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A military funeral has honoured the service of an unknown Australian World War I soldier, laid to rest in Belgium.
The Australian Army has held a funeral at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery in Zonnebeke, Belgium, laying to rest an unknown World War I soldier.
The soldier is believed to have fought in the Battle of Menin Road in 1917, with his remains discovered in 2017 by archaeologists near Zonnebeke and identified as Australian.
As part of Army’s ongoing commitment to remembering fallen soldiers, the fallen hero was honoured with a dedicated Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
The funeral was supported by a group of Army members, who were recently awarded the Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award.
The group is expected to represent the Army for a series of ceremonial activities at war cemeteries in France and Belgium this month.
Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, AO, DSC, noted the importance of honouring the courage and sacrifice of those who served in World War I.
“Australian Army’s Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award recipients are our future leaders who personify compassionate and ethical soldering,” LTGEN Stuart said.
“[The] funeral is a reminder that we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who have served our nation, and it is a genuine and rare honour for our serving soldiers to lay to rest this unknown soldier.
“Army’s commitment to identifying our fallen soldiers is an important duty, and our ongoing work continues to identify unknown World War I soldiers and bring peace to their families.”
The Australian military representative to NATO and the European Union, Major General Matthew Hall, also attended the funeral.
“[The funeral] was a very special opportunity to reflect on Australia’s history and sacrifice in this region, and a reminder of our long and continuing role in partnering with Europe to provide global security,” MAJGEN Hall said.
“As we fought alongside our European partners during World War I, we continue to stand by them today, honouring our fallen soldiers 105 years on.”
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