A solemn ceremony is being held in Belgium today to formally lay to rest a young Newfoundland soldier who lay in an unmarked grave for a century.
17-year-old Private John Lambert of St. John’s was killed in August of 1917 and buried with a few British soldiers near St. Julien in Belgium.
Their remains were uncovered in an archaeological dig in April of 2016, and as luck would have it, a shoulder patch clearly reading NFLD was found among the remains.
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Sarah Lockyer, Coordinator of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Casualty Identification Program, aided by archival searches performed by The Rooms, positively identified Private Lambert’s remains.
Members of Lambert’s family are in Belgium for the ceremony.