A century after WW1, the search for a soldier's identity

French forensic pathologist Bruno Fremont (R) and forensic assistant Manu Robas work on the identification of the remains of an unknow soldier, killed during World War One, found during road construction work near the battlefield of Douaumont during an interview with Reuters at Verdun hospital, eastern France, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

VERDUN, France (Reuters) - In a hospital mortuary in eastern France, the forensic doctor Bruno Fremont examines a gaping hole in the skull of a soldier killed by shrapnel a century ago, at the Battle of Verdun during World War One.

Laid out on a white sheet are the combatant's near-complete skeleton, many of the bones blackened, and his leather boots, the laces tied tight. What's missing is the soldier's ID tag.