It is hard not to be moved by Remembrance Day services. Whether partaking in local Remembrance Services here in Mississauga, attending services elsewhere (this year I went to Georgetown), observing the powerful service at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, or taking a quiet moment for personal reflection, we can all give thanks and pay respects for those who served, and those who fell, in protection on the freedoms we enjoy today. One of the more powerful sacred symbols of remembrance is the tomb of the unknown soldier.

The concept of commemorating an unknown soldier emerged after the First World War from the large numbers of unidentified war dead. The idea was to honor these soldiers with a dedicated tomb, representing all who served and sacrificed their lives without recognition. The idea was first conceived in 1916 by the Reverend David Railton of England, who, while serving as an army chaplain on the Western Front, had seen a grave marked by a rough cross, which bore the epitaph “An Unknown British Soldier”.

He wrote to the dean of Westminster, Herbert Ryle, in 1920 proposing that an unidentified British soldier from the battlefields in France be buried with due ceremony in Westminster Abbey “amongst the kings” to represent the many hundreds of thousands of war dead. The idea was strongly supported by the Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who later wrote “The Cenotaph is the token of our mourning as a nation; the Grave of the Unknown Warrior is the token of our mourning as individuals”.

The first tombs to the unknown were dedicated simultaneously on November 11, 1920 at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France and at Westminster Abbey in London, England. In 1921 other countries followed suit, including the United States, Portugal and Italy. Canada is home to two tombs of unknown soldiers – at the National War Memorial in Ottawa (2000) and at the National War Memorial in St. John’s, Newfoundland (2024).

From the Government of Canada description, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa “contains the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who had been buried near Vimy Ridge in France — the site of a famous Canadian victory in the First World War. The Unknown Soldier represents the approximately 116,000 Canadians who gave their lives for their country, including about 28,000 soldiers whose resting place is unknown. On May 25, 2000, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission exhumed the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier during a ceremony that took place at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. The remains were flown back to Canada in a Canadian Forces aircraft and lay in state in the Parliament Buildings until the interment ceremony on May 28, 2000. Soil from each Canadian province and territory, as well as from France, was placed on the coffin.”

Being drawn into the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier had me wondering about our own fallen soldiers who lie somewhere overseas in unmarked graves. I recalled a few, but it is not something that we had explored in any detail previously. So, I spent some time going through the known records for the 96 First World War fallen soldiers from historic Mississauga that we have listed, then cross referenced them to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database, the First World War service records through Library and Archives Canada, the Circumstances of Death records, military services records through ancestry.ca and more, to see if anything had come to light in the years since we first documented Mississauga’s fallen.

We can confirm that 16 of “our boys” from the First World War lie somewhere overseas in unmarked graves. Some undoubtedly lie in military cemeteries under gravestones that read “A Soldier of the Great War” and “Known Unto God”. Those lost 16 are:

Private John Leviston of Port Credit served with the 4th Battalion CEF and was killed in action on April 23, 1915 near St. Julien. He has no known grave but is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium and on the Port Credit Cenotaph. He was the first known casualty from historic Mississauga in the First World War.

Private Alexander (Alec) Stanley Parker served with the 19th Battalion CEF and was killed in action during operations at St. Eloi on April 11, 1916. He was listed as being buried on the north side of No. 4, St. Eloi, Ypres, but his grave was subsequently lost, and his burial place is unknown today. He is remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and on the Port Credit War Memorial.

Acting Major Arthur George Scott, serving with the 4th Battalion CEF, was reported missing and presumed dead following a failed attack on enemy trenches during the Battle of Mount Sorrell on July 9, 1916. His body was not found, and he has no known grave. Sadly, his next of kin were also not located. He is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and on the Port Credit War Memorial.

Private George Arthur Pearson served with the 4th Battalion, and was killed by a mine on July 6, 1916, while deployed with the 1st Brigade Wiring Party. His body was not recovered, but he is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Ypres and on the Port Credit War Memorial.

Private William George Alexander of Port Credit served with the 18th Battalion and was killed in action at The Somme on August 15, 1916. He has no known grave but is honoured at the Vimy Memorial at Pas de Calais, France.

Private Howard Sutton Shaver of Lorne Park served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment). He was killed in action on September 15, 1916 while advancing on an objective during the attack on Courcelette. He has no known grave but is listed on the Vimy Memorial and the Port Credit Cenotaph.

Private Gordon Benham Kipp of Streetsville served with the 4th Battalion CEF. He was reported missing on October 8, 1916 following the raid on Regina Trench and presumed dead. In May of 1918 it was thought that he may have been a prisoner of war, but his whereabouts were never proven, and he has no known grave. He is remembered at the Vimy Memorial at Pas de Calais, France and on the Streetsville Cenotaph.

Private Thomas Blackman served with the 58th Battalion CEF. He was a member of the Battalion Bombing Platoon at the battle of Regina Trench. He was reported missing after the attack on Regina Trench on October 8, 1916 and was presumed dead on October 10, 1916. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial and on the Honour Roll at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Erindale.

Corporal William George Green served with the 47th Battalion CEF and was killed in action during operations at Courcelette on November 7, 1916. He has no known grave. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial and the Port Credit War Memorial.

Private Davie Anderson served with the Queen’s Own Rifles in Toronto and with the 3rd Battalion CEF. He was killed in action on May 3, 1917 and has no known grave. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial and on the Port Credit War Memorial.

Private Wilfred Arthur Winstanley Cook of Cooksville served with the 19th Battalion CEF (1st Central Ontario Regiment) until May 9, 1917, when he was declared missing and presumed to have been killed during previous engagements. His date of death in uknown, and he has no known grave. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial at Pas de Calais, France. Wilfred was the grandson of George Woodford Ross and Diadamia Paul, emancipated slaves from Virginia who settled in historic Mississauga in 1836.

Private William Kee of Streetsville served with the 180th Battalion, and the Borden Motor Machine Gun Battery, Canadian Machine Gun Corps. He was killed in action on November 10, 1917 during an attack west of Passchendaele. He is remembered at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and on the Dixie Presbyterian Church honour roll.

Lieutenant Frederick Herbert Langstone served with the 5th Battery Canadian Field Artillery and with the 88th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. He was wounded in the leg and suffered gas poisoning during the Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 and was later killed in action on April 17, 1918 at Kemmel Hill. He has no known grave. He is remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, and on the Honour Roll at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Erindale.

Private Christopher Sullivan served with the 18th Battalion CEF and was present at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April of 1917, where he sustained minor injuries. In the summer of 1918, he captured a German dugout, for which he was awarded the Military Medal. He was killed in action on August 27, 1918. His grave is unmarked, but he is remembered at the Vimy Memorial and on the Port Credit War Memorial.

Private Charles Victor Harris of Cooksville served with “C” Company, 58th Battalion CEF. He was reported missing in action on October 1, 1918 and was later declared dead. His final resting place is unknown. He is remembered on the Vimy Memorial at Pas de Calais, France.

Second Lieutenant Robert Ellerton Thompson served with the 80th Squadron of the Royal Air Force. He was believed to have been captured following a plane crash but was later declared as killed in action on October 1, 1918. He has no known grave and is remembered at the Arras Flying Services Memorial in the Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery in Pas De Calais, France, and the wood pulpit at St. Peter’s Church was dedicated by his father, Reverend H.V. Thompson, in his memory.

Lest we forget.

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