Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - Today's Paper.
More than a century after he was killed on the battlefields of France, the final resting place of an Armidale soldier who died during World War I has finally been identified.
Private Roy Hawkins was just 26 when he was killed in action during the Battle of Amiens on August 9, 1918, three months before the war ended.
For the past 108 years, his name has been among thousands of Australian soldiers commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France, their final resting places unknown.
However, in an announcement coinciding with Remembrance Day, the Australian government has confirmed Private Hawkins is among 11 Australian soldiers whose graves have now been formally identified after extensive archaeological, historical and DNA investigations.
His burial place has been established at Heath Cemetery, Harbonnières, France, bringing an end to more than a century of uncertainty surrounding his final resting place.
Born in Kentucky, near Uralla, on November 8, 1891, Roy was the youngest of 10 children born to Alfred and Caroline Hawkins.
According to a family history compiled by Dayle Shafer, he spent his childhood at St Helena, near Wollun, and attended Kentucky Public School before his family moved to Ben Venue in Armidale when he was about 18.
He was working for the railways in Armidale when World War I broke out in 1914.
A year later, on August 23, 1915, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, following the same path as his two older brothers, Ernest and Arthur, although Roy was the first of the three to sign up.
After completing his initial training, he departed Sydney aboard the RMS Osterley on January 15, 1916, bound for Egypt.
After further training, he sailed to France, arriving at Marseille on April 4, 1916, just one day before his two brothers.
Serving with the third Infantry Battalion, Roy saw action on the Western Front, including at Pozieres in the Somme Valley, where Australian forces suffered heavy casualties in July 1916.
On January 29, 1917, he was wounded by gunfire in his left foot and right thigh and evacuated for treatment, eventually spending several months recovering in hospitals and military camps in England.
By October he had recovered sufficiently to return to France and rejoin his battalion, which was fighting in Belgium.
After a brief period of leave in Paris in January 1918, Private Hawkins returned to the front, where his battalion helped resist the German Spring Offensive before taking part in the Battle of Amiens.
The battle, which began on August 8, 1918, marked a major Allied breakthrough and the beginning of the final offensive that would ultimately bring the war to an end.
Private Hawkins was killed the following day.
His military records did not establish where he had been buried, and for generations his family had no known grave to visit.
In her account of his life, published in 2018, Dayle Shafer wrote that his final resting place was probably unknown, as was the case for thousands of men killed during the war.
Eight years later, that uncertainty has finally been resolved.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the identification of the 11 soldiers was particularly significant on Remembrance Day.
"As we pause on Remembrance Day to honour all Australians who have served, we also remember these eleven soldiers who gave their lives during the First World War and whose identities have remained unresolved for more than a century," he said.
Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the work of military historians, archaeologists, forensic specialists, researchers and families had made the identifications possible.
"The identification of these soldiers who were killed in action across France and Belgium will provide long-awaited answers for families who have experienced generations of uncertainty," he said.
Private Hawkins is also commemorated on the Armidale Memorial Fountain and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour.
His name has never been forgotten, but 108 years after his death, the young railway worker from Armidale finally has a known resting place.
Today's top stories curated by our news team.
Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am!
Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more.
Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe.
Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday.
Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarGuide, ACM's exclusive motoring partner.
Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!
Stay in the know on news that matters to you with twice weekly newsletters from The Senior.
Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over.
Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters.