After eleven-and-a-half years, a Canadian First World War soldier has been “found.”
In 2012, human remains were found in Vendin-le-Vieil, France. It has been confirmed that these remains are those of Lieutenant Francis Henry Hemsley.
Dr. Sarah Lockyer, forensic anthropologist with the Department of Nation Defence, yesterday posted on X, “It feels great to know that we were finally able to identify his remains found in 2012! I was the one to call his grandson to tell him that his DNA donation had yielded very positing DNA results. That day and today were great days.”
Francis (Frank) Henry Hemsley was born August 5, 1880 in Ealing, Middlesex, England. His parents were Alexander and Ellen Hemsley (née Streeten). Francis was one of seven children. In 1906, he married Adina Cresswell Hebden and the two had three children, Doreen, Hugh, and Colwyn.
Francis immigrated to Canada in 1911, sailing from Bristol on March 8, 1911. He was joined in Canada by Adina, Doreen, and Hugh in March 1912. Colwyn was born in 1916, shortly before Adina and the children returned to England.
Before enlisting, Francis was working as a farmer near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He had previously served as a trooper with the 35th Squadron, 11th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry from 1900 to 1901 during the South African War (1899-1902). He was also a member of the 52nd Prince Albert Volunteers militia regiment, receiving his militia Commission as a lieutenant in December 1915.
Lieutenant Hemsley and the 16th Battalion fought in the Battle of Hill 70, which began on August 15, 1917. The 16th began its assault at 4:25 and captured their objectives, the “Blue Line” and the “Green Line,” on schedule and with limited casualties. Unfortunately, the next day, the battalion suffered substantial losses due to a German artillery barrage on the Canadian Corps’ new defensive positions. The 16th Battalion was relieved from their frontline positions by other Canadian troops early on the morning of August 17.
From August 15 to 17, 1917, the 16th Battalion suffered 41 casualties with no known graves in connection with the assault on Hill 70. Lieutenant Hemsley was reported killed in action on August 16, 1917 at the age of 37. He was buried in an isolated grave, but the grave was later lost.
After the war, Lieutenant Hemsley’s name was engraved on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
On August 29, 2012, skeletal human remains were discovered by a bomb disposal unit clearing ordnance from a construction site in Vendin-le-Vieil, France. Alongside the remains were a few artifacts including fragments of a helmet, gas mask, and webbing. Several buttons clearly marked with “16th Battalion, Canadian Scottish Regiment” were also found.
Through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological, and DNA analysis, and with the assistance of the Canadian Museum of History, the Casualty Identification Review Board was able to confirm the identity of the remains as those of Lieutenant Francis Henry Hemsley in February 2024.
Lieutenant Hemsley will be buried in early July 2024 in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France by members of The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) from Victoria, British Columbia.
