....
The problem there lies in the reality that most college history departments are unabashedly liberal so the politicians will be taught accordingly.
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