Secrets of the Great War mass grave uncovered after 100 years

But a century ago it was “hell on earth”. Now, just yards from those homes and gardens, archaeologists have made a grisly discovery: 125 First World War soldiers – some as young as 15 – entombed in a perfectly preserved German trench system. Some of the men – who were German, British, French and South African – were found where they fell during some of the most ferocious fighting of the war. ­

Others were buried in mass graves alongside religious artefacts placed there by their comrades.

The casualties covered the whole length of the war.

The complex network of fighting and communication trenches had remained untouched since the end of the conflict and was first uncovered in 2015 by archaeologists brought in to examine a field due to be built on as part of a housing development.

There they found a site the size of two football pitches packed with the remains of the soldiers.

Experts believe that approximately 100 of the dead are German, most of them killed during the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914.

The Germans arrived in Belgium soon after the outbreak of war and the region around Ypres saw some of the worst fighting.

From their stronghold on the 250ft ridge to the north of Wijtschate they incorporated ruined farm buildings into a seven-foot deep trench system to create an almost impregnable redoubt.

Eventually the British realised the way to destroy the ridges was to undermine them.

It took tunnelling units two years to dig under the fortifications to lay 450 tons of explosives and then on June 7, 1917, 19 huge mines were detonated simultaneously.

The Germans were then driven off the ridge – known to the Allies as Hill 80 – by British and Irish troops in the Battle of Messines.

It remained in Allied hands until April 1918 when it was retaken by Germans in their Spring Offensive, which is when many of the Allied soldiers were killed.

Due to the chaotic nature of the fighting, the lack of supply lines and the artillery barrages, many bodies were left where they lay, or hastily placed in mass graves.

Some of the remains were later pulverised by bombardment from their own side.

As well as bodies, the team of British, German and Belgian archaeologists and historians has found thousands of poignant personal effects which can give some hint of the nationality, regiments and maybe even age of the dead.

These include helmets, rifles, cooking utensils, coffee pots, watches, cap badges, toothbrushes and even a bottle of HP sauce and a tin of Andrews Liver Salts.

Recovered religious relics include crucifixes, rosary beads and a statue of Mary Magdalene.

It is the biggest mass grave found on the Western Front since 250 bodies were uncovered at Fromelles, France in 2009.

Professor Peter Doyle of London South Bank University, the lead archaeologist for Dig Hill 80, says: “In 2015 this field was identified as an area to be built on.

“But the mayor of the region had to see if there was any archaeological heritage there.

“Two test pits were dug and they identified a German mass grave and the remains of Allied soldiers. We then removed all of the topsoil. All trenches and bomb craters were searched and all the remains were mapped, photographed and catalogued.”

After three years Professor Doyle says: “All of the bodies have now been recovered. We didn’t want to leave a man behind. We are looking at 125 soldiers and the vast majority of them are German.

“Some killed in action were dragged to this mass grave and buried by comrades still fighting to hold the line. They were buried in uniform and with their helmets. Not a lot of the uniform has survived, just around the buttons. But the skeletal remains have been preserved intact. By looking at them you can tell they are young men.

“We have casualties where the ground around them has been pulverised by shell fire – so we are looking at fragments of soldiers. It brings home the sheer intensity of the shellfire.

“But something really striking about this site is that you have perfectly kept gardens and 21stcentury life right next to these mass graves and hell on earth.”

The final part of this unique excavation project started in the spring of this year following a crowdfunding campaign backed by TV historian Dan Snow and Pub Landlord comedian and military enthusiast Al Murray that raised more than £150,000 to finance it.

With the dig now drawing to a close, authorities, including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, have been notified of the finds and the difficult task of identifying the dead has begun.

Professor Doyle believes that as well as restoring dignity to the fallen, the discovery can teach future generations about the futility of war.

Nearly 30 school parties from Britain, Belgium and Germany have already visited the site.

“This is more than just a dig, it is an international project centred on education, peace and ultimately reconciliation,” he explains.

“Now every one of these men has the chance of being taken from this site and given a respectful burial with full military honours.

“The school groups that have visited have observed what we have excavated and have been able to make the connection between the youths that lie in the ground and the youths stood on top of it today.

“We want to make sure the youth of today who might have read about the Great War or seen a TV documentary before getting back to Snapchat, stop and think and say, ‘Wow, that could have been me 100 years ago’.

“When you look at these mass graves and think of these young men you know they had a mother and father who missed them. Yet they have never been given final peace.”

Further donations are now required to fund the identification and repatriation process of the dead soldiers.

Al Murray says: “This is a true project of co-operation. This excavation is of utmost archaeological and historical significance and I would encourage people to donate and help restore dignity to the missing soldiers of Wijtschate before it is too late.”

Peter Francis of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission adds: “Once identification investigations have been completed the soldiers will be buried with full honours in the closest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. The remains of the German soldiers will be handled by our sister organisation the VDK [German War Graves Commission].”

To donate to the Hill 80 fund go to https://dighill80.com