24/08/2024
My family has had some amazing news recently.
I was contacted by the Ministry of Defence SO3 Commemorations department regarding my Grandads brother Lance Corporal John Street who was sadly killed in action at the Battle of Arras in 1917.
This is the message I received:
Over the last few years, there has been a new housing estate being built in a village called Fampoux, which is on the outskirts of Arras in Northern France. During this work, we have recovered the remains of six British First World War soldiers who all appear to belong to the King’s Own Lancaster Regiment and were killed during the Battle of Arras. After completing my historical research, I was able to narrow down a list of potential candidates and one of these was your grandfather’s brother, LCpl John Street. I then have been working to contact suitable family members to undertake DNA testing so that we can try and identify them. Due to the DNA that was extracted, I had to find a maternal line relative, so I contacted the living descendants of John’s sister, Jessie (1895-1990). They were able to give me a DNA sample, which was then compared against the six casualties that we had found.
I am thrilled to be able to tell you that we had a positive match, meaning that we have found John after his being missing for over 100 years. We will be giving him, and the other men, a full military burial with honours in April next year. He will be buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery just outside Fampoux called Browns Copse Cemetery where his grave will be looked after in perpetuity. Family are welcome to attend the service.
😍😍
How amazing is this, my Grandad would have been so overwhelmed to know he had been found
