A young Newfoundland soldier killed during World War I has finally been buried by the Canadian army after a century-old mystery about his death.
Archaeologists unearthed the remains of Pte. John Lambert in the wheat field of a Belgian farmer in 2016, almost 100 years after his death.
But it wasn’t until years later that Lambert, who fought with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, was identified in an investigation that became one of the most complicated cases a Canadian Department of National Defense team has ever solved.
Lambert, 17, was also the youngest soldier forensic anthropologist Sarah Lockyer has identified so far.
“In his photograph he looks like a child,” said Lockyer, the team’s victim identification coordinator. “When I opened this file … it impacted me incredibly.”
Pte. John Lambert, of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, lied about his age and enlisted at the age of 16 to fight in World War I. His family is grateful that a Canadian team helped identify his remains nearly 100 years after his death. (Sent by family)
Generations of questions
The family had shared a black and white photo with Lockyer showing Lambert in his large uniform.
This same image has hung on the walls of their family homes for generations.
But all they knew was that Lambert lied about his age to enlist at age 16, and then died while serving in his country in 1917, according to a handwritten letter the military sent to Lambert’s father. .
Lambert’s niece, Elizabeth Willar, never thought they would find him.
“It was hard to believe,” he said. “It’s hard to get out of your head. It’s been over 100 years.”
This week, more than a dozen Lambert relatives from Newfoundland have come down to the small town of Ypres, Belgium, to get answers they have been waiting for a lifetime.
Forensic anthropologist Sarah Lockyer, the National Defense Department’s victim identification coordinator, is among the headstones of a Belgian cemetery with several artifacts found with Lambert’s remains and three other soldiers, including the regiment’s identifiers. . (Ashley Burke / CBC News)
Following the last days of a soldier
Under a sea of umbrellas to protect themselves from Thursday’s torrential rain, the group walked to the field where Lambert’s remains were found to trace his last days.
Archaeologists guided Lambert’s niece, Anne Smith, to the exact spot where they discovered her remains on an equally rainy day six years ago.
A Belgian company had been examining the ground for laying underground pipes when it discovered an old battlefield full of the remains of more than 60 people, including Lambert.
“It’s surreal,” Smith said as he stood in the field. “It’s a weird feeling. It’s like it’s awesome in a way and a little sad.”
Archaeologists show Anne Smith the location of a Belgian field where her uncle’s remains were found in 2016. The team took three years to identify her remains. (Ashley Burke / CBC News)
Lockyer’s team of about five people with Canada’s victim identification program is working to identify soldiers studying remains discovered on ancient European battlefields by archaeologists, farmers or construction workers.
The program began in 2007 and has investigated the cases of more than 35 unknown soldiers. More than 27,000 members of the Canadian service without a known grave are still missing from past wars.
Through their research, the team learned that Lambert’s regiment was part of a British attack known as the Battle of Langemarck. The attack aimed at German positions to push the enemy towards Passchendaele Ridge.
Small gains were only made when troops fought with mud, rain, and counterattacks. In just three hours, 27 people were killed as the British battalion advanced 1,000 yards.
Lambert was one of the soldiers wounded during the attack who later died.
Complicating efforts to identify Lambert: His remains were mixed with three other British soldiers who died in battle.
A metallic identifier of Lambert’s uniform was discovered with his remains in the field in 2016. It was key evidence that helped determine who he was. (Ashley Burke / CBC News)
A deteriorated metal track
The name of Lambert’s regiment ended up being the key to the puzzle in 2019 to confirm his identity, Lockyer said.
A deteriorated piece of metal written by the NFLD linked Lambert to the Newfoundland Regiment which later became the only colonial regiment to receive the prefix “Royal” during World War I.
“That was the only thing that really gave us an indication that we were dealing with someone from Newfoundland,” Lockyer said.
Only 16 Newfoundlanders were left fighting in that battle, which helped narrow the list.
A DNA sample of Lambert’s oldest living niece, military records, and biological data: they confirmed her identity and surprised Lambert’s family.
Lambert was buried Thursday in the cemetery of the New Irish Commonwealth Grave Commission, near where he died, in an official Canadian military ceremony attended by members of his regiment and his family.
The Canadian Armed Forces fired Lambert on Thursday in the cemetery of the Gravel Commission of the New Irish Commonwealth of Belgium. He was buried alongside the three British soldiers with whom he died on the battlefield in 1917. (Ashley Burke / CBC News)
“I’m sorry now”
Members of Lambert’s family placed needles in the shape of Don’t Forget Me in his grave. The blue flower is a symbol that many wear in Nfld. Canada Day in memory of the soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who died in World War I.
Smith brought earth from Lambert’s parents’ grave to sprinkle his final resting place so that he would not be alone. Lambert was buried with the three British soldiers who died with him.
“I feel peace now,” Smith said.
After more than a century without knowing Lambert’s final fate, his family is happy that his identity has been discovered and his remains are at rest, this time under a tombstone engraved with his name.
“It’s beautiful,” Lambert’s niece, Phyllis Smith, said. “It melts my heart. It really does. It makes me happy, it deserved that.”
Lambert’s nieces, Elizabeth Willar, on the left, and Phyllis Smith, on the right, traveled from St. John’s in Ypres, Belgium, for special military burial. (Ashley Burke / CBC News)