# Last resting place for a forgotten warrior



## old medic (22 Oct 2011)

Last resting place for a forgotten warrior

19 October 2011
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/last_resting_place_for_a_forgotten_warrior_1_1919469

HE FELL six weeks before the carnage of the Great War came to an end, and for close to a century the whereabouts of his grave remained a mystery.

But now, a long-forgotten Scottish soldier who perished in one of the last battles of the First World War is to be buried with full military honours.

Private Alexander Johnston died in the autumn of 1918 while fighting in northern France. He was just 33, yet his family was left without a body.

Decades later, his Scots relatives are preparing to travel to France to attend his military funeral, among them a great-nephew from Airdrie, who told The Scotsman he was “humbled” by the work of those who painstakingly identified the remains.

The remarkable 93-year journey towards closure for the Johnstons began in 2008, when human remains were discovered at a construction site in Raillencourt Saint-Olle, near where the Coatbridge-born soldier fell.

After extensive genealogical research and DNA testing, they were confirmed this year as those of Pte Johnston.

The serviceman was born in 1885 and emigrated in his late twenties to Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. In January 1918, he joined the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers), Canadian Expeditionary Force, and within nine months he was fighting at the Battle of the Canal du Nord.

On 29 September, the battalion was pushing through a heavily guarded stretch of the Hindenberg Line and lost 58 men, among them Pte Johnston.

The story of the childless bachelor’s death was passed down generations of his relatives.

“I seem to remember around 50 years ago, an aunt showing me old sepia pictures and telling me about Alex who was killed in the war,” recalled Willie Johnston.

Mr Johnston, 64, whose grandfather was a brother of the young private, was at home in May last year when he received a call. He explained: “It was an undertaker asking if I’d be willing to speak to a genealogist from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She had been looking for relatives in Scotland and came across my father’s name.”

A year passed without further correspondence, and the retired computer consultant presumed the body was that of another soldier. Then in June, he received an e-mail from Canada’s department of national defence confirming it was his great-uncle.

“It’s an amazing story,” Mr Johnston said. “I find it really humbling that people have gone to the trouble they have to identify his body.”

Along with his sister, Jean Strachan, 60, and her husband, Eric, Mr Johnston will set off this evening for France where, on Tuesday in Sailly-lez-Cambrai, they will see the soldier laid to rest in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.

They will be joined by another great-nephew, Don Gregory, who provided a DNA sample to researchers, and his daughter, Ann Gregory, a bugler, who will play the Last Post.

Mr Johnson is pleased that Pte Johnston’s relatives from both sides of the Atlantic are coming together to pay tribute.

“People were close 20 to 30 years ago, but that generation died and things drifted apart,” he said. “This has brought us back together again.”


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## medicineman (22 Oct 2011)

RIP Troop     

MM


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## AJFitzpatrick (22 Oct 2011)

I really like hearing about these stories ...

Credit to all those who worked to identify this soldier


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## FormerHorseGuard (23 Oct 2011)

WOW

is the first thing that  came to mind when I read this story. Very  touching that  they  would go to all this effort for a body that  died almost 100 years ago. I am glad to see it bought the family  closer and the soldier gets the burial he deserves.


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## Nfld Sapper (24 Oct 2011)

Backgrounder

Identification Process For Private Alexander Johnston

BG–11.024 - October 24, 2011

In July 2008, the skeletal remains of a Commonwealth soldier were discovered in an industrial zone of Sailly-lez-Cambrai, near the town of Raillencourt-Saint-Olle, Pas-de-Calais, France.   The local police contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who carefully removed the remains, together with several artefacts such as uniform buttons and badges.  Following a preliminary examination, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission concluded that the soldier belonged to the Canadian Expeditionary Force.  The Department of National Defence’s Directorate of History and Heritage was notified of the find on February 26, 2009.  

Background

Collar badges of Winnipeg’s 78th Battalion were found at the site, suggesting that the remains 
belonged to a soldier who had fought with the battalion in the region of Sailly-lez-Cambrai.  
A historian from the Directorate of History and Heritage was able to confirm the battalion’s presence in the region following fighting at Bourlon Wood.  The area of Raillencourt-Sailly was taken by the 4th Canadian Division near the end of September and beginning of October, 1918.  The 78th battalion was tasked with taking the villages of Sailly and Raillencourt following the fight to capture the line along the Douai-Cambrai Road. After crossing the Douai-Cambrai Road, the battalion came under heavy machine gun fire, and Private Johnston was lost during this time.

Between September 26-27 and October 1-2, 1918, the 78th battalion reported 11 other soldiers missing.  In the region of Sailly-lez-Cambrai, only two of the eleven remained unaccounted for; Private Alexander Johnston and Private Donald Alexander Wallis.  

Identification

Physical analysis of the remains of the unknown Canadian soldier found him to be of average height and in his late 20s / early 30s.  The height and age profile of the remains corresponded to both Private Johnston and Private Wallis and neither possibility could be absolutely eliminated.  

A genetic sample was extracted from the dentition, although the age and condition of the remains had made extraction difficult. The viability of a genetic sample can be difficult to predict when remains have been in the ground – particularly agricultural land – for several years.  Dentition is one of the most likely areas within the human skeleton from which to extract genetic material, in this case mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). 

While genetic scientists were successful in extracting a mtDNA profile from the remains, such a profile is of little use without a matching donor. The donors would have to be the maternal descendents of Privates Wallis and Johnston. 

After nearly a year of research, a genealogical researcher was able to track down the living maternal descendents of both Privates Wallis and Johnston, who were asked to provide a genetic comparison sample. In both cases, the tracing of this specific genetic lineage proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the identification. As a result of this genetic testing, in conjunction with the examination of the remains, a strong genetic match was found which confirmed the remains were those of Private Alexander Johnston.  Private Johnston was formally identified on March 31, 2011.  

Interment Ceremony

Private Johnston will be interred on October 25, 2011, at Cantimpré Canadian Cemetery, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, in Sailly-lez-Cambrai, France. This cemetery 
contains other members of the 78th Battalion who fell in the same battle and on the same day as Private Johnston.  Attending will be his grand nephews and great grand nephews and nieces from Canada and Scotland.


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## AJFitzpatrick (25 Oct 2011)

Another story on this

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/10/24/alexander-johnston-soldier-france.html


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## Nfld Sapper (25 Oct 2011)

_And Pte Johnston is laid to rest with his brothers in arms..._

News Release

Canadian First World War Soldier Buried In France With Full Military Honours

NR - 11.123 - October 25, 2011

SAILLY-LEZ-CAMBRAI, France – Private Alexander Johnston, a Canadian casualty of the First World War whose remains were identified last spring, was buried today with full military honours at Cantimpré Canadian Cemetery, in Sailly-lez-Cambrai, France. In attendance were members of Private Johnston’s family, a Canadian Forces contingent, Mr. Marc Lortie, Canadian Ambassador to France as well as other French dignitaries.

“After all these years, we are finally able to commemorate and pay tribute to this great Canadian hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of his country,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “By honouring Private Johnston today, we ensure that his courage and personal contribution in ending the Great War will never be forgotten.”

Private Alexander Johnston was born in Coatbridge, Scotland on August 20, 1885, and moved to Hamilton, Ontario, in his late twenties. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on January 5, 1918, and was taken on strength of the 78th Battalion in the field on September 4, 1918. Private Johnston died during the Battle of the Canal du Nord on September 29, 1918. 

During the Battle of the Canal du Nord, which took place in the last 100 days of the First World War, the area of Raillencourt-Sailly, France, was taken by the 4th Canadian Division near the end of September and beginning of October, 1918.  The 78th Batallion was tasked with taking the villages of Sailly and Raillencourt following the fight to capture the line along the Douai-Cambrai Road.  After crossing the Douai-Cambrai Road, the battalion came under heavy machine gun fire, and Private Johnston was lost during this time. 

Veterans Affairs Canada has provided support to the family members of Private Johnston and has also coordinated their participation in the interment ceremony. 

“Private Alexander Johnston paid the ultimate price for our country and it is gratifying that we can now properly lay him to rest,” said the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs. “By sharing Private Johnston’s story of courage, and others like his, we ensure the sacrifices of all Canadians who lost their lives in war, military conflict and peace live on for generations to come.” 

Among Private Johnston’s family members in attendance was his great grand-niece, 
Corporal Ann Gregory. A Canadian Forces Reservist and trumpeter with the Governor General’s Foot Guards since 1985, Corporal Gregory was asked to perform during her great grand-uncle’s burial. 

“It was important for me to keep my emotions in check today as I wanted to pay tribute to our family hero with my finest rendition of the Last Post,” said Corporal Gregory. “Today was definitely the highlight of my military career, and an incredible experience for us to share as a family.” 

In July 2008, human remains were discovered in Sailly-lez-Cambrai, France. Found with the remains were two collar badges of the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers). The Directorate of History and Heritage was notified of the discovery in February 2009, and Private Johnston’s remains were identified through mitochondrial DNA testing on March 31, 2011.

- 30 -

NOTE TO EDITORS: 

For further information and interview requests, please contact the Department of National Defence Media Liaison Office at (613) 996-2353 or 1-866-377-0811. 

Still and video imagery of today’s interment ceremony are available on the Canadian Forces Image Gallery site at www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca.

For more information on the identification process for Private Alexander Johnston, please visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=3971. 

Additional information on the Canadian military’s involvement in the Battle of the Canal du Nord can be found at the following links: 

Library and Archives Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/025005-1600-e.html. 

Commonwealth War Graves Commission: http://www.cwgc.org/victory1918/content.asp?menuid=37&submenuid=49&id=49&menuname=Canal+du+Nord&menu=sub. 







Corporal Ann Gregory plays a trumpet solo at the funeral of First World War soldier, Private Alexander Johnston, in France on October 25, 2011. Private Johnston a member of the 78th Battalion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, died in battle in September 1918.

Cpl Gregory is the great grand-niece of Pte Johnston. Canadian Forces members from across Canada provided the Bearer Party and Guard of Honour.


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## Danjanou (25 Oct 2011)

Reading that and looking at the photo .... all of a sudden it's a bit dusty here.


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