First Newfoundland Regiment Soldier Identified through Descendant’s DNA

The Rooms have announced that through collaboration with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces’ Casualty Identification Program, they have successfully identified of the remains of Private John Lambert, of The Newfoundland Regiment (now the Royal Newfoundland Regiment).

Private Lambert died in combat on August 16, 1917, during the First World War at the age of 17 from wounds sustained in action at the “Battle of Langemarck”, in Belgium.

In April 2016, four sets of human remains were discovered during an archaeological dig near Ypres, Belgium. Military identifiers discovered with the remains indicated that three of the soldiers were British and one, by the “NFLD” shoulder badge was a soldier of the Newfoundland Regiment.

Belgian authorities contacted the Canadian Armed Forces’ Casualty Identification Program upon the discovery of the soldier. The Casualty Identification Program reached out to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment for assistance finding the soldier’s descendants, and the Regiment, in turn, reached out to The Rooms for their assistance with the search.

DNA samples from the soldier’s descendants made it possible to confirm the soldier’s identity, Private John Lambert of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. This is the first time a Newfoundland Regiment soldier has been identified by using this process.