First World War soldier given proper burial 105 years later

Pte. John Lambert’s remains were discovered in Belgium in 2016, and identified using DNA

In the summer of 1916, a young John Lambert of Cuckholds Cove Road in St. John’s did the same as many others of his age in Newfoundland and Labrador.

He walked to the nearest recruiting office to enlist to go to war.

Whether it was seeking adventure or an opportunity to get away from his job as a labourer, or to get a break from some tough years at home — he had lost his mother to tuberculosis a year before — Lambert went into the office to sign up.

At age 16, he was too young to enlist to fight in the First World War, but, like many others during those times, he lied about his age, telling recruiters he was 18 years and three months old.

Lambert’s life came to a tragic but brave end a year later when he was killed as the Newfoundland Regiment advanced on enemy positions during the Battle of Langemark in Belgium.

His family in Newfoundland never knew what happened to his body. More than 100 years later, his relatives were informed that his body had been found.

Lambert’s remains were discovered, along with three British solders, during an archeological dig at a construction site in April 2016. DNA and other evidence eventually confirmed his identity.

On Thursday, June 30, the remains of Pte. John Lambert were carried into the Commonwealth War Graves Commission New Irish Farm Cemetery in West-vlaanderen, Belgium, by members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment with military honours, and laid to rest in a proper grave.

FAMILY CALLED HIM ‘JACK’

Anne Smith, a niece of Lambert, made the trip to attend the burial in Belgium with seven other family members.

“We refer to him as Jack. He is my father’s brother,” Smith said by phone. “He got a wonderful funeral today. It was spectacular. It kind of brings a sense of peace.

“He finally is getting the just funeral he deserves and the credit for going off to war, and it’s just a fulfilled feeling that it’s come full circle and we can now all rest and have a sense of peace. Because all of my cousins and my extended family have always talked about Jack. He’s always been alive in everybody’s memory.”

Smith said her father, James Lambert, (who died in 1982) always talked about his brother, and it troubled him that his body was never found.

“My father was about five or six years old when Jack went to war. One of the things he’d say was, ‘I think he was blown to bits in the war.’ That was his way of thinking on why they never found him,” she said.

“When my mom and dad passed away, I inherited his beautiful, big oval picture of Jack they had permanently displayed on the wall in our home, and as well a large framed document of how he died for king and country.

“One of the stories my father always told was the day Jack enlisted, how he went to enlist and they told him he’s only 16 and to ‘walk around the block and come back when you are 18.’ I assume he did that and went back and enlisted, changing his age. His father was walking down over the stairs at home when Jack walked in with his uniform on. My father always said their father was not happy about that.

“They had lost their mother to tuberculosis the year before and they had a lot of tragedy in the family, so my grandfather seeing his son going off to war was difficult.”

Smith said when the family was notified a couple of years ago that the remains found had been positively identified as her uncle’s, there was a mixture of excitement, amazement and shock.

“It was like an emotional rollercoaster. After more than 100 years, they found Jack’s remains. It’s just … I can’t find the words,” she said. “It’s like every family’s story who had someone who went off to war and didn’t come back. The amazing thing that happened with this is that his DNA was matched with my first cousin’s DNA. She’s in her early 90s. That, in itself, is amazing. Go back 100 years and with today’s technology of DNA you can show they are related, and come out with an outcome where they positively identify the remains.”

LAMBERT FOUND

On Thursday afternoon in Belgium, the family got to visit the spot where Pte. Lambert’s remains were discovered in 2016 near Langemark-poelkapelle.

While there are many records of what happened to Lambert — that he was wounded in battle and died of his wounds — no documents could be found indicating where his remains were laid.

During the April 2016 archeological dig, skeletal remains of four soldiers were uncovered. Alongside the remains were a number of artifacts, including a shoulder patch of the Newfoundland Regiment. According to the Department of National Defence, Lambert’s personnel file indicates he died of wounds received in action during the advance of the regiment on Aug. 16 as part of British offences northeast of Ypres.

The war diary of the 88th Brigade — to which the Newfoundland Regiment was assigned — mentions that a “field ambulance relay post” was located near Tuffs Farm. The relay post was most likely located within 100 metres of the site where Lambert’s remains were recovered in 2016. It is believed that he and the other soldiers found with him were buried near the relay post and, for unknown reasons, their remains were not recovered after the war.

Sarah Lockyer, a casualty identification co-ordinator and forensic anthropologist with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence, said Lambert is the first Newfoundlander identified since the casualty identification program began in 2007.

“When I got a call from my British counterpart saying a Newfoundlander had been found, that was when we kick-started the investigation to identify the individual that ended up being Pte. Lambert,” Lockyer said. “I went to where the remains were stored, I did the anthropological analysis of the remains, including of the three British soldiers. … We didn’t know at the time which one was the Newfoundlander out of the four. We had to do an analysis on all four bodies, take DNA samples back to Canada and work through our list of missing Newfoundland Regiment soldiers. After (comparing) about five DNA samples, we ended up getting really positive results for Lambert.”

Lockyer also contacted the Royal Newfoundland Regiment for assistance in finding the soldier’s descendants, and the regiment turned to The Rooms Provincial Archives for help.

Lambert is the 32nd soldier identified and buried through the casualty identification program. There were eight other sets of remains over the years buried as unknowns after all efforts to identify them were exhausted.

Lockyer described it as an honour to be at the funeral on Thursday along with Lambert’s family members.

“For me personally, it is great knowing I was able to return his name and his face to him, which ultimately is my goal as a forensic anthropologist,” she said. “And it sounds bizarre, but this is a happy occasion. Yes, it’s a funeral, but he’s been found more than 100 years after he died, he has a proper grave now with a headstone with his name on it. It’s quite special.”

JOURNEY TO WAR

Records show that John (Jack) Lambert was born July 10, 1900, in St. John’s to parents Richard and Elizabeth (Whiteway) Lambert. After enlisting, he left for the United Kingdom on Aug. 28, 1916, aboard the S.S. Sicilian, and was later transported to Ayr, Scotland, where he joined the 2nd Battalion, Newfoundland Regiment, that served as the training depot to prepare soldiers prior to their proceeding to France.

On April 24, 1917, he left Scotland and arrived in Rouen, France, the following day, then proceeded to join the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment in the field on June 7, 1917.

British offensives to the northeast of Ypres began July 31, 1917. The objective assigned to the 29th Infantry Division was the capture of the Gheluvelt-langemarck portion of the German defensive line. Originally planned for Aug. 13, the attack was twice delayed due to heavy rain that made the muddy ground difficult to cross. When the attack finally began at 4:45 a.m. on Aug. 16, B and C companies of the Newfoundland Regiment attacked in the first wave. A and D companies followed shortly thereafter.

Battle records show that despite having to advance over ground that was still muddy, the Newfoundlanders kept up with the artillery barrage that was covering their advance. They overran the enemy’s trenches and bunkers and, in an advance of 1,100 metres, together with the Hampshire Regiment, took all of their objectives.

The Newfoundland Regiment suffered 103 casualties during the battle, including 27 men killed.

BACK WITH HIS REGIMENT

On Thursday morning in Belgium, the remains of Pte. Lambert were carried on the shoulders of Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldiers.

the Last Post at Lambert’s funeral was played by a young private from St. John’s.

Pte. Colin Murphy, 18, a bugler with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment band, graduated from high school last week. Murphy said the solemn task of playing the Last Post was an incredible experience and his mind drifted to what it was like for Lambert a century ago.

“It was a great honour to be able to give Pte. Lambert the proper dignity, respect and honour he deserves. And it was quite surreal to be able to honour his sacrifice over 100 years later,” Murphy said. “He was 17 years old, so it’s pretty unimaginable to think that 100 years ago that could have been me, a year younger than I am now. It’s pretty hard to believe.

“I was really fortunate to be able to come. I am one of the newer members of the band, but I got the opportunity and it was amazing.”

Fifteen members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment travelled to Belgium to conduct the burial ceremony, to carry the casket containing the young soldier’s remains to a proper gravesite, and to provide him with his long overdue funeral with military honours, and closure for his family.