Trying to Get Government Support

The following is a brief overview of the steps myself and my father took to try and get government support:

 
My dad and myself decided that we would try and get the federal government to look at my research. Dad hoped that my research would be enough for the government to make them search the Gueudecourt area in the hope of locating our missing soldiers.

I wanted official researchers to look at my research and tell me if I had done the right thing and to say what I found was correct. Once this happened I would feel much happier about trying to locate family members and let them know what I had found.


Our first step was to contact our local federal member to ask him to forward my research onto the appropriate person in the government. Once we did this most of the correspondence was between him and the different officials my research was forwarded onto.


After more than a year, the federal government finally got back to me with their response. It was a mixed response for my dad and myself. Their response gave me the response I was looking for, but did not give dad the response he wanted. I have to admit that I have now begun wanting to know for sure the soldiers are still under the ground.

The government basically said that my research was good and that I was right - the soldiers were buried in March 1917 and never moved. The said that I did not have any new information and that I didn't have specific enough information for their March 1917 burial. Due to these two items they could not do anything further.

I still hope that some day they can help me confirm the soldiers are still there and/or help me erect a memorial to the soldiers.