Breakthrough as DNA identifies WW1 soldier

London Daily Telegraph ^ | Sept 16, 2007 | DancesWithCats

[DancesWithCats]

By Jasper Copping Last Updated: 1:29am BST 16/09/2007

He was a young man, like so many others, who fell on the battlefield at Passchendaele. Aged just 29, Private Jack Hunter died in the arms of his younger brother, Jim, who buried him there, on the front line, in a shallow grave.

Jack Hunter, who died at Passchendaele, with his brother Jim Jack Hunter, who died in the first world war, with his brother Jim

Once the guns had fallen silent, Jim returned to look for his brother's body, but the ground had been chewed up by artillery and he could find no trace. So the story remained, unfinished, when Jim himself died, aged 86 in 1977, calling to Jack with his final words.

Now, 90 years after that infamous battle, Jack's body has been recovered, and has become one of the first to be identified using genetic profiling.

He will be buried next month with full military honours at a war cemetery in Belgium at a service attended by Mollie Millis, his 81-year-old niece, whose DNA allowed experts to identify her missing uncle.

The same process, using relatives' DNA to find a match, could lead to the identification of hundreds more First World War casualties. The case of Pte Hunter has led to calls for a DNA database to be set up, storing samples from relatives of missing soldiers to be compared with future finds.

[DancesWithCats]

Quite incredible! This is wonderful technology. I hope for the sake of the families that the government decides to attempt to identify the bodies of the mass grave.

Jack Hunter, who died in the first world war, with his brother Jim

[4Godsoloved..Hegave]

Great story and wonderful find for this family and hero.

[endthematrix]

Aerial view of Passchendaele village (Before and after...)

[sinanju]

Actually 29 would be considered old for that sort of thing.

British actor David Niven was 29 when he re-enlisted for WWII, and considered himself a total geezer.

I just hope the digging crews on that project didn’t unearth anything less pleasant that was also featured at Ypres, gas shells fr’instance.

[martin_fierro]

	Genetic Genealogy
Send FReepmail if you want on/off GGP list Marty = Paternal Haplogroup O(2?)(M175) Maternal Haplogroup H
GG LINKS: African Ancestry DNAPrint Genomics FamilyTree DNA mitosearch Nat'l Geographic Genographic Project Oxford Ancestors RelativeGenetics Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Trace Genetics ybase ysearch
The List of Ping Lists

[Stonewall Jackson]

I read a magazine article a few months back that said that an average of 7 or 8 people die each year from gas shells left over from the First World War.

A friend of mine is an avid WW2 collector. A few weeks ago, he purchased some artillery fragments from a guy in France. When the arrived in the mail, Glenn decided to clean them up before putting them in the display case. Imagine his surprise when he found some white phospherous still caked to the inside of two of the fragments. He used some kitchen tongs to run it outside after it started to burn.

Trust me, that seller did not get positive feedback on that E-bay sale.

[sinanju]

Thank goodness it was just willie pete. The sender should have got into big trouble for shipping it. Imagine if it started a fire in the cargo plane in flight.

The worst part about mustard shells is the delayed effect of the poison, symptoms don’t usually start up until hours after exposure.

[Stonewall Jackson]

The thoughts of what might have happened at 33,000 feet send chills up my spine. Especially since the package was sent regular post and was possibly sent over in the cargo compartment of a passenger plane.

Here's a picture of some of the unexploded WW1 ordinance that is regularly unearthed in France and Belgium.

[Figment]

How did they get those great before and after sattelite shots in the 19teens?

[endthematrix]

Balloons. Here's another great (sad) shot during a barrage at night.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Passchendaele was a real mess of a battle, and I have nothing but respect for the brave Brit and Canadian soldiers who had to slog through the Flanders mud there.

[sneakers]

Thanks for the ping!

This is wonderful news. I have a great uncle who died in WWI. His body was never found.

[Charlespg]

"I died in Hell (they called it Passchendaele); my wound was slight and I was hobbling back; and then a shell burst slick upon the duckboards; so I fell into the bottomless mud, and lost the light" ― Siegfried Sassoon

[kylaka]

That looks about 30,000 feet. Certainly within the range of airplanes of the day. Amazing photos nonetheless.

[Jessarah]

This story gave me goosebumps!

Question: How could they match the soldier’s DNA with his niece? I thought it would have to be a male relative.

[DancesWithCats]

Holy man! Those pictures are astounding. It’s bad enough to be fighting for your life but to do so from a mud pit?! It’s like an unfair and ugly episode from Mario Bros without the cute music. Those poor soldiers. Amazing what people can withstand and so many of them did so with such courage and fortitude. Much admiration here for them and so glad to see that maybe, just maybe, some of their families may have them home again however belated.

[DancesWithCats]

where’d it go!? (wow)

[DancesWithCats]

I just hope the digging crews on that project didn’t unearth anything less pleasant that was also featured at Ypres, gas shells fr’instance.

Yeah you bet! There's always that worry isn't there? I have an uncle in my family (great uncle) who was wounded with mustard gas in the second WW. Took his life from him and he died young, suffered for years. Horrible horrible weapon. And he was one of the best of our family! So sweet and good and kind and honest ... I never knew him and when mom describes him I could just weep buckets for him. His fiance left him over it. (I'm sure he was lucky there but I'm also sure that he didn't think so in his broken heart). War is a necessary evil but even so ... some sides don't play nice.

[DancesWithCats]

When the arrived in the mail, Glenn decided to clean them up before putting them in the display case. Imagine his surprise when he found some white phospherous still caked to the inside of two of the fragments. He used some kitchen tongs to run it outside after it started to burn.

I hope he wrote to the guy to TELL him what he'd found so others wouldn't get the same lovely surprise package! Good night!