The remains of a previously unknown Hunter soldier killed in World War I have been identified.
In time for the anniversary of his death on August 8, the Australian Army formally confirmed the identity of Kurri Kurri man Private Archibald 'Blue' Hanley.
He was fighting with the 30th Battalion in the Australian Imperial Force in the Battle of Amiens when he was killed in action near Villers-Bretonneux, France in 1918.
Investigations by the Australian Army's Unrecovered War Casualties team along with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Office of Australian War Graves, confirmed Private Hanley was an unknown Australian soldier buried at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.
The army also identified another Australian soldier, Lieutenant Hercules William Crawford, from the Citizens Military Forces who was killed in the 1942 Kokoda battle.
Lieutenant Crawford was wounded and went missing near Pirivi on the Kokoda Track on August 8, 1942.
After a two-year investigation, the Australian Army confirmed that an unknown soldier buried at Bomana War Cemetery in Papua New Guinea was Lieutenant Crawford.
Replacement headstones with the soldiers' names, ranks and unit details will be installed with consultation from their families.
Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh said the investigation to identify unrecovered war casualties helped honour soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their nation.
"The formal identification of Private Archibald Hanley and Lieutenant Hercules William Crawford reflects our enduring commitment to accounting for Australia's wartime missing, no matter how much time has passed," he said.
Chief of Army Lieutenant General Susan Coyle said the formal identification of the soldiers demonstrated that time did not diminish the determination for the army to account for its missing persons.
"These identifications provide long-awaited answers for their families and ensure both men will be remembered not as unknown soldiers, but by name, rank and unit," she said.
