20th February 2009
Outreach specialists awarded Fromelles contract

Tenders have been evaluated and the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the Hon Warren Snowdon MP, together with the British Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans, Mr Kevan Jones MP, have just awarded the contract for the full excavation at Pheasant Wood to Oxford Archaeology. One of the largest independent archaeology and heritage practices in Europe, Oxford Archaeology is a registered educational charity and said to be widely recognized as being expert in both excavation and heritage management. Due to commence in May 2009 the project is expected to take up to six months, involve the establishment of a new memorial park to be named the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery and hopefully allow for the recovery, identification and aggregation of all missing Australian Great War soldiers known to have fallen in this attack, including those already interred in other local burial grounds like VC Corner Cemetery.