Nearly 110 years after his death, a Canadian First World War soldier with roots in Cape Breton has been positively identified by researchers.
In December 2025, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that the previously unidentified grave at Courcelette British Cemetery in Northern France is that of Sergeant Norman Harold McLennan.
“It’s always a really special moment when we’re able to make this kind of announcement,” says Alexandra McKinnon, a historian with the Casualty Identification Program at DND. “For the vast majority of those who are missing from these conflicts, we’re not going to be able to make this sort of identification.”
McKinnon says the grave was first marked as an unknown soldier, specifically as a Sergeant of the Royal Canadian Regiment, making it a partially identified grave.
“When this case was brought forward to us, part of our work is determining not only that this grave could be that of Sergeant McLennan, but that there’s no one else who could be buried there.”
She says his early life was hard to put together. In a book called Cape North and Vicinity, he is described as one of six children born to John and Elizabeth MacLennan. His father grew up on a homestead in Big Intervale, Cape North.
Despite his Cape Breton connections, there are no known living relatives of McLennan’s living on the island.
There are, however, living relatives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kent Rogers, 77, is McLennan’s distant cousin.
He says he was first told about his long-lost relative by McKinnon.
“It has been an interesting journey since then to go through all of the information that was available and kind of piece this together,” says Rogers.
He says he did not know about him, but was aware of his family’s connection to Cape Breton.
“I have an older sister and we were both surprised. Neither of us had heard anything from our grandmother or our great grandparents regarding this, but we’ve been able to document the fact that they were listed as next of kin for Sergeant McLennan.”
On 13 April 1905, McLennan enlisted with The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) in Quebec. He stated his age as 18 years and eight months, making his birthday approximately August 1886, but in the 1911 Census, he gave his birthday as 24 June 1887.
This suggests that he may have enlisted underage.
McLennan was transferred to a regimental depot in Halifax later in 1905. In January 1908, he joined the staff of the military prison on Melville Island. He returned to regimental duty in 1910.
At the start of the First World War, the regiment was the first Canadian unit to serve outside Canada during the conflict.
The unit sailed for Bermuda in September 1914, where they were involved in garrison duty, freeing up British troops to serve on the front.
On the nominal roll for that duty is “Norman Henry McLennan”.
His next-of-kin at that point is listed as Lottie McLennan from Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is believed that her husband, Charles McLennan, may have been a cousin to Private McLennan’s father.
In August 1915, he returned to Halifax, where he enlisted for the duration of the war. His original attestation document has been lost, but his service file lists Helen McLennan as his next-of-kin. She is Lottie and Charles’ daughter.
On August 25 that year, he was promoted to Sergeant. The next day, he sailed from Halifax on the S.S. Caledonian.
After training in England, he arrived in France in November 1915. He served across the Western Front for nearly a year with the RCR.
At the Battle of Ancre Heights, on 8 October 1916, The RCR joined seven other Canadian battalions during the broader Somme Offensive. Their task was to capture the Regina Trench, an important German defensive position.
Early on a dark, rainy morning, Canadian units advanced under the cover of an artillery barrage.
The Canadian soldiers captured the trench but were bombarded by enemy heavy machine-gun and artillery fire.
After three German counterattacks surviving members of the RCR were forced to withdraw, making their way back to their lines by moving from shell hole to shell home across the battlefield.
The Canadian soldiers suffered hundreds of casualties during the attack.
McLennan was reported missing that same day. Later that month, his next-of-kin was informed that he was reported wounded during the Battle of Ancre Heights.
In January 1917, it was updated to wounded and missing. On 25 September 1918, he was officially presumed to have died on 8 October 1916.
His name was inscribed on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and a war memorial in Cape North.
At his gravesite in Northern France, a headstone rededication ceremony will take place.
Rogers says the ceremony is on Oct. 8 this year, 110 years after McLennan’s death. He and his wife plan to attend.
“We are starting to make the plans now and we are pretty excited about it,” says Rogers.
Alexandra McKinnon says that now that McLennan’s grave has been identified, he can be remembered not just as a soldier, but as an individual.
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