Testing identifies remains of First World War soldier from P.A. area

Human remains found in France have been identified as those of a Canadian soldier.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces say the remains belong to Lt. Francis Henry Hemsley, who lived in Saskatchewan before enlisting and shipping off to Europe to fight in the First World War.

Hemsley was born in England in 1880 before coming to Canada in 1911, and farmed near Prince Albert for a few years before enlisting.

He was killed in action in August 1917 at the age of 37 while fighting in the Battle of Hill 70 in France. He was buried, but the location of his grave was later lost.

Hemsley’s name appears on the Vimy Memorial, which was erected in memory of Canadian soldiers who were killed in France during the First World War who have no known grave.

According to a release from the federal government, the remains were found in August of 2012 by a bomb disposal unit that was clearing ordnance from a construction site in Vendin-le-Vieil, France.

“Alongside the remains were a few artifacts, including fragments of a gas mask and helmet and a badly damaged pair of boots,” the release said. “Several buttons clearly marked with ’16th Battalion, Canadian Scottish Regiment’ were also found.”

The remains have been identified as those of Hemsley through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological and DNA analysis.

“We remember and honour the courage of those who have served our nation in wartime, and the sacrifice of the families they left behind,” Defence Minister Bill Blair said in the release. “The passage of time does not diminish the price they paid.

“To the family of Lieutenant Hemsley, know that Canada honours him and is grateful for his service.”

Hemsley is to be buried in July in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France. Members of his family and government representatives are to be in attendance.