News from the Western Front: Guidelines for the excavation of casualties of the First and Second World War (Flanders, Belgium).

ABSTRACT

In cooperation with many other actors, the Flanders Heritage Agency (Flemish Government) set up a guideline with procedures how to act when human remains are found in the soil of Flanders (the northern part of Belgium). The basic principle is that human remains with an archaeological value always must be excavated by archaeologists and physical anthropologists, according to the Flemish legislation on archaeology. This also applies for casualties of the First and Second World War excavating using archaeological techniques does not conflict at all with the principles of the Geneva Convention, on the contrary this way of working guarantees a qualitative research that increases the chance of identification and delivers more details about the battle and war a win-win.