Talk: The Work of the MOD War Detectives

The MOD War Detectives The MOD War Detectives are tasked with identifying missing British Service Personnel from the two World Wars and the Korean War. Working closely with partners including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission their work has two main strands – the identification of remains recently recovered from the battlefields, and the identification of those currently buried in graves marked ‘Known to God’. The potential candidates for a newly recovered casualty are first shortlisted using a range of archival sources before genealogical research is undertaken to establish descendants suitable for DNA testing. In these cases identity is confirmed only on the basis of successful DNA matching. For those buried as ‘Known to God’ identification is carried out only via archival research which has to prove the case to be clear and convincing, though genealogical research is carried out after the case is approved in order to notify the casualty’s next of kin. Whether or not it is possible to identify a newly found casualty, the War Detectives also organise a full military funeral for them – arranging their burial alongside their comrades in the CWGC cemeteries.