Farewell to the 'Grimsby Chums', who died as brothers in arms

On a bright, blustery day by a dual carriageway in northern France yesterday, Edna Holland paid her last respects to the grandfather she never met.

None of the new gravestones in the Point du Jour war cemetery had Harry Holland's name. All were inscribed "A soldier of the Great War". Only four had the additional words "Lincolnshire Regiment".

But 53-year-old Ms Holland, like many of the scores of people who travelled here yesterday from east Lincolnshire, is convinced the 20 bodies found, arms linked, in a shallow grave a few yards away 10 months ago belonged to men of the 10th Lincolns, or "Grimsby Chums".

Officially, the Army says it is unable to prove any of the soldiers were Lincolns, other than the four found with copper, regimental shoulder flashes and tunic buttons. After searches of records and battle diaries, the Army can find no trace of the mass grave, which remained undiscovered in a cornfield for 84 years. Although the 10th Lincolns did fight and die in these fields, so did soldiers from the Royal Scots and Northumberlands. The bodies being buried seemingly arm in arm like friends proves nothing, the Army insists. Soldiers were always buried with their hands crossed over the chest but the arms sometimes fall beside the body with the years.

Harry Holland, 22, was killed by a sniper as he cut barbed wire on the first day of the battle of Arras 85 years ago yesterday. His comrades found remains, removed his insignia and identity tags and sent them to his wife, Josie, Edna's grandmother. Edna Holland's late father, also Harry, was 15 months old when her grandfather was killed. She still has the dog tags and insignia. She believes the bodies of some of the Grimsby Chums killed that day were arranged in the grave in the heat of battle then lost, perhaps because the grave-diggers had been killed.

"I am sure his friends meant to go back. His identifying badges being removed suggests to me he is one of the other bodies in this grave. I am convinced one of these graves is his. I am absolutely convinced." Ms Holland turned away, unable to go on.

The discovery of the Grimsby Chums last June by French archaeologists caused excitement in east Lincolnshire, and much anguish. No specific body has been identified, despite intensive efforts by the Army and forensic scientists. Most medical records of Great War soldiers were destroyed in the Second World War.

The bodies were reburied privately a month ago in a British war cemetery across a busy road from the mass grave site. The Mayor of Grimsby, the Mayor of Lincoln, a former mayor of Grimsby and more than 100 people from the Grimsby area attended a commemoration service yesterday.

Alec Boull, former mayor of Grimsby, said: "I am convinced, and I think many people in Grimsby are convinced, that they were all Grimsby Chums, not just those who had the 10th Lincoln badges. But in a sense, it doesn't matter. Whoever they were, they deserve to be remembered and the Chums too." The original Grimsby Chums had suffered high casualties on the Somme in 1917. They were among the so-called "Pals Battalions", friends, cousins and brothers from industrial towns who answered Lord Kitchener's call for volunteers in 1914 and were enlisted to serve and fight alongside one another.

After the Somme, the battalion was reformed with soldiers from all over Britain, who joined the rump of the orig-inal Lincolnshire volunteers. Although they were still called the "Grimsby Chums", a list of the 20 dead and missing 10th Lincolns from 9 April 1917, shows the soldiers killed near Arras came from as far afield as Salford and Leamington, Walsall and Westminster. Only a third were from Lincolnshire.

Looking at the score of new headstones in the Point du Jour cemetery yesterday, observers were almost unable to distinguish the fresh stones from those erected here inthe Twenties, and lovingly maintained since by the Commonwealth War Graves' Commission.

At last, the Chums had rejoined their chums.