Partial human remains belonging to 12 Canadian soldiers from the First World War have been returned by a medical museum in Philadelphia and will be laid to rest with the soldiers’ graves.
National War Memorial
The remains were originally collected during the war by American medical staff at Pennsylvania Base Hospital No. 10 in Le Tréport, France. At the time, gathering medical specimens for study was considered an accepted practice. More than 100 samples were taken and later transferred in 1919 to the Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library in Philadelphia for research.
The museum has now begun dismantling that historical collection. As part of the process, the partial remains are being returned to the countries connected to the individuals.
The effort involves several nations and is being coordinated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with support from the Canadian Armed Forces and partners in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Twelve Canadians were identified among the specimens. Ten of those soldiers died from their injuries during the war and are buried at Mont Huon Military Cemetery in Le Tréport, France. The other two soldiers survived the conflict and are buried elsewhere.
The Canadian soldiers include Private Edward Lea of Vancouver, Private Charles Lorne Parkin of Caledonia, Ontario, and Private Somerville MacPherson of Vernon, British Columbia. Others identified are Private Charles Arthur Boyce of Edmonton, Private Fred James Williams of Windsor, Private John Kincaid of Toronto, Corporal Frank Jancey of Fort Frances, and Corporal John Kincaid of Kingston.
Also named are Sergeant Thomas William Jones of Kingston and Sergeant Martin James Murphy of Edmonton.
Two soldiers connected to the collection survived the war: Private Kenneth Dougal Crawford of the 192nd Battalion and Private Norman McNeill of the 189th Battalion.
According to the news release, the returned remains will be interred with the individual soldiers to ensure they are appropriately honoured.