Possible field grave in Gronsveld – November 2017
One more time
We decided to continue the search for a possible World War II field grave in Gronsveld, The Netherlands one last time. The goal is to see if we can find any human remains. As previously described, it is suspected that a World War II soldier was found by the then landowner on, at the top or bottom of a slope. The plan is today is to thoroughly investigate that slope.
Cleaning
We start by raking the slope, removing debris, rubble and fallen leaves. There’s quite a bit of debris on and at the bottom of the slope. After clearing this, we can continue our search with the metal detector. Peter searches with the detector, Tino clears the area and digs when metal is detected. While clearing, we use a leaf rake and check the pile of leaves hoping to find bones. The slope itself is estimated to be about 160 feet long, with a approximately 10 feet difference in height. It’s quite an extensive area and it takes us quite a few hours cleaning and searching.
We find a lot of shell casings again, but that’s about it. We also search the meadow, but there too, we only find shell casings and a few coins. Based on the number of shell casings, we can almost certainly say that target practice took place, as eyewitnesses told us. The shell casings are mainly centralized in one specific area, which doesn’t indicate indiscriminate shooting.
It’s possible the soldier is lying near the spot where the Signi Search Dogs responded. We were hopeful we’d find something near the shed, but unfortunately we did not. It’s possible that the soldier is lying next to the shed, but a huge poplar tree grows there, preventing us from examining that area.
Closure
All that remains is for us to write a report for the family and, unfortunately, close this project. As with any project, the door is still open, should the family find anything during future fieldwork or if new leads emerge. We thank the current landowner and client for their hospitality and trust!
