Partial remains of 2 Edmonton First World War soldiers among those being returned by U.S. museum

A First World War soldier places stones on a Canadian grave near Vimy, France on June, 1917. (National Archives of Canada)

The partial remains of two First World War soldiers from Edmonton, along with 10 other Canadian soldiers, have been returned by a museum in Philadelphia.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) says the remains were collected by American medical personnel at Pennsylvania Base Hospital No. 10 in Le Tréport, France.

More than 100 samples were collected for a medical study, which was common practice at the time.

The samples came from soldiers from countries around the world.

The remains were transported to Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library in Philadelphia, PA, in 1919 for further study.

More than 100 years later, the museum is now dismantling the collection.

The CAF says it has been part of an international effort led by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission – including Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – to reclaim the remains and honour the soldiers.

Of the 12 Canadian soldiers known to be part of the study, ten died of their injuries and are buried in Mont Huon Military Cemetery in Le Tréport, France.

Two of the soldiers survived the war and are buried elsewhere.

The soldiers are:

• Sgt. Martin James Murphy (Jan. 2, 1885 - Sept. 18, 1918) – enlisted Edmonton, Alta., 4th Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps
• Pte. Charles Arthur Boyce (Aug. 7, 1874 - Dec. 6, 1917) – enlisted Edmonton, Alta., 10th Battalion, CEF
• Pte. Edward Lea (March 29,1883 - Aug. 29, 1917) – enlisted Vancouver, B.C., 7th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
• Pte. Charles Lorne Parkin (Nov. 24, 1896 - Sept. 9, 1918) – enlisted Caledonia, Haldimand County, Ont., 1st Battalion, CEF
• Pte. Somerville MacPherson (Nov. 10, 1886 - Aug. 17, 1918) – enlisted Vernon, B.C., 47th Battalion, CEF
• Pte. Fred James Williams (Dec. 6, 1874 - Oct. 3, 1918) – enlisted Windsor, Ont., 18th Battalion, CEF
• Pte. John Kincaid (Dec. 11, 1898 – Oct. 1, 1918) – enlisted Toronto, Ont., 58th Battalion, CEF
• Cpl. Frank Jancey (July 25, 1896 - Aug. 22, 1918) – enlisted Fort Frances, Ont., 4th Battalion, CEF
• Cpl. John Kincaid (June 27, 1890 - died Sept. 11, 1918) – enlisted Kingston, Ont., 58th Battalion, Canadian Field Artillery
• Sgt. Thomas William Jones (June 11, 1875 - Oct. 15, 1918) – enlisted Kingston, Ont., 9th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery

Survivors:

• Pte. Kenneth Dougal Crawford, 192nd Battalion, CEF
• Pte. Norman McNeill, 189th Battalion, CEF

The partial remains of the soldiers will be interred in the graves of the soldiers from whom the specimens are taken.

Families seeking more information are asked to contact the Directorate of History and Heritage at this link and choose “Casualty Identification” as the subject.

The CAF says standards and expectations around informed consent, commemoration, and the appropriate burial of those who died in service have evolved significantly in the 100 years since the First World War.

“Today, our priority is to always honour those who serve Canada, and to treat those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with dignity and respect,” it said in a news release.