I read this compelling article this morning on the BBC News Website, written by Robert Hall. One man undertook the commission to research the identities of World War I casualties buried in a mass grave in Fromelles, France. When Peter Barton was given access to Red Cross records in the basement of their Geneva Headquarters, he was stunned at what he discovered! For him it was like looking at, and walking back, through history and time.

“There, he was allowed to examine records that have lain virtually untouched since 1918.

He estimates that there could be 20 million sets of details, carefully entered on card indexes, or written into ledgers.

‘Tutankhamen’s tomb’

They deal with the capture, death, or burial of servicemen from over 30 nations drawn into the conflict; personal effects, home addresses and grave sites cover page after page. “

The historical aspect of what he discovered, untouched, in the basement since 1918, is unfathomable. It is not only of great and important military significance, but also of great significance to generations of family members. The stories of the deceased may finally have a voice. Familial history might soon be told. It is an important genealogical find. It makes me, personally, wonder how many tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of records are stored, forgotten, in other musty basements, untouched for decades upon decades.

“They aim to have the archive available on the web by 2014, a century after World War I began.”

You can read the entire BBC News article here. You will be amazed at what you are reading. It is extremely wonderful that these records have been found, but also immensely poignant.

Alav ha-shalom to all those who are no longer with us. May their names be soon remembered.

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Saturday March 28, 2009 – 3rd of Nisan, 5769