A young Newfoundland soldier killed during World War I was finally rested by the Canadian Army after a century of mystery leading up to the death of . rice field.
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of Pte. John Lambert died in 2016 in a Belgian farmer's wheat field. It was almost 100 years after he died.
However, Lambert, who fought against the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, was identified in a investigation only years later. } The Pentagon's Canadian team has settled so far.
Lambert, 17, was also the youngest soldier ever identified by forensic anthropologist Sarah Rocca .
"He looks like a child in the picture," said Lockyer, the team's casualty identification coordinator . "When I opened the file ... it was incredibly impressive to me."
Generation of Questions
The family has a black-and-white photo showing Lambert wearing an oversized uniform of . I shared it with Lockyer.
The same image hangs on the wall of the family 's house for generations.
But they only knew , Lambert lied about his age to join the army at the age of 16, and he served his country in 1917. Died in the meantime. According to a handwritten letter sent by the military to Lambert's father,
Lambert's niece, Elizabeth Willer, did not expect him to be found.
She said, "I couldn't believe it." "It's hard to get out of my head, it's been over 100 years."
This week, a dozen of Lambert's relatives from Newfoundland sought the long-awaited answer from Ipos, Belgium. I came down to a small town.
Follow the last days of the soldiers
Under the sea of umbrellas to prevent the rain on Thursday, the group {Lambert The remains of the 148} field were found to trace his last day.
Archaeologist guides Lambert's niece Anne Smith to the exact location where he found his body on a similar rainy day six years ago. Did.
A Belgian company surveyed land to lay underground pipes when it discovered a former battlefield filled with the remains of more than 60 people, including Lambert. Was there.
"It's surreal," said Smith standing in the field. "It feels weird. It just seems like it's one-way, nice and a little sad."
Lockyer's team of about five people with a Canadian casualty identification program 154} works to identify soldiers by studying relics found on the old battlefields of Europe by archaeologists, peasants , or construction workers. The
program was launched in 2007 and investigated the cases of more than 35 unknown soldiers. More than 27,000 Canadian soldiers without a known tomb are still missing in past wars.
Through investigation, the team is part of the Battle of Langemarck , known as the Battle of Langemarck. I found out that it was a regiment of . The 164} attack targeted German positions to push enemies towards the Passchendaele ridge.
When the army fought mud, rain, and counterattacks, it gained little benefit. As the British battalion advanced 1,000 yards, 27 people were killed in just three hours.
Lambert was one of the soldiers injured during the attack and died after .
Complex Efforts to Identify Lambert: His body was mixed with three other British soldiers who died in battle.
Corrupt metal clues
The name of Lambert's regiment is the key to the puzzle in 2019. To confirm his identity, Rocky said. A rotten piece of metal spelled N-F-L-D by
linked Lambert to the Newfoundland Regiment. The Newfoundland Regiment later became the only colonial regiment to receive the prefix "Royal" during World War I.
"That was the only thing that really showed that we were dealing with someone in Newfoundland," Lockyer said.
Only the 16 Newfoundlanders who fought in the battle were missing. helped narrow the list.
DNA samples from Lambert's oldest living niece, military records, and biological data confirmed his identity and surprised Lambert's family.
Lambert was placed on Thursday to rest at the New Irish Commonwealth War Graveyard Commission Cemetery near where he died.
'I'm feeling peace now'
The Lambert family put a forget-me-not pin on his grave rice field. The blue flower is a symbol of worn by many in Newfoundland and Labrador. Canada Dayin memory of the soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who died in World War I.
Smith brought the soil from Lambert's parents' grave and sprinkled it on his last resting place so he wouldn't be alone. Lambert was set up to rest with the three British soldiers who died with him .
"I'm feeling peace now," Smith said.
After not knowing Lambert's ultimate fate for over a century, his family revealed his identity and his body was now etched by his name. I am happy to be resting under the gravestone. ..
"It's beautiful," said Lambert's niece, Phyllis Smith. "It melts my heart. It really is. It makes me happy, he deserves this."