Government Names Eleven Unknown WWI Soldiers
Eleven Australian soldiers killed in World War I have been formally identified for the first time, using historical research, archaeology and DNA analysis.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Military
The Australian government has formally identified eleven soldiers who died in World War I and were previously unknown. The identities were announced for Remembrance Day.
Why it matters
The identifications restore names to men who had been commemorated only as unknown soldiers for more than a century. Descendants, French authorities and independent researchers contributed to the work alongside the Defence UWC-A team.
Eleven soldiers were formally identified 108 years after the Armistice that ended World War I. Lieutenant Andrew Anderson was 23 years old when he was killed on 20 September 1917.
The players
Office of Australian War Graves
The Australian government office responsible for the commemoration and care of Australia's war dead, which assisted the identification.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The intergovernmental body that maintains the graves and memorials of Commonwealth war dead worldwide and assisted the identification.
The details
Lieutenant Andrew Anderson was killed in action at the Battle of Menin Road near Ypres, Belgium, and was buried on the battlefield near Westhoek with a wooden cross. In March 1919 an unknown soldier's remains were recovered near Westhoek and reinterred at Hooge Crater Cemetery, where the grave registration noted "Anderson on shirt." An independent researcher submitted findings in 2020, which the UWC-A team investigated before establishing an evidentiary link.
Timeline
20 September 1917: Lieutenant Anderson is killed in action at Menin Road.
March 1919: Unknown soldier's remains are reinterred at Hooge Crater Cemetery.
2020: An independent researcher submits findings to war graves bodies.
10 November 2026: The government announces the identities on Remembrance Day.
Roadmap
The identifications come through the Defence UWC-A team's investigative work on Australia's First World War dead. They extend that programme by converting historical research and DNA evidence into formal names for soldiers previously commemorated as unknown.
Families of the identified soldiers may now have a named ancestor recorded in official commemoration. Australians visiting Hooge Crater Cemetery will see Lieutenant Anderson's name replace the unknown headstone.
The takeaway
Names matter in remembrance, and the combination of archival research and DNA evidence can still recover identities more than a century on. Readers interested in the history can follow the work of official commemoration bodies.
Further reading
Explore more on Military coverage of Australia's commemoration of its war dead.
