Solving century-old mysteries all in a day's work for Moncton native

For Moncton native Sarah Lockyer, solving a century-old mystery is all in a day's work.

Lockyer, a forensic anthropologist and the Casualty Identification Co-ordinator at the Department of National Defence in Ottawa, helped identify the remains of a New Brunswick soldier who was killed in battle in northern France during the First World War.

Pte. John (Jack) Henry Thomas, a 28-year-old farmer from Birch Ridge in Victoria County, will be laid to rest this summer in the presence of relatives and members of his 26th Canadian Infantry Battalion (New Brunswick).

"If it is a positive outcome like it was in this case, it's very rewarding," said Lockyer. "You can't help but smile and know you've done something very right that day."

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But her work is far from over, she said, noting there are approximately 20,000 other Canadian First World War soldiers with no known graves.

She said her work is important, not only to identify soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country — but also to reassure current members of the armed forces that if anything ever happened to them "there would be somebody down the line doing everything that they possibly could to try and identify them and give them proper burial."

Thomas was killed on Aug. 19, 1917, during the Battle of Hill 70 — one day shy of his one-year anniversary of enlisting in Saint John. His body was never recovered.

On Monday, the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces announced one of three sets of skeletal remains found at a construction site in Lens, France, in August 2016 had been confirmed as those of Thomas.

The other two have not yet been identified, said Lockyer.

When remains are found, the police are called in first to ensure the death is not suspicious, she said. They're usually able to quickly determine they're dealing with war dead, due to the types of artifacts found with them, she said.

In this case, the artifacts included general service buttons, ammunition, and a 26th Canadian Infantry Battalion (New Brunswick) collar badge.

Once foul play has been ruled out, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission takes possession of the remains. When the commission determined the nationality, it contacted the Department of National Defence.

Lockyer's military colleagues then compiled the military history of the area where the remains were discovered to determine who might have been there.

Thomas' collar badge was an important clue regarding who in the group of missing soldiers it could be, she said.

It sort of ensures that Pte. Thomas's story continues to be told and he continues to live on in his family's memories.- Sarah Lockyer, forensic anthropologist

Twice a year, Lockyer travels to France to conduct anthropological analysis on any remains found. She gets an age range and a height range to compare to the list of potential candidates of soldiers who went missing in the area, which helps eliminate those who don't match the parameters.

"Then we start doing geneaology to hopefully find a DNA donor and that's what happened with Pte. Thomas."

She tracked down one of his relatives who was willing to provide a DNA sample and it was a match.

The reactions of relatives varies, said Lockyer. But usually it's "a happy experience much more than a sad one because their family member is no longer missing."

Thomas' unnamed relative immediately knew who Lockyer was talking about and was "quite excited to be part of the process and to help out."

The experience also allowed her to connect with family members she never knew existed, she said.

​"When this is the outcome it's even more rewarding because it sort of ensures that Pte. Thomas's story continues to be told and he continues to live on in his family's memories."

The DNA donor, two next of kin and some other relatives are planning to attend the burial Aug. 23 at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Loos British Cemetery outside Loos-en-Gohelle, France, said Lockyer.

The 26th Canadian Infantry Battalion (New Brunswick) will also send a bearer party "so that they can bury one of their own," she said.

The service, scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m. Central European Time, will be open to the public.