The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have confirmed the identification of remains recovered north of Lens, France, as being those of Sergeant Richard Musgrave, a Canadian soldier of the First World War. The identity was confirmed through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological and DNA analysis.
Sgt. Musgrave was born in Blackrigg, Scotland in 1884. His only listed parent was Rebecca Musgrave.
He worked as a teamster in Calgary before enlisting at the age of 30 with the 56th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on April 30, 1915.
August 15, 1917. Photo: Musgrave family.
After sailing from Montreal and training in England, Private Musgrave travelled to France in February 1916, now as a member of the 7th Infantry Battalion (British Columbia), CEF. He achieved the rank of sergeant in March 1917, was wounded in April but remained on duty, and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in July of that year.
After being wounded, he was granted leave for a few days and during that time he visited Scotland.
On August 15, 1917, Sgt. Musgrave fought with the 7th Battalion during the first day of the Battle of Hill 70 near Lens, France. He was reported missing that day and was presumed to have died as part of the battle. He was 32 years old.
The Battle of Hill 70 continued until August 25, 1917, with a heavy toll of more than 10,000 Canadians killed, wounded, or missing. More than 140 men of the 7th Battalion were killed, 118 of them missing and never found.
In an article about his death, the Calgary Herald reported Sgt. Musgrave “was a well-known Calgary man … (who) was popularly known to a large circle of friends here as ‘Dick’ Musgrave.” He lived at 1021 Fifth Avenue West.
On July 11, 2017, skeletal human remains were recovered during a munitions clearing process.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission staff recovered the remains and several artifacts, including a Military Medal ribbon and a whistle.
The Canadian Armed Forces has notified the family of Sgt. Musgrave’s identification and is providing them with ongoing support. He will be buried at the earliest opportunity in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France.
Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, said, “More than 100 years have passed since Sgt. Musgrave was killed during the Battle of Hill 70 and, still, we make it our duty to remember and honour him and his comrades. Though his name is chiseled into the white stone of the Vimy Memorial, identifying his remains gives his family and his country the opportunity to contemplate his courage and sacrifice in service to Canada.”
The Canadian Armed Forces Casualty Identification Program, within the Directorate of History and Heritage, identifies unknown Canadian service members when their remains are recovered. The program also identifies service members previously buried as unknown soldiers when there is sufficient evidence to confirm the identification.
