Victoria man's search for family history helps identify remains of WW1 soldier

The remains of a fallen World War Isoldier found in France have been identified as those of an 18-year-old from Vancouver Island, with the help of an island resident who was trying to fill in the blanks on his family tree.

Pte. George Alfred Newburndied in the Battle of Hill 70on Aug. 15, 1917. His remains were foundnear rue Lon Droux in the village ofVendin-le-Vieilin July 2017 100 years less a month after the battle.

• Walking a mile in their combat shoes

The Canadian Department of National Defence said Newburn's remains were positively identified in February.

But Ian Athertonhelped connect the dots further.

The Victoria resident did not know much about his own lineage because his mother had been raised in an orphanage and had not disclosed their family history. So he began to do a little online researchbefore he and his wife went to visit their daughter at school in Britain and took a family trip to Vimy Ridge in France. That's when he came across some material about Newburn.

The information Atherton found said Newburn was identified on the Vimy Ridge monument as missing in action. Then the Athertons saw it for themselves.

"To see his name on that huge monument took your breath away," said Maureen.

A year after their return from holiday, a research officer from Veteran's Affairs got in touch with the Athertons after noticing someone from the family had been searching government records onNewburn. The officerasked Ian to take a DNA test.

The test did not connect Ian and Newburn, and Ian thought that was the end of it until six weeks later when Veteran's Affairs contacted him to say they had tried a different technique and it proved Newburn was his uncle.

A statement released at the end of May said Newburn was a member of the 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, having enlisted at the age of 16.

Newburn will be buriedby his regiment with full ceremonial military procedures at theCommonwealth War Graves Commission's cemetery outside Loos-en-Gohelle, France, on June 12. The service will be open to the public.

The Athertons will be attending.

"It's exciting and it'll be very emotional," said Maureen.

Today, Newburn's battalion isknown as the British Columbia Regiment, locatedin downtown Vancouver. A special guard from the drill hall will also attend the ceremony for Newburn.

Newburn was born on April 7, 1899, in London, England. The department said his family later immigrated to Esquimalt, B.C.

Around 2,100 Canadian soldiers were killed in the three-day Battle of Hill 70 in Lens, France, not far from Vimy Ridge. More than 1,300 of those soldiers have no known grave.