An unknown soldier of the West Yorkshire Regiment has been buried with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Serre Road Cemetery No.2 in France, more than a century after his death. The Ministry of Defence reported that the burial took place on 14 October 2026, and attributed the news to the Ministry of Defence, which published the account on 15 October 2026.

The remains were found in the winter of 2025–2026 at the edge of a freshly ploughed field about a kilometre south of the Thiepval Memorial, the ministry said. A shoulder title and a belt marked with the letters WYR suggested possible service with the West Yorkshire Regiment, while an entrenching tool issued before July 1916 and first-issue webbing offered clues about his equipment. No evidence pointed to his identity.

The recovery site was next to the Leipzig Redoubt. Regimental records show battalions were tasked with capturing Thiepval, including the Leipzig Salient, on 1 July 1916 and remained in the area until 17 July before returning in August. Research found more than 1,000 men of the regiment named on the Thiepval Memorial who died between 1 July and 31 August 1916, and a further 745 who died on other dates from September 1915 to March 1918 and remain missing. The service was organised by the JCCC, supported by serving soldiers of the Royal Yorkshire Regiment and CWGC staff, and led by Padre David Jeal.