| Australian WWI soldier
re-interred in Belgium - Ploegsteert - 22/07/2010 Hieronder een aantal
foto's van de begrafenis van de Australische soldaat Private Alan James Mather
of Inverell, NSW op Prowse
Point Military Cemetery te Ploegsteert. De plechtigheid vond plaats op donderdag
22 juli 2010. Every first Friday of the month, a short ceremony takes
place at Ploegsteert
Memorial at Ploegsteert. Please find below some photographs of the Last Post
on Friday, July, 3rd, 2010. The Australian Minister for Veterans'
Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, the Hon Alan Griffin MP, announced
on 28 June that the remains of an Australian World War I soldier who fought in
the Battle of Messines have now been identified. A combined picture of
historical, anthropological and DNA evidence helped establish the identity of
the soldier as 1983 Private Alan James Mather of Inverell, NSW. Private
Mather was discovered at Ploegsteert, Belgium, in 2008. His remains were recovered
along with a significant amount of equipment, clothing and badges that enabled
him to be identified as an Australian infantry soldier. Although a corroded identification
disc was also recovered, forensic investigation failed to provide identification
details. Members of the Australian Army buried bury Private Mather with
full military honours with his comrades at the Prowse
Point Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Ploegsteert, Belgium
on Thursday 22 July 2010. The Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs,
the Australian Chief of Army, the Australian Ambassador and members of Private
Alan Mather’s family attended the ceremony. The Battle of Messines
in Belgium was the scene of heavy fighting during 1917, opening with the detonation
of 19 British mines underneath the German’s forward trenches, including the
mine at Hill 60. The Battle was viewed, at the time, as one of the first major
victories of the British forces during WW1. After the war the Private Mather was
listed as missing with more than 6,000 other Australian soldiers on the Menin
Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium.
Ceremony: - Greeting led by
Chaplain
- Prayer led by Chaplain
- Hymn: Sung by all
- Psalm
read by family member
- Gospel read by Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie,
Chief of Army
- Address by the Hon Alan Griffin MP, Minister for Veterans’
Affairs and Defence Personel
- Eulogy read by Family
- Prayers led
by Chaplain
- Farewell led by Chaplain
- Ode read by Major General
Brian Dawson, Military Representative to NATO and EU
- Lowering of the
coffin and volleys by the Firing Party
- Last Post played by bugler
-
Wreath laying by : John Mather (nephew of Pt. Alan James Mather), The Hon. Alan
Griffin MP (Minister for Veterans Affairs Australia), Lt. General Ken Gillespie
(Australian Chief of Army), The Representative of the Belgian Government, The
Mayor of Comines-Warneton.
- Australian and Belgium national anthems are
played
- Benediction led by Chaplain
Pictures:
Jean Pattheeuw / Forwarded by Jan Dewitte Deze rubriek staat open voor iedereen.
Ook jij kunt foto's doorsturen voor de rubriek "Je was er bij". Ons adres: info@westhoek.be Everyone
can send pictures for the pages "You were there". Our address: info@westhoek.be | 
