A construction project in France in 2020 uncovered human remains now confirmed as those of Albert Henry Detmold, a First World War soldier from Manitoba.
Pte. Detmold was 33 when he was killed in action on Aug. 15, 1917, on the first day of the Battle of Hill 70 near Loos-en-Gohelle, France.
His identity was confirmed through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological and DNA analysis, said a news release on Tuesday from the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Detmold was born in 1884 in Hamburg, Germany, to a prominent British family. His maternal uncle, Rufus Isaacs, was the first Jewish chief justice of England.
Detmold was the third of four children born to Frederick William and Nellie Rita (née Isaacs) Detmold.
Though he was born into a Jewish family, Detmold listed his religious denomination as Presbyterian on his attestation paper when he and his older brother Julius Frederick (known as Fred) immigrated to Canada from London, England, in 1902.
Detmold settled in Manitoba on a homestead near Roblin, Man.
In February 1916, Detmold enlisted in Winnipeg and joined the 107th Overseas Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, also known as the 107th (Timber Wolf) Battalion or the 107th (Winnipeg) Battalion.
His two brothers also served — Fred with the Australian Imperial Force and Godfrey William with the Royal Flying Corps (Britain). His brothers both survived the war.
After initial training in Canada, the 107th Battalion was converted to a pioneer battalion upon arrival in Britain.
Pioneers are trained infantry soldiers who perform basic combat engineering tasks, often under dangerous battlefield conditions.
Detmold went to France with the 107th Battalion in late February 1917, where they began preparing for the attack on Vimy Ridge. Among their tasks were burying communications cables, maintaining light railways and clearing roads.
At 4:25 a.m. on Aug. 15, 1917, the Battle of Hill 70 began. Not far behind the attacking infantry, pioneers from the 107th Battalion worked to extend communication trenches across no man’s land from the old front line to the newly captured German positions.
The unit diary records that this work was “carried on under heavy hostile shellfire,” the federal government’s new release said on Tuesday.
Hill 70 was a major victory by the Canadian Corps, led by Lt-.Gen. Arthur Currie.
It was the first time all four Canadian divisions fought together under Canadian command. Until then, Canadians fought as part of a larger British effort.
Around 100,000 Canadian soldiers fought at Hill 70, so named because it was 70 metres above sea level. It was strategic because it diverted German resources away from the Ypres Salient — known as the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele — helping Allied efforts.
But it was also very costly. There were more than 9,000 Canadian casualties (killed, missing and wounded) from Aug. 15-25, as they held off 21 German counterattacks.
The battle also took the lives of as many as 25,000 German soldiers.
Members of the 107th Battalion searched the battlefield for dead and wounded Canadian soldiers despite suffering casualties from mustard gas.
Detmold, however, remained missing. To this day, 1,300 of the dead have yet to be found.
With no known grave, Detmold’s name was inscribed on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. He left behind a fiancée in London, England.
In August 2020, human remains were found during a construction project in Loos-en-Gohelle, France.
Through analysis, and with the assistance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the Casualty Identification Review Board identified the remains as those of Detmold in December 2025.
Detmold will finally get his burial in July 2026.
His remains will be placed in the Loos British Cemetery, which is overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
He will be placed by his unit, in the presence of family, at the earliest possible opportunity, the news release says.
Detmold is also commemorated on a memorial in Roblin, Man., and by Alleyn’s School in London, England, where he attended from 1895-98.
