The
remains of a soldier, widely believed to be 23-year-old
hunchback, Private Friedrich Brandt from Hanover, Germany, have
been the centre of debate amongst historians lately.
Campaigners, including many military historians and archaeologists, are calling for the remains to be reinterred with the “dignity and respect [of a] proper burial that has been denied him for so long.” German historian, Rob Schäfer, who has created a Facebook and a change.org page in order to petition and raise awareness about the controversy surrounding Private Brandt’s remains, has stated that: “It is accepted that his remains should be studied for serious archaeological purposes but, after the data has been collected, the man should be allowed to rest in peace, instead of being viewed as a morbid object of curiosity by thousands of paying tourists - particularly when in an enlightened and technologically advanced world it is perfectly possible to laser scan the remains and produce a 3D replica for display.”
Tony Pollard, historian, archaeologist and Editor of Journal
of Conflict Archaeology, tweeted: “He was a soldier. He died
in battle. He deserves a grave. End of.” Comedian and keen
historian, Al Murray, also contributed to the debate by tweeting:
“#PeaceforFriedrichBrandt this soldier's bones shouldn't be on
display, he should be at rest.”
Those in opposition to this campaign have made reference to the
display of Egyptian Mummies and Bog Bodies to support the
exhibition of Private Brandt’s remains. The Memorial has defended
the exhibit, stating that “ultimately, it seemed to
everybody that the greatest homage that could be paid to him was
to consider him, with the respect to which he is entitled and
that the museum exhibit has sought to ensure.”
Should the remains of Friedrich Brandt be given a proper burial?
Is there a gain to keeping his bones as part of a commemorative
exhibition? Let us know your thoughts.
Read more about the human remains in museum collections in these
two free articles from Public Archaeology:
