The detective work and forensic tests which went into identifying Private William Simms is the stuff of television shows and mystery movies.
The mystery in this case started as many do, by the opportunity of fate.
In 2006, Fabien Demeusere a young resident in the village of Hallu, France was digging in his garden when he found some old military cartridges.
The discovery was not particularly surprising, as much of France saw extensive military actions through two world wars, meaning artifacts from both remain common.
But, in Demeusere’s case his curiosity led him to dig more extensively, initially discovering three human remains.
Experts were immediately called in, and the following year, another five sets of remains were recovered from the same area.
The artifacts found with the bodies identified all remains being those of Canadian soldiers from the First World War and believed to be from the 78th Battalion, also known as the Winnipeg Grenadiers.
Since 2006, the Directorate of History and Heritage has worked towards the identification of these soldiers.
The effort started by simply trying to narrow down who the eight soldiers might have been in general terms, and then turned into a forensic manhunt to confirm specific identities of the long dead soldiers.
“The identification of these remains required historical research, physical anthropology, genealogical research, genetic testing, and isotope technology, and it took until 2014 to make a positive identification of five of these eight remains,” detailed background provided in a Government of Canada release.
It was a daunting task given the number of missing soldiers who the remains could have been.
“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 a historical profile of the unknown person. Purely historical identifications are rare, however, and the DND and the CAF seek 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,” detailed the backgrounder.
“… Of the nearly 68 000 Canadian fatalities during the First World War, more than 19 000 members have no known grave. The discovery of these remains in Hallu represents the single largest find and identification of unknown Canadian soldiers since the start of the Casualty Identification programme at the Department of National Defence (DND) in 2006.”
With the possibilities narrowed to the Winnipeg Grenadiers, it is important to have a feel for their role in the region during the First World War.
The Grenadiers, a militia unit, led the recruiting campaign for the 78th Battalion, and the Winnipeg Grenadiers continued to perpetuate the memory of the 78th Battalion after the war.
The unit was eventually disbanded in 1946. Today, the memory of the Grenadiers lives on through a cadet corps in Winnipeg which bears the Grenadiers name.
“The 78th Battalion was to relieve the 3rd Division in the Canadian lines following the first attack of the Battle of Amiens on August 8, 1918,” again detailed the backgrounder. “On August 10, the 78th Battalion received orders to capture the small village of Hallu, located in the Somme region of France. Although the advance towards Hallu started smoothly, enemy pressure increased steadily. During the evening of August 10 and again on August 11, the 78th Battalion was directly attacked by enemy fire, suffering over 46 fatalities and 54 missing, of whom 35 remained ‘missing’ with no known grave prior to this identification. The battle to capture Hallu was lost.”
Based on this history, the location of the remains, as well as several artifacts found at the site, the Winnipeg Grenadiers military family was the best start point for identification.
From the list of the 35 missing soldiers from the 78th Battalion, a primary list of 15 was formed based on height and age using historical research and physical anthropology. Genealogical research was used to find genetic donors for each candidate.
“Genetic testing of war remains requires that DNA be extracted from bone or teeth and then compared with genetic material donated by the descendants of the candidates. Unfortunately, the use of DNA, while a method which can make identification more likely, can be limited by the availability of donors and the difficulty of extracting viable DNA from older remains,” related the backgrounder.
“As the remains of First World War soldiers have been in the ground for more than ninety years, a particular type of DNA called mitochondrial DNA is used. Mitochondrial DNA is strictly maternally inherited and survives well in remains which have been in the ground for a long period of time. Genealogical research is required to locate a very specific genetic line(s) in order to make an identification after this period of time.
“More recently, DND, through a contracted laboratory, has used stable isotope technology to help differentiate the origins of candidates where DNA is not a viable method of identification. 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 10 to 15 years of their lives. Such testing allows DND to exclude candidates based on where they were raised or where they lived prior to enlistment.”
Through such testing four of the eight soldiers were identified in spring 2014 using genetic testing:
• Private William Simms: Born in Russell, Manitoba. Age 25 at the time of his death.
• Lieutenant Clifford Abraham Neelands: Born in Barrie, Ontario. Resided in Winnipeg, Manitoba, when he enlisted. Age 26 at the time of his death;
• Lance Sergeant John Oscar Lindell: Born in Virestad Parish, Kronobergm Sweden. Resided in Winnipeg, Manitoba, when he enlisted. Age 33 at the time of his death;
• Private Lachlan McKinnon: Born in Campbeltown, Argyllshire, Scotland. Resided in Manitoba when he enlisted. Age 29 at the time of his death; and
The genetic donors and next of kin for the identified soldiers were informed of the identification once the results were confirmed. The remaining four sets of remains underwent further testing in the hopes of identification.
A fifth soldier was identified in October 2014 as:
• Private Sidney Halliday: Born in England. Resided in Minto, Manitoba when he enlisted. Age 22 at the time of his death.
“Although a positive identification has not yet been made in the remaining three cases, it is hoped that with further testing and analysis, the other three soldiers, also believed to be from the Winnipeg Grenadiers, will be identified as well,” noted the backgrounder.
More than 26 000 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. Every year, some of the formerly missing are discovered, and the DND and the CAF are responsible for using scientific methods and historical research to determine their identity. The Directorate of History and Heritage identifies unknown soldiers, sailors and air force personnel whenever remains of Canadian soldiers are found. For those whose remains can be recovered and identified, the DND and the CAF make every effort to provide the fallen members with the dignity and respect they deserve.
It is hoped new technologies and increased access to historical documents will further enhance the precision and ability to identify Canada’s unknown soldiers, sailors and air force personnel.
