Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Memorial – His name as it is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial (2010). Over 11,000 fallen Canadians having no known place of burial in France, are honoured on this Memorial. He was discovered and exhumed at a later date and now rests in a marked grave.May they never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)

Attestation Papers

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Photo of David Carlson – David lived on a farm in Alberta, with his parents, two brothers and three sisters. He was one of twins and his brother, Frank, also enlisted. He survived the war. Two days after his 18th birthday, on July 12th 1915, he enrolled in the army. How could he possibly have thought he had only 14 months left to live after that memorable day? After training, he joined the 8th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, also known as the Manitoba Regiment. He landed in France in June 1916, where preparations for the Battle of the Somme were well underway. In early September, his division took over a section of the front line near the village of Courcelette. They ran into heavy fighting and lost 2,600 men before the major offensive even started. Among these were David, left lying where he fell, pounded by artillery from both sides. He was one of the thousands whose body was never recovered. He was only 19. Because David's body was not recovered, he was commemorated by name on the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy along with 11,000 other Canadians whose graves were not known. In the years following the war, David's sister Lydia went to France twice in a hopeless search for his remains. According to his great-niece, Darlene Petersen, "It was very important to her, yes. It really bothered her. She wanted to know what had happened to her brother." Lydia died in the early 1980s without ever finding out. Photo and text courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Funeral Procession – In January 2000, an English family, on holiday in France, were walking across a ploughed field when they noticed a handful of old bullets, scraps of soldiers' webbing and a couple of uniform buttons showing through the mud. They notified the French police, who called the CWGC. They discovered the remains of David Carlson, including his metal identity tag. Photo and text courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Family paying respects – Amazingly, the Royal Canadian Legion managed to find some of David's relations living in Edmonton. Two of his great-nieces were flown over to attend the funeral at Pozières British Cemetery, where, 84 years on, David was re-united with the friends who died with him. At the same time, the recently found remains of an unknown Australian soldier were buried in the grave next to David. Photo and text courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Last Rites – Speaking of David's funeral, General Maurice Baril, Canada's Chief of Defence Staff, said `This will remind all Canadian men and women in uniform that when you give your life for your country, you'll be taken care of no matter where you are, and whether it's last year or 80 years ago.' David's family are relieved that his remains have been found because it gives them a sense of completion. Photo and text courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Pozieres British Cemetery