Description

The Battle of Fromelles took place on the days of July 19th and 20th, 1916, and came to be known as ‘the worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire history.’ Over five and a half thousand Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner due to an ‘error’ by the British High Command. The Germans buried all those who were killed in mass graves behind German lines, however, not all the burial pits were found in the aftermath of the war. Eventually, in 2007, more graves were found and exhumation began in 2008. A new cemetery was created and a process of DNA matching amongst Australian relatives began. The first body was re-interred in January 2010. This play recounts the story of a fictional ‘first body’ in the shape of Mick Feeney – stubborn Australian miner from Ballarat, who volunteered, even though he was in his late 30s.