Memory of long-lost WW I soldier honoured by his family and hometown

Something unusual took place at St. Stephen's Remembrance Day Ceremony. A specific soldier was singled out and honoured, while the relatives who never knew him looked on. 

Sgt. Harold Wilfred Shaughnessy grew up in St. Stephen and was killed at the Battle of Hill 70, a year after departing for the Great War. After nearly a century, his remains were discovered last year during a munitions-clearing operation near Vendin-le-Vieil, France. This August, Shaughnessy was given a full military burial in the Loos British Cemetery in France.

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This year, members of Shaughnessy's family travelled from afar, to lay a wreath at the St. Stephen cenotaph.

Anne Mucinskas said she had a tear in her eye when she paid her respects to her long-lost cousin. "He was such a valiant man," she said. 

Mucinskas, from Foxborough, Massachusettes, said she was able to learn a lot about him from the letters Shaughnessy wrote during the war.

While marking the event was a sombre affair, Mucinskas said it brought together members of her family who didn't know one another.

"It really is like a family reunion and I feel honoured that I get to meet these people," she said.   

That includes 88-year-old Sister Mary Rosalie Smith who drove four days from Petoskey, Michigan to be there.

"Harold was my mother's first cousin," said Smith, who was thrilled to be included in the moment. "I'm very, very glad to be here," she said.

Smith said the effort to honour Shaughnessy's sacrifice during the war was 'marvellous.'

"I'm pleased and thankful and just thrilled, really it's just something you don't think you're ever going to live through," she said.

Mucinskas said she was invited to the ceremony by Darren McCabe— a local historian and member of the St. Stephen Legion. He helped determine Shaughnessy's connection to the town said it meant a lot to see them honour him. 

"Bringing 100 years forward of a relative of theirs that died overseas in a very important battle for Canada, is such a privilege and an honour," said McCabe. He now thinks that Shaughnessy's story has been brought full circle.

Wayne Spires, the president of the St. Croix Branch 9 Royal Canadian Legion, said it is uncommon to single out a specific soldier during a Remembrance Day ceremony. But with Shaughnessy's family there, he said an exception was made. 

"This was an enhancement of our service today," said Spires who said care was made to not overshadow anyone else. Spires said the efforts of the Canadian government to ensure Shaughnessy was properly buried offered closure for his family.

McCabe said the best way to continue to honour Shaughnessy, like the rest of Canada's war dead, is to keep remembering the sacrifices they made.