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News Room
Remains Of Unknown First World War Soldier Identified
NR - 11.015 - February 24, 2011
EDMONTON, Alta. – The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, announced today that Department of National Defence has identified the remains of a First World War soldier found in Avion, France, in 2003, as those of Private Thomas Lawless of Calgary, Alberta.
“We are thankful that Private Lawless will finally be laid to rest with the honour and dignity that he deserves,” said the Honourable Laurie Hawn. “Private Lawless gave his life in the name our country and his contribution to Canada in the First World War will not soon be forgotten.”
“Nearly 28,000 Canadian soldiers went missing during the Great War, Second World War and Korean War,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “New remains are discovered every year and my department and their partners work diligently to identify these fallen to ensure that their ultimate sacrifice is honoured.”
In October 2003, two sets of human remains were found at a construction site south of Avion, France, in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge. Over a period of six years, the Casualty Identification section of the Directorate of History and Heritage, sought the identity of the soldiers.
The first soldier was identified, in February 2007, as Private Herbert Peterson of Berry Creek, Alberta. Through continued genetic testing using inherited genetic material through the maternal line (mitochondrial DNA), osteology, facial reconstruction, military history and finally, stable isotopes – the second soldier was identified as Private Thomas Lawless on January 10, 2011.
Veterans Affairs Canada has made contact with the members of Private Lawless’ family and will provide on-going support to the family as arrangements are made and carried out for the final interment.
“Once again, we are reminded of the value of a single human life and our debt of gratitude when that life is given in the service of others,” said the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs. “We are now able to share Private Lawless’ story of courage with other Canadians, and we will remember him.”
Private Thomas Lawless, born April 11th, 1889, was a member of the 49th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and will be buried at La Chaudière Military Cemetery in Vimy, France, on March 15, 2011, with his family in attendance. La Chaudière, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, currently has 907 servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated there, including Private Herbert Peterson.
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Note to editors: For more information on the Department of National Defence’s casualty identification process, please visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=00&id=3725.
News Room
Historic Casualty Identification
BG–11.002 - February 24, 2011
The Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces are dedicated to honouring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by ensuring that, when possible, they will be identified and buried in a known grave.
Nearly 28 000 members of Canada’s Army, Air Force, and Navy who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War have no known or maintainable grave. The majority of these service personnel – approximately 19 500 – went missing in France and Belgium during the First World War. Every year, some of the formerly missing are discovered, and the Department of National Defence is responsible for using historical and scientific methods to determine their identity.
Identification is the result of a collection of historical research and biological tests which eventually determine the most likely serviceman.
The first step in identification is to search records, such as military personnel records, burial registrar records, war diaries and maps, and regimental histories to create an historical profile of the unknown person. Purely historical identifications are rare, however, and DND usually seeks biological evidence to support other documents.
Biological anthropologists study the remains to determine the number of persons, their ages and heights, their dental health, their overall health and if possible, clues as to how they may have died. The resulting profile can further reduce the final list of candidates, and genetic testing of the remaining candidates can lead to an identification or reduce the candidate pool further.
Genetic testing of war remains requires that DNA be extracted from bone or teeth and then compared with genetic material donated by the descendents of the candidates.
Unfortunately, the use of DNA, while a method which has made identification more likely, can be limited by the availability of donors and the difficulty of extracting viable DNA from older remains. More recently, National Defence has used stable isotope technology to help differentiate the origins of candidates. By using the regional properties of certain elements to track the mobility of an individual, stable isotope technology can detect the locations in which an individual has been raised (to the age of approximately 21) and the locations in which an individual lived in the final ten to fifteen years of their lives. Such testing allows DND to exclude candidates based on where they were raised or where they lived prior to enlistment.
No doubt new technologies and increased access to historical documents will further enhance the precision and ability to identify Canada’s unknown soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen.
News Room
Remains Of Unknown First World War Soldier Identified
NR - 11.015 - February 24, 2011
EDMONTON, Alta. – The Honourable Laurie Hawn, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, announced today that Department of National Defence has identified the remains of a First World War soldier found in Avion, France, in 2003, as those of Private Thomas Lawless of Calgary, Alberta.
“We are thankful that Private Lawless will finally be laid to rest with the honour and dignity that he deserves,” said the Honourable Laurie Hawn. “Private Lawless gave his life in the name our country and his contribution to Canada in the First World War will not soon be forgotten.”
“Nearly 28,000 Canadian soldiers went missing during the Great War, Second World War and Korean War,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “New remains are discovered every year and my department and their partners work diligently to identify these fallen to ensure that their ultimate sacrifice is honoured.”
In October 2003, two sets of human remains were found at a construction site south of Avion, France, in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge. Over a period of six years, the Casualty Identification section of the Directorate of History and Heritage, sought the identity of the soldiers.
The first soldier was identified, in February 2007, as Private Herbert Peterson of Berry Creek, Alberta. Through continued genetic testing using inherited genetic material through the maternal line (mitochondrial DNA), osteology, facial reconstruction, military history and finally, stable isotopes – the second soldier was identified as Private Thomas Lawless on January 10, 2011.
Veterans Affairs Canada has made contact with the members of Private Lawless’ family and will provide on-going support to the family as arrangements are made and carried out for the final interment.
“Once again, we are reminded of the value of a single human life and our debt of gratitude when that life is given in the service of others,” said the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs. “We are now able to share Private Lawless’ story of courage with other Canadians, and we will remember him.”
Private Thomas Lawless, born April 11th, 1889, was a member of the 49th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and will be buried at La Chaudière Military Cemetery in Vimy, France, on March 15, 2011, with his family in attendance. La Chaudière, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, currently has 907 servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated there, including Private Herbert Peterson.
- 30 -
Note to editors: For more information on the Department of National Defence’s casualty identification process, please visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?cat=00&id=3725.
News Room
Historic Casualty Identification
BG–11.002 - February 24, 2011
The Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces are dedicated to honouring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by ensuring that, when possible, they will be identified and buried in a known grave.
Nearly 28 000 members of Canada’s Army, Air Force, and Navy who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War have no known or maintainable grave. The majority of these service personnel – approximately 19 500 – went missing in France and Belgium during the First World War. Every year, some of the formerly missing are discovered, and the Department of National Defence is responsible for using historical and scientific methods to determine their identity.
Identification is the result of a collection of historical research and biological tests which eventually determine the most likely serviceman.
The first step in identification is to search records, such as military personnel records, burial registrar records, war diaries and maps, and regimental histories to create an historical profile of the unknown person. Purely historical identifications are rare, however, and DND usually seeks biological evidence to support other documents.
Biological anthropologists study the remains to determine the number of persons, their ages and heights, their dental health, their overall health and if possible, clues as to how they may have died. The resulting profile can further reduce the final list of candidates, and genetic testing of the remaining candidates can lead to an identification or reduce the candidate pool further.
Genetic testing of war remains requires that DNA be extracted from bone or teeth and then compared with genetic material donated by the descendents of the candidates.
Unfortunately, the use of DNA, while a method which has made identification more likely, can be limited by the availability of donors and the difficulty of extracting viable DNA from older remains. More recently, National Defence has used stable isotope technology to help differentiate the origins of candidates. By using the regional properties of certain elements to track the mobility of an individual, stable isotope technology can detect the locations in which an individual has been raised (to the age of approximately 21) and the locations in which an individual lived in the final ten to fifteen years of their lives. Such testing allows DND to exclude candidates based on where they were raised or where they lived prior to enlistment.
No doubt new technologies and increased access to historical documents will further enhance the precision and ability to identify Canada’s unknown soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen.
