Woman discovers long-lost relative as 'unknown' World War I veterans remembered at Orange cemetery

Mr Wrangham served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I and died in Orange Hospital in 1921.

Orange Cemetery is home to 97 unmarked graves where returned World War I soldiers are buried, Mr Wrangham included.

Many spent years at the nearby Bloomfield Hospital for post traumatic stress disorder, known as "shell shock" a century ago.

In recent years the Orange City RSL Sub-Branch has worked with Forgotten Diggers to identify the veterans that are buried at Orange Cemetery.

Ms Raynolds said it was a remarkable and emotional discovery when she was contacted in 2021.

"I knew about my great grandmother but I didn't know about her siblings and I didn't know he had emigrated from England," she told the Daily.

"I didn't know anything about him except he comes from the same part of England that I did, Cumbria.

"It was an emotional process because I was so close to my grandmother. I feel like it's a connection to her."

A moving memorial service took place on Wednesday, November 2, with descendants of the 96 men and one woman present. Students from Orange High School and Canobolas Rural Technology High School performed songs and read out the names.

Forgotten Diggers founder John Thomas said they had made significant progress in securing proper graves for the soldiers.

"It's a great day for Orange, a great day for Forgotten Diggers but more importantly I think it's a great day for 96 men and one woman who laid here in this beautiful little spot for so many years unknown, unremarkable, unremembered," Mr Thomas said.

"Today is a culmination of events. With Chris Colvin and Sharon Jameson and the Orange RSL sub-branch community we've been able to acknowledge those men and one lady.

"To date we've been able to secure Commonwealth war graves for 19 of the 97. We have 13 still pending and a number we still need to apply for."

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