Remains of four N.L. soldiers discovered overseas, says anthropologist

Terry Roberts · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 2:43 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A casualty recognition specializer who led the repatriation of the chartless worker past twelvemonth says the remains of much fallen soldiers from Newfoundland and Labrador person been discovered “overseas.”

Dr. Sarah Lockyer made the announcement portion serving arsenic a impermanent talker connected Tuesday astatine a remembrance-themed presumption astatine Memorial University.

Near the decision of her presentation, Lockyer amazed her assemblage by saying she’s learned that “four Newfoundlanders person been recovered overseas and they request to beryllium identified.”

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has confirmed the find successful an email to CBC News. But that's arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic they're releasing due to the fact that the recognition process is inactive successful the precise aboriginal stages.

Lockyer said she is inactive awaiting further accusation from the commission, specified arsenic a location, the conflict successful which the soldiers whitethorn person been killed, and however it’s known that the remains are Newfoundlanders.

“If they accidental it’s Newfoundlanders it’s apt due to the fact that thing with the connection Newfoundland was found. I tin lone presume it's the First World War,” she said during a question-and-answer league pursuing her presentation.

During the war, Newfoundland Regiment soldiers wore brass enarthrosis flashings connected their uniforms with the letters N.F.L.D. Such a flashing was recovered successful the sedate of the chartless worker that was repatriated to Newfoundland and Labrador successful May 2024, and reintered into a peculiar tomb astatine the Newfoundland National War Memorial successful St. John’s connected July 1, 2024.

Lockyer is the casualty recognition co-ordinator for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

She played a starring relation successful the recognition six years agone of the remains of Private John Lambert, a subordinate of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who was killed successful conflict during the First World War connected Aug. 16, 1917.

His remains were discovered during an archaeological excavation successful April 2016, and were buried successful the New Irish Farm Cemetery successful Belgium successful June 2022.

During her presumption connected Tuesday, Lockyer spoke astir the process by which Lambert’s remains were positively identified, including the matching of DNA from Lambert’s remains with surviving members of his family.

Roughly 800 of the Newfoundlanders who died during the First World War person nary known grave, and astir of them were killed successful France and Belgium betwixt 1914 and 1918.

It’s communal for quality remains to beryllium discovered connected these erstwhile battlefields during planned searches and different activities, specified arsenic construction.

Lockyer is encouraging descendants of missing soldiers with nary known sedate to registry with the Directorate of History and Heritage of the Department of National Defence. Descendants are lone required to supply their names and interaction information, and arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic imaginable astir their missing household member.

She said the registry tin assistance velocity up the DNA postulation process and perchance summation the likelihood of identifying recently discovered remains.

Lockyer and different members of her squad are presently moving to place the skeletal remains of 42 Canadian soldiers linked to the First World War, and she’s assured that fig is astir to summation to 46.

She said the warfare graves committee volition implicit its probe process earlier she tin instrumentality possession of the remains.

“We can’t truly commencement thing until we cognize the determination of wherever the quality remains were recovered to commencement trying to fig retired who they could perchance be, but the goal, absolutely, with immoderate of the skeletal quality remains that are discovered, that are perchance Canadian, the extremity is ever to place them. If we person to hide them arsenic unknowns, it’s due to the fact that we’ve done everything that is reasonably imaginable and we conscionable weren’t capable to fig it retired successful the end,” Lockyer said.

Since 2007, the Canadian casualty recognition programme has identified 36 skeletons, said Lockyer, and they’ve been capable to regenerate the “Known Unto God” sedate marker with 1 with the soldier’s individuality engraved successful it.

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