Bedfordshire soldiers laid to rest on the Western Front

Pte George McIntosh, of 8th Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, was laid to rest in France on 20 October 2026 alongside one of his comrades, at a burial service organised by MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘War Detectives’. The service took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery Extension.  

The coffin of Pte McIntosh is carried to the graveside as his family looks on (Crown Copyright)

It has been an honour to have met Pte McIntosh’s family today and to have seen him laid to rest alongside his comrade. His family has travelled a long way to be here, and this shows the depth of what these men still mean to their families even 110 years on. Their sacrifice and commitment to the cause of obtaining freedom and peace must never be forgotten.

Pte McIntosh and the unknown soldier were some of around 100 sets of British and Canadian remains recovered during the construction of a hospital on the outskirts of Lens. They are the final British casualties from that site to be laid to rest. DNA testing, coordinated by JCCC, confirmed the identity of Pte McIntosh. Work continues to identify the unknown Bedfordshire Regiment soldier. 

Ten members of Pte McIntosh’s family attended the burial service including his great nephew, Jeff MacIntosh, who had travelled from the North Carolina, USA to be in attendance. It was Jeff who had provided the DNA sample that made identification of Pte McIntosh possible. 

Jeff MacIntosh, great nephew of Pte McIntosh said: