Remains of First World War soldier identified as sergeant from Alberta
CALGARY Remains found in May 2013 on the outskirts of Arleux-enGohelle, France, have been identified as those of a First World War soldier who lived in Calgary.
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces said Friday that family members of Sgt. James Alexander Milne have been notified after an investigation into the remains.
Milne was a member of the 10th battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, a unit perpetuated by The Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Calgary Highlanders.
He was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland, on Feb. 10, 1883, then immigrated to Calgary between 1905 and 1911. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in January 1915 at the age of 31. He was 34 when he was killed on April 28, 1917, during an operation against a German position known as the Arleux Loop.
Milne’s remains were found by an archeological team on May 13, 2013 in a field outside Arleux-enGohelle.
The remains of a second soldier, found on Sept. 27, 2012, in Thélus, Pas de Calais, France, have not yet been identified.
The soldier was found without personal or unit identifiers, but with a metal “Canada” insignia that would have been found on a military uniform. He would have died between Nov. 1, 1916 and the end of July, 1917.
“Like far too many soldiers who fought in France during the First World War, Sergeant Milne gave his life in service to Canada,” Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr said in a news release.
“The unidentified soldier found at Thélus reminds us of the many brave Canadians still missing or buried without a name from this terrible conflict. We will lay them both to rest with the honour which they and their families deserve in return for their sacrifice.”
Milne will be buried at a cemetery outside Arleux-en-Gohelle later this year and the unidentified soldier will be buried at a Canadian cemetery in Neuville-St. Vaast, France.
National Defence said the goal of its Casualty Identification Program is to identify unknown soldiers when their remains are discovered so they can be buried with a name by their regiment and in the presence of family.
“We are thankful for the efforts of the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives and the Service archéologique municipal d’Arras of France, for the support of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and for the ingenuity of the Canadian Conservation Institute, which enabled our officers to identify Sergeant Milne, and to conclude the investigation into the unidentified soldier found at Thélus,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said. “We will not forget that these men gave all they had so that a century later, we might live in peace.”