The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have confirmed the identification of remains recovered during a munitions clearing process in Vendin-le-Vieil, France in 2017, as being those of Private Harry Atherton, a Canadian soldier of the First World War.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission staff recovered the remains and several artifacts, including an identification disc and insignias of the 10th Battalion.
The identity was confirmed through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological, and DNA analysis.
Harry Atherton was born in Leigh, Lancashire, England, in 1893, the son of James Henry Atherton and Sarah Atherton (née Bradbury), and grew up in Tyldesley, England. He moved to Canada in 1913 by himself. He settled in McBride, British Columbia, and worked as a carpenter before enlisting in March 1916.
Atherton joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the 63rd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Edmonton) at the age of 23. The following month, Private Atherton left the port of Saint John, New Brunswick, bound for England. After training, he arrived in France in July 1916, as a member of the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion, and fought in several battles before being wounded and sent back to England to recover. He returned to the front in March 1917.
On August 15, 1917, Private Atherton fought with the 10th Battalion during the first day of the Battle of Hill 70 near Lens, France. He was reported as wounded that day, but later reports stated that he had been killed in action. He was 24 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. The 10th Battalion suffered 429 casualties, 71 with no known grave.
with the remains of Private Atherton.
The CAF has notified the family of Private Atherton’s identification and is providing them with ongoing support.
Private Atherton will be buried at the earliest opportunity in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France.
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.
Private Atherton is commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, erected in memory of Canadian soldiers killed in France during the First World War who have no known grave.
His service file can be found in Library and Archives Canada’s online collection of Personnel Records of the First World War.
