Tri-Service

Family Say Goodbyes After WWI Soldier Identified 100 Years On

The family of a soldier who died on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme are saying their final goodbyes after nearly a century.

The remains of Sergeant David Blakey of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were uncovered in November 2013 during a road-widening project in front of the Connaught Cemetery, in Somme.

And he's now finally being laid to rest in France, with full military honours.

It's rare to identify the remains of World War I soldiers as the identity tags used at the time were made of compressed fibers or paper, which decompose quickly.

Actual remains were scant and the only artefacts discovered with him were his cap badge, ID tags and some British bullets.

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