In 2009, the bodies of 250 British and Australian First World War soldiers were found in unmarked graves near Fromelles, a village in northern France. It's the largest war grave to be found in Western Europe in modern times.
This film tells the story of how, over the course of a year, the bodies were carefully exhumed and many were identified via DNA matches with living relatives. The film features three British families who hope to discover whether their relatives are amongst the dead. Their relatives are men who went missing in action, but whose deaths could not be confirmed by the War Office. Two are from the Buckinghamshire village of The Lee, which gave most of its young men to the 2nd Bucks Battalion, whose story this film follows in particular detail.
Drawing on personal possessions found with the bodies, including a bible with handwritten annotations, a heart-shaped leather pouch and a return train ticket, as well as personal diaries and letters from the men who went missing, the film brings to life the horrifying truth of the Battle of Fromelles, and its impact on the subsequent generations. The fighting took place at the same time as the Battle of the Somme and more than 1500 British and 5533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner during 12 hours of carnage in July 1916; the Allies failed to gain an inch of ground.

Produced & Directed by Janice Sutherland; Darlow Smithson Productions Ltd. for Channel 4 and Channel 7 Australia