DNA identifies Ipswich soldier killed in First World War

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 12:02 · Archive

DNA testing has identified the remains of Ipswich soldier George Thomas Manning, killed in Belgium during the First World War. Corporal Manning, a timber carter aged 29, was called up when the war began in July 1914. His mother Ada received a letter on 9 April 1915 informing her that her son had been killed in Belgium on the afternoon of 9 March. The letter, written by Private A Mills, said many of Manning's comrades looked up to him as a father figure.

Manning was buried behind the trenches alongside other fallen soldiers. As the war raged on, shelling and shifting front lines erased many battlefield graves. Grave markers disappeared, leaving the resting places of many soldiers unknown. With no known grave, the memorial recorded only rank, initials and surname, and Manning's family were given a 'bay' or 'panel' number rather than a named burial.

Manning will now finally be laid to rest under his own name. He was married to Florence, daughter of baker Frederick Bayles, and the couple had two daughters, Florence and Ethel, living in Woodhouse Road at the time of his death.

How it is being reported

• DNA confirms Ipswich soldier’s remains after more than a century in BelgiumIpswich WWI soldier George Thomas Manning has been identified using DNA. His remains were found in Belgium.East Anglian Daily Times · 15 Oct, 11:26
• DNA confirms Ipswich soldier’s remains after more than a century in BelgiumIpswich WWI soldier George Thomas Manning has been identified using DNA. His remains were found in Belgium.Ipswich Star · 15 Oct, 11:26

In this story: George Thomas Manning · Ipswich · Belgium · Ada Manning · Florence Manning

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