Four First World War soldiers from Grimsby buried in France
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-27)

Four Grimsby men of the Lincolnshire Regiment who served together, have finally been commemorated more than 100 years after their death. Relatives of the soldiers were in attendance at the  burial, bringing closure to the families after all this time.

In the summer of 2020, during preparatory works for the foundations of a new hospital near Lens in northern France, the bodies of four soldiers of the First World War were discovered. The men were wearing shoulder titles indicating their affiliation to the Lincolnshire Regiment, and carrying small box respirators – a piece of kit not issued until August 1916. One man had a pair of boots stamped 1917 on the sole. From the way the men were lying it was impossible to tell whether they had been intentionally buried, or whether they had died where they fell and were covered over by soil being displaced by subsequent explosions.

Following extensive research, JCCC were able to ascertain that these were men of the Lincolnshire Regiment who must have died in 1917 or after. Looking at histories of the war, and of the Lincolnshire Regiment enabled the likely window of death to be narrowed to a short period of time in early May 1917. Looking at the casualty lists for this period, and particularly at those still missing offered us just four names – Privates Cook, Cullum, Fraser and London.

The military party at the graveside (Crown Copyright)

Tracing and contacting descendants of each of these men allowed the collection of comparative DNA samples, each of which proved a positive match, and so today, after more than 100 years, these men were buried below headstones bearing their names.

The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery Extension, France yesterday (21 October 2025).

Alexia Clark, MOD War Detective said:

It has been a privilege to research this case, to be successful in identifying these four men and to organise their burial service today. When you consider the half-a-million men still missing from the First and Second World Wars, every one we can identify feels like an achievement. I am delighted that the four men have now been laid to rest alongside their comrades in a dignified burial which they had been denied for so long. I am extremely grateful to 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment who have provided the bearer party and firing party for the funeral, and to the families of the men who travelled to be here today.

The coffin of one of the soldiers is borne to the graveside by a bearer party from the Royal Anglian Regiment (Crown Copyright)

The graves will now be cared for by CWGC.

David Royle, Commemorations Casework Manager at the CWGC, said:

Following the recovery of these casualties by our specialist team in 2020, it was a privilege to assist in the identification of Privates Fraser, London, Cullum and Cook alongside all of those recovered from the site where the Lens Hospital now stands. It was an honour to be a small part of their story, especially since the names of these four casualties are now known and we can provide a peaceful resting place where future generations can visit. We will continue to care for the graves of these four brave men in perpetuity.