World War Two remains not those of missing dad, son told

Guardsman David Blyth was reported missing in action in August 1944

Human remains found on a former World War Two battlefield in France are not those of a missing East Yorkshire soldier, DNA test results show.

Sherman tank driver David Blyth, 25, was posted as missing during the Battle of Normandy on 4 August 1944.

Bone fragments, along with tank debris, were discovered by a farmer ploughing a field near La Marvindière.

Guardsman Blyth's son, Peter, provided a DNA sample but has now been informed it does not match the remains.

Retired major Peter Blyth says he will not rest until he finds out what happened to his father

Former major Mr Blyth, 81, who was buoyed when first contacted by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) in June, said: "I am disappointed. It could have stopped years of wondering what had happened to my dad.

"Did he and the rest of the crew get out of the tank when it was hit? Did they go absent? Did they get taken prisoner? We just don't know."

The remains were found in 2015. Since the Sherman was an American-built tank, they were sent to the US authorities.

Further research found that particular type of Sherman would have been used by the British and the remains were then passed to the JCCC.

Also discovered was what appears to be a badly damaged cap badge of the Coldstream Guards - Guardsman Blyth's unit.

Mr Blyth, from near Hornsea, East Yorkshire, acknowledged it was likely his father was buried in an unmarked grave in a war cemetery in France.

However, he has vowed not to give up his quest for a definitive answer.

Mr Blyth, who served for 45 years including the 1960s Aden conflict and in Bosnia in the 1990s, added: "When they came back to me with the DNA result, my wife said, 'Is that it then?' But it's not.

"As long as the question of what happened to my dad remains unanswered, I will keep searching for the answer. I won't give up."

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