GRAVES ON GALLIPOLI.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2037, 4 October 1919, Page 4

GRAVES ON GALLIPOLI.

INFOHMATION WANTKD FK()AI SOLDIERS.

Wellington. This Dav

Since the conclusion of tlu' Gallipoli campaign, the military authorities have been collecting all available information concerning (ho burial of New Zealanders on (he Peninsula. f\l'ter (he armistice a special party ('ruin Ihe Canterbury Mounted Hides visited Gallipoli for (he purpose of locating graves, and ensuring the permanence of idenli(icafion marks. Care was taken to locale the burial spots by exact markings, and (he taking of! bearings, and everything possible was done to identify the individual 'graves. The result of this visit. w;;s communicated to the Imperial Graves Commission, and to (he Nuw Zealand authorities. Now that all the official data has been got together it is evident that so far as the identification of individual graves is concerned, there is unfortunately a big.void to till in.the records, A cable was recently received from the New Zealand Records Gtlice in Egypt, stating that many graves which have been located on Gallipoli, are known to contain the bodies of New Zealanders, bin 1 heir trames cannot be ascertained. It is •believed that some of these graves could be identified from information in the possession of soldiers and next-of-kin in New Zealand. Consef|iienlly the Officer in Charge of Base Records, Wellington, is endeavouring to collect any facts or photographs which can be given to him in New Zealand regarding the burying places of 'individuals, as this will in many cases enable the grave to be definitely marked. No matter how meagre, information of this kind will be welcomed, and will bo forwarded to the Graves Registration Unit in Egypt for action to be taken. Next-of-kin who know where a. soldier relative has been buriedshould send this information to Base Records, and soldiers who remember where friends were buried should follow the same course, as they will thus be able to afford to fnany people in New Zealand the consolation of 'knowing' that the grave of one who fell in that campaign will be appropriately marlied, and preserved for all time asra me-morial-of the sacrifice made.