N.B. soldier who died during First World War to be buried in France

Four Canadian soldiers killed during First World War – including a soldier who fought with a New Brunswick regiment – will be given a military funeral next Thursday in France.

Pvt. John (Jack) Henry Thomas of Birch Ridge, N.B. Thomas was a member of the 26^th Canadian Infantry Battalion (New Brunswick), CEF, a unit that later became The Royal New Brunswick Regiment of Fredericton, N.B. Thomas died on Aug. 19, 1917, at the age of 28, in the Battle of Hill 70. His remains were identified this past May after they were found at the site of a construction project in Lens, France in August 2016, along with some artifacts.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was notified and took possession of the remains and artifacts, transporting them to a facility in Beaurains, France for safe-keeping.

The Casualty Identification Review Board used historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological, and DNA analysis to identify the remains of those Thomas.

Three other soldiers from a Winnipeg regiment were also found in May near the village of Vendin-le-Vieil, France.

They were identified as Pvt. William Del Donegan, 20, Pvt. Henry Priddle, 33, and Sgt. Archibald Wilson, 25. They died on Aug. 16, 1917, also in the Battle of Hill 70, as members of the 16^th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), a unit that later became the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) of Victoria, B.C.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will conduct the burials with the families of the four soldiers in attendance, with the support of Veterans Affairs Canada.

All four will be buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery outside Loos-en-Gohelle, France.