BUREAUCRATIC red tape threatens to delay the reburial of World War I Australian diggers believed to be hidden in unmarked mass graves in northern France.
A team of forensic archaeologists will in April begin a partial excavation of the graves, which possibly contain the bodies of more than 160 Australian 5th Division soldiers killed during the disastrous battle of Fromelles.
Buried with them are believed to be more than 200 British 61st Division soldiers, who along with their Australian comrades were all killed during the ferocious battle with invading German troops in July 1916.
But the head of the archeological team fears that if any bodies are found, relatives could face a lengthy wait before the remains of their loved can be exhumed and re-interred.
