Find a Grave Team

Find a Grave® Volunteer of the Month

Volunteer of the Month

Michel Moracchini lives in the French commune of Barbâtre on the island of Noirmoutier with his wife, Cécilia. He retired from the civil service, having served both in the National Police and at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His work took him to many countries in South America, Europe, and the French Overseas Department of Guyane. He has been a member of Find a Grave® for nearly twelve years, in addition to other extensive work to preserve his local history.

I am currently the president of an association I founded in 2013 with close associates called Relations Internationales Culture et Memoire de Barbâtre (RICMB). It is dedicated to the history of my commune (Barbâtre) and aims to collect and transmit the commune’s past to future generations. My work, research, and publications focus, among other things, on the American naval base established in Barbâtre during the First World War (Naval Air Station Fromentine or NAS Fromentine). My efforts have piqued the interest of the archaeological service of the Regional Directorate of French Cultural Affairs, which appointed me in 2023 by order of the Prefect of the Pays de la Loire region as the “Scientific Referee.” Today, I work as a volunteer for the archaeological service to preserve and conduct scientific research on the site, now classified as an “archaeological entity.” The history of this American base had been completely forgotten by collective memory, both locally and nationally. The remains of this site appear to be unique in Europe in terms of quality and scale.

Since I was young, I have been passionate about history, a natural interest I pursue by exploring cemeteries. Throughout my professional life, associative activities, and leisure, I have visited numerous cemeteries in France, the Netherlands, Suriname [such as Cassipora Creek Cemetery], and soon, Thailand, where I plan to settle temporarily.

My favorite cemeteries are, of course, those in my village (Barbâtre) and across the entire territory of the island of Noirmoutier. In my village [in Barbâtre Churchyard], rest 12 Commonwealth soldiers who fell during the Second World War.

It was from these graves—seven known only to God—that my journey with Find a Grave began in 2012. I became interested in two Canadian aviators, Aviation Lieutenants Robert Samuel Forestell from Coniston, Ontario, a pilot, and his navigator Ian Crichton Robbie from Edmonton, Alberta, who died on August 8, 1944, during a naval air battle in my commune. Today, I have become somewhat of a member of the Forestell and Robbie families. With my wife, whom I thank for her patience and dedication to my passion, we have traveled to Canada. Today, these two families regularly visit Barbâtre.

I have also identified the body of an American aviator, “Unknown X330,” found on March 10, 1943, on a beach in Barbâtre. He is Staff Sergeant Russell Owen Chitwood, a tail gunner of a B17 shot down by the German anti-aircraft defense in Saint-Nazaire. His body had drifted at sea to wash ashore in my commune. My police training, investigations, and various research efforts allowed me to find various official documents from that time and make positive connections. Today, his body, which had rested since 1945 under the number “Unknown X330” in an American cemetery in France, is to be repatriated to the United States to confirm his DNA with the Chitwood family in Garland County, Arkansas, USA.

Michel, we are appreciative of your efforts and the efforts of all Find a Grave volunteers. This work connects us as a community as we help one another and allows people everywhere to discover information about those who have passed on.

Do you know a Find a Grave member who would make a good Volunteer of the Month? We welcome your suggestions. Please send an email with details of their work to feedback@findagrave.com.

25 comments

  1. I think this is wonderful! Thank you, Michel, for your wonderful work! Thank you for finding and identifying the body that washed up on your shore. I know his family appreciates finally having their lost loved one, found.

    • Thank you very much Charlotte. It is both a pleasure and a duty for me to associate myself with Find a Grave and what it represents for millions of people around the world.

  3. How wonderful to know more about how the remains of Staff Sgt Chitwood were identified and returned to his family. That took true dedication as well as empathy for others. Merci, M. Moracchini…merci beaucoup.

  5. Thank you for your dedication to Find a Grave! I have not been able to find the graves of my gggrandparents in the USA state of Michigan! So frustrating so enjoy hearing of dedicated people like you!

  6. How inspiring! Thank you for your work, especially the identification of those uknown. Kudos!

  7. My father was in WWT with the 34th MG Btn, 80th Division in France. As such his Co. B unit kept a Diary which is online at the University of PA. Their casualty list of those who died in France is available online. I think they are buried in a formal; military cemetery sponsored by the AEF and France. Thank you for volunteering and solving the unknown soldier(s).

  8. Thank you for your dedication, and thank you to your wife, Cécilia, for supporting your endeavors.

    Alison

  9. This is just great, and you are way beyond my abilities; but I wonder if Find a Grave could use any help in reporting on cemeteries in the lower part of the state of Washington. Joyce Brown

  10. Wow, what an incredible life! Thank you so much for all you do, and especially helping to identify the Amercian #330- I cannot even imagine how thrilled they were to have this happen! May God bless your wife too!

  12. I admire your dedication and research to historical events. I love history and have visited many cemeteries. I know the families of lost love ones appreciate your findings. Keep on doing what you love!

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