The burial service, organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the 'MOD War Detectives', was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's (CWGC) Bedford House Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium on 10 May 2023.
Pte Malcolm is borne to his final resting place by officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Crown copyright
His unidentified remains were recovered from a shell hole outside a German blockhouse in Fusilier Wood, near Klein-Zillebeke, Belgium in 2019. Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) insignia and a 'Medical Orderly' cloth patch were also recovered, indicating the soldier may have been a stretcher bearer.
Private Malcolm's cap badge. Copyright Ruben Willaert nv
After extensive research carried out by JCCC and DNA testing, the remains were identified as Pte Malcolm who was reported missing on 6 August 1917 - believed killed during shelling. With no remains recovered at the time of his death, he had been commemorated on the Menin Gate.
Rosie Barron, JCCC case lead said:
The identification of Pte Malcolm was a long and at times complicated task, so it is very satisfying to have organised his burial service today and to have seen a positive conclusion to this case. Stretcher bearers such as Pte Malcolm were vital to the war effort. Without their dedication and bravery, many more men would have died on the battlefields. Pte Malcolm came from a large family. His mother and siblings died unaware of his fate and memory of Pte Malcolm had been lost through the generations. It has been a privilege therefore to have his great great nieces here today to see him laid to rest and to know that he will be remembered by future generations of his family who will now be able to visit his grave.
Records uncovered during Rosie's investigation showed that though Pte Malcolm's medals were sent to his mother after the war, they were not delivered and so were returned and destroyed. The MOD Medal Office (MODMO) has therefore been able to reissue his 1914 Star with Clasp '5 Aug - 22 Nov 1914', often referred to as 'the Mons Star', and the British War Medal and Victory Medal (Please note: photos of the medals are unavailable but f
