Families of Queensland’s lost sons urged to come forward

As the 109th anniversary of Australia’s first major battle on the Western Front approaches, the Fromelles Association of Australia is renewing calls for Queensland families to help identify the final 70 missing soldiers from the Battle of Fromelles.

Among them are young men from across Queensland who served with the 31st Battalion. They died during a single night of fighting on 19 July 1916.

Their names are known, but their final resting places are not.

“Now, only DNA can give them back their names. These men were sons, brothers, farmers, clerks; everyday Australians who gave their lives in France,” Tony Ryan from the Fromelles Association of Australia said.

“We know who they are. What we don’t know is exactly where they are. That’s where families can help.”

A mass grave and a world-first DNA program

In 2008, a mass grave was uncovered behind German lines at Pheasant Wood, near the village of Fromelles. It contained the remains of 250 Australian soldiers.

Since then, 180 have been formally identified and buried with named headstones, thanks to a world-leading program of DNA analysis and forensic research.

One such Soldier who has been identified is Private James Robert Smith who was born in Allora. He was single and employed as a labourer when he enlisted in the Australian Army on 12 December 1915. He was posted to 32 Battalion, 9th Reinforcements.

On 31 January 1916, Private Smith, aged 22 at the time, embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A62 Wandilla.

Private Smith served in Egypt and the Western Front before he was killed in action at Fleurbaix, France, on 20 July 1916.

Private Smith was one of 250 Australian and British World War One soldiers recovered from a mass burial site at Pheasant Wood in France in 2009 and reburied in the Fromelles Military Cemetery in 2010. Private Smith was identified in 2018.

The Fromelles Assoc., a volunteer group working alongside the Australian Army, has helped identify many of those now named.

They are now urgently searching for living relatives who may be able to donate DNA and help identify the “Final 70.”

Could you be related to one of these men?

The Association is particularly focused on Queenslanders from the 31st Battalion who remain unaccounted for, including:

• Lieutenant Ernest William Spreadborough – 42, grazier from Warwick. The oldest officer of the 31st Battalion at Fromelles. Killed while leading his men during the assault.
• Private Thomas Henry Tedford – 20, from Maryborough. Enlisted with his brother Billie. Killed in action on 19 July 1916; his body was never found.
• Private John Charles Radford – 24, warehouseman from Brisbane. Wrote home just before the battle, describing being “in a warm corner and expecting a big attack.”
• Lance Corporal George Probert Millard – 24, draper from Ipswich. Promoted to Lance Corporal shortly before going to France.
• Private Stanley Byfield King (alias King Smith) – 20, from Stanley, Queensland. He enlisted under the name “King Smith” while playing in the famous Toowoomba Brass Band. Along with the bandmaster and other members, he joined the 31st Battalion to form its brass band. His body was never recovered.
• Private George Olson Sutherland – 21, born in Scotland, lived in Queensland. Killed during the charge at Fromelles.
• Private Arthur Donald Leigh – 23, from Landsborough. One of several Queenslanders killed in the same assault wave.
• Private Walter Ernest Bain – 22, teamster born in Casino, joined from Queensland. Killed in the early stages of the attack.
• Private James Joseph Curran – 29, originally from Maitland, NSW, enlisted in Queensland. No known grave.
• Private Hector McDonald McLeod – 33, fencer from Aspley, Queensland. Killed on 19 July 1916 during the 31st Battalion’s attack. (Profile link currently unavailable)

Full stories and soldier profiles are available at www.fromelles.info

This article appeared in Allora Advertiser, 23 July 2025.