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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Identifying 'Unknowns'


Terry Denham

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There is a programme on TV tonight which, although not about WW1, may give some insight into the problems of identifying 'Unknown' casualties.

Channel 4 21.00 UK time "Secrets of the Dead"

It concerns attempts to identify the many unknown burials in Canada of the victims of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. This problem should be very similar to that which would face anyone trying to use modern DNA techniques in identifying a WW1 Unknown.

Obviously the WW1 problem is far greater with huge numbers involved but perhaps the techniques could be used on high profile cases (John Condon?) if there was the desire to solve the problem once and for all and the relatives were in agreement.

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This sounds like it should be a rivetting watch, thanks Terry I missed that one!

I did see it advertised a few weeks back. However, it was written up as how the bodies of survivors of the Titanic were identified ;).

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No, it is certainly about those buried with just numbers on their headstones presumably after being washed ashore or picked up dead from the sea.

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Terry - Think about it, if the bodies were of survivors then they wouldn't need to be indentified would they? I think the writer of the article I'd seen had got a little mixed up with survivors and the dead!

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