At the end of World War I 45,000 Australians had died on the Western Front. Some bodies had been hastily buried mid-battle in massed graves; others were mutilated beyond recognition. In many cases, next of kin had been informed of the death of their loved ones, but often men were listed as 'Missing in Action', because nobody knew for sure.
Lieutenant Robert Burns was one of the many Australian soldiers who were listed as missing. Now that the guns had fallen silent his father, a former AIF Colonel, wanted to know what had happened to his son. He wasn't the only one looking for answers. A loud clamour arose from Australia for information and the need for the dead to be buried respectfully.
A number of men put in charge of this exercise, however, were deeply flawed, with their own personal reasons for preferring to remain in France unearthing bodies. In the end there was a great scandal, with allegations of 'body hoaxing' and gross misappropriation of money and army possessions. There were two highly secretive inquiries.
This is the untold story of those dark days and darker deeds. It is also the compelling story of the search for a son's remains.
