Lambis Englezos AM

Lambis Englezos AM embarked on a significant historical quest following a visit to Fromelles, France, in 2002. This visit spurred him to investigate the fate of 1,335 Australian soldiers listed as ‘missing’ after the Battle of Fromelles in 1916. Englezos meticulously reviewed historical documents, including the Red Cross’s ‘Wounded and Missing’ files and Robin Corfield’s book ‘Don’t forget me, cobber’ (2000), which referenced a site known as Pheasant Wood. His research specifically identified 175 Australian soldiers believed to have been buried behind German lines. He further analyzed pre- and post-July 1916 aerial photographs of the area, looking for ground anomalies that could indicate a burial site.

In 2005, Englezos, alongside members of the Friends of the 15th Brigade, presented their findings to an expert panel in Canberra. Despite initial skepticism due to the size of the suspected grave site and the belief it would have been found by post-war recovery teams, Englezos continued his efforts. He uncovered that recovery teams in 1920 had reported ‘nil’ returns for Pheasant Wood because the area was overgrown. A critical piece of evidence emerged with the discovery of a German document dated July 21, 1916, ordering the preparation of graves for 400 bodies. This document effectively completed the circumstantial puzzle.

In May 2008, a non-invasive investigation by Tony Pollard’s GUARD team from Glasgow University confirmed Englezos’s theories, uncovering Australian emblems during a surface scan. Subsequent excavation in May 2009 definitively located the mass graves, fulfilling Englezos’s hope for the recovery and individual reburial of the fallen soldiers in a new Pheasant Wood Cemetery. His work has ensured that the soldiers received proper identification, dignity, and a final resting place, making a profound contribution to military history and the memory of those lost.