Princess Anne attends special burial service in France for two unknown WWI soldiers
The Princess Royal has visited a cemetery in northern France to pay her respects to the soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.
During her visit to Loos Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, two unknown soldiers from WWI were buried with full military honours – both from Scottish units including one from The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders).
Forty-six sets of remains that were recovered from a single site had already been laid to rest in the cemetery.
These burials were soldiers who despite officials' best efforts remain unidentified, although it is known many of them came from Scottish regiments.
Consequently, soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland bore the two latest coffins to their final resting place.
The ceremony attended by Princess Anne was organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, also known as the 'War Detectives', and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Reverend David Anderson CF, the Senior Chaplain of HQ 51 Infantry Brigade conducted the service.
To conclude the formalities, Princess Anne planted a tree before spending time walking between the lines of graves learning about their lives and their deaths.
Remains of British soldiers who died in the First World War are still being found quite regularly.
It could be as a result of agriculture, building work or large infrastructure works – like a major hospital being built at Loos.
The British cemetery had been reaching capacity, but thanks to land supplied by the French government it has now been extended.
This new cemetery is only the second to have been built since the end of the Second World War and has space for over 1,000 graves.
The Battle of Loos was the biggest British attack of 1915, with French and British troops trying - but ultimately failing - to breach German defences stretching from Artois to Champagne.
The two-week battle resulted in more than 59,000 Commonwealth casualties.
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