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Unknown Soldiers Named After WWI Investigation
2 May
Summary
- Two World War One unknown soldiers were identified and named.
- The soldiers served in the Middlesex Regiment and died in Belgium.
- A rededication service was held at Belgian cemeteries for the identified men.
The headstones of two World War One 'unknown soldiers' have been replaced with ones bearing their names, Lt Leslie Harvey and Capt Gordon Cuthbert, following a Ministry of Defence investigation. Both soldiers served in the Middlesex Regiment and perished near Ypres, Belgium, on April 25, 1915. Rededication services were subsequently organized by the MOD at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery and Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Harvey, born in 1884, enlisted at the war's outbreak and was killed leading a bayonet charge. His remains were buried near the Ypres-Roulers railway, but grave records were lost. In 1929, an unknown lieutenant from the Middlesex Regiment was recovered from the area, and after an investigation, was connected to Harvey.
Cuthbert, born in 1876, was also deployed to northern Europe and was killed while retaking a trench near Ypres. His identity could not be established at the time due to the chaos of war, and he was buried as an unknown Captain at Tyne Cot Cemetery. The MOD expressed gratitude for the research efforts in identifying these soldiers.
