On 8 September 2014 a ceremony was held at the French National Cemetery at Albert to commemorate the burial of one of two identified French soldiers recovered by the La Boisselle Study Group during archaeological excavations in November 2013.
The two soldiers, who were discovered buried in the wall of a trench, were identified from their identity discs. Privates Louis Joseph Heurt and Appolinaire Joachim Marie Ruelland, both of the 118th Infantry Regiment, were killed on 8 January 1915 during a German attack on the Ilôt at La Boisselle. Louis Heurt’s remains were interred earlier this year at the French National Cemetery at Albert. On 8 September 2014 a ceremony was held enabling family members to pay their respects, during which the plaque was formally fixed to the cross over his grave.
Descendants of Louis Heurt were in attendance, including his nephew M. Michel le Heurt. Personal affects, including uniform buttons and other items found with the remains, were presented to M. le Heurt during the ceremony. These items had been passed to the ONAC (Office National des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre) by the LBSG when the remains were recovered in November 2013. A number of LBSG members were in attendance, including the archaeologists who carried out the excavation.
At the request of his family, the remains of Appolinaire Ruelland will be buried at Tracy-le-Mont alongside those of his brother. The ceremony is due to be held on 9 October 2014.
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