More than 100 sets of partial human remains belonging to Commonwealth soldiers from the First World War have been returned to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The remains, including those of 8 Australian soldiers, originated from a First World War military hospital in Le Tréport, France, and were transferred for medical study in 1919 to the Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library in Philadelphia, USA, an accepted practice at the time.
The CWGC has been working closely with the Mütter Museum to transfer the remains back to France, where they will be commemorated in perpetuity.
Most of the remains are from war casualties already interred at the Mont Huon Military Cemetery and so will be buried within existing graves. The CWGC will complete burial works in March 2026.
A portion of the remains also relate to a small number of soldiers who survived the war or are yet unidentified. The CWGC is engaging proactively with the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) and other member nations to identify, where possible, and commemorate those soldiers.
The OAWG is working to identify and notify the families of the 8 Australian soldiers involved. While the records kept by the Mütter museum were meticulous, these remains, and their accompanying records are over a century old. If you believe your relative is impacted by this project, please email wargraves@dva.gov.au for more information.
The OAWG is proud to partner with the CWGC on this vital project to ensure the respectful, dignified return and burial of these remains more than more than a century after the war ended.
For further information please refer to the CWGC Statement on this matter.
Mont Huon Military Cemetery