Five Normandy Soldiers Finally Named More Than 80 Years After They Died

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A newly replaced headstone bearing the name of Serjeant Frederick Albert Harrison with floral tributes laid at his rededicated grave in Normandy.
The newly replaced headstone for Serjeant Frederick Albert Harrison, 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, at Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery. (Photograph: MOD / Crown Copyright, via GOV.UK).

Five British soldiers who went missing during the Battle of Normandy have finally been named, after the Ministry of Defence confirmed their graves and held rededication services in France this week.

Private George Chapman, Private Vincent Coia, Lance Corporal Reginald Cyril Dewey, Serjeant Frederick Albert Harrison and Corporal Henry Thomas Read were all lost in the fighting that followed D-Day in the summer of 1944. For more than 80 years their graves were marked as unknown. This week, named headstones were unveiled at four Commonwealth war cemeteries across Normandy, and a service was held for all five men at the British Normandy Memorial.

Key facts

  • Five soldiers missing since the Battle of Normandy have been identified; their graves were rededicated this week
  • Rededication services took place at St Charles-de-Percy on 29 September, Bayeux on 30 September, and Hottot-les-Bagues and Ranville on 1 October
  • A separate commemorative service for all five men was held at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer on 30 September
  • The services were organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, known as the "War Detectives"
  • Relatives of the Chapman, Dewey and Read families were able to attend; a message from the 95-year-old brother of one of the men was read at his graveside
  • All five men had previously been commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial to the missing; their headstones now carry their names

The men and where they rest

The five soldiers served in five different battalions, and their graves were scattered across four Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries.

Private George Chapman of the 1st Battalion The Herefordshire Regiment was rededicated at St Charles-de-Percy War Cemetery on 29 September. Private Vincent Coia of the 7th Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders and Lance Corporal Reginald Cyril Dewey of the 4th Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment were rededicated at Bayeux War Cemetery on 30 September. Serjeant Frederick Albert Harrison of the 1st Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment was rededicated at Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery on 1 October, and Corporal Henry Thomas Read of the 8th Battalion The Rifle Brigade was rededicated at Ranville War Cemetery the same day.

For decades these were simply the graves of unknown British soldiers. They are now marked with the men's names, ranks and regiments, and will be cared for by the Commission in perpetuity.

The rededication services

The services were organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, the team nicknamed the War Detectives for their painstaking work tracing missing service personnel. Serving soldiers from the 5th Battalion The Rifles, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland supported the commemorations, and Reverend Paul Collins CF, chaplain to 5 Rifles, conducted the services.

A commemorative service honouring all five men was also held at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer on 30 September.

Reverend Collins said: "It is my privilege to be able part of these rededication services. These brave soldiers gave their lives in the events following D-Day which led to the liberation of France and the defeat of the Nazis. It is fitting that due to the hard work of the JCCC Commemorations Team and others, we now know who these soldiers were and where they are buried. The graves now bear their names for all those who visit in the future to see and remember."

A brother's message

Members of the Chapman, Dewey and Read families were present at their relatives' rededication services. The Coia and Harrison families were not able to travel, but a poignant message from Reg Harrison, the 95-year-old younger brother of Serjeant Frederick Harrison, was read out at his graveside in Hottot-les-Bagues.

The message read: "Although I didn't know my brother very well, as I was only young when he left home to join the army, I'm very proud of him and what he achieved, and what he went onto do for his King and country. It was soldiers like Fred that helped us win the war, and keep us safe. Always in my thoughts. Your young brother, Reg."

One of them: Private Vincent Coia

The identification of Private Vincent Coia adds a human dimension to the week. Born Vincenzo Coia in Glasgow on 20 March 1925 to Italian parents, he worked as a shop assistant before enlisting in the Army in November 1943, according to the Glasgow Times. He arrived in Normandy on 23 June 1944 and was posted to the 7th Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders.

Less than three weeks later he was killed, aged 19, during Operation Jupiter, the British offensive to seize the high ground at Hill 112, when his battalion was ordered to capture the Le Mesnil to Eterville road. His grave has now been formally identified and rededicated at Bayeux War Cemetery following an investigation by the JCCC in collaboration with the National Army Museum and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The War Detectives

The Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre combines historical research, battlefield archaeology and, where possible, DNA evidence to identify the remains of service personnel who have no known grave. Many of its cases begin with a family enquiry or a research submission from members of the public.

Rosie Barron, the JCCC caseworker who organised the services, said: "It has been an honour to have organised these rededication services and to have played a part in giving these families answers as to what happened to their relatives. The local community in Normandy has been very welcoming of both the families and the military party. For them the Battle of Normandy is not just commemorated but celebrated as the moment that they regained their liberty after four long years of occupation. The sacrifices made by these men were not in vain. There are many graves in Normandy which may yet be identifiable with further investigation, so this work will continue into the future."

Dr James Wallis, head of commemorations at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said the Commission's staff considered it a privilege to care for the now-identified graves, and noted that the impact of loss on the families still resonated strongly after more than eight decades.

What we know and what is still unclear

The MOD's announcement confirmed the names, regiments, cemeteries and service dates, and identified which families attended. It did not set out the circumstances in which each man died, beyond the general context of the Normandy fighting. The detail that Private Coia was killed during Operation Jupiter at Hill 112 on 11 July 1944 comes from the Glasgow Times report on his identification rather than the official release.

What is clear is that the five men were previously commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial to the missing, which carries the names of soldiers of the Normandy land campaign with no known grave. Their headstones have now been replaced with named markers.

What happens next

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will care for the five named graves in perpetuity, and visitors to the cemeteries can now find each man by name. The JCCC says there are many more graves in Normandy that may yet be identifiable with further investigation, and that its work will continue into the future.

For the families, the rededications close a chapter that had remained open since 1944. As Rosie Barron put it, the services gave them answers as to what happened to their relatives. After more than 80 years, five soldiers finally have their names back.

Related

Sources

  • MOD / GOV.UK, "Graves of five soldiers killed in Normandy identified", 2 Oct 2026 (Tier 1 official primary; all names, regiments, cemeteries, dates, quotes and attendance details)
  • Glasgow Times, "Glasgow soldier killed in Normandy identified 80 years after his death", 2 Oct 2026 (Tier 2 corroboration; Pte Coia biographical detail, Operation Jupiter context)
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission (via GOV.UK release): Dr James Wallis quote; Bayeux Memorial to the missing background

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