A rededication ceremony for PPCLI’s LCpl Morgan Jones Jenkins, 475898, took place Sept. 28 at CWGC Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery in Haucourt, France. 1RCHA Padre Capt Euikyun Chang officiated the grave site ceremony, with 2PPCLI Padre Capt Sean Smallwood deployed to Lativa on Op REASSURANCE. CWGC photos

Jules Xavier
Shilo Stag

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) confirmed the identification of a previously unknown grave as being that of LCpl Morgan Jones Jenkins, a Canadian soldier of the Great War who was buried as an unknown soldier at the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, in Haucourt, France.
“The identification of LCpl Jenkins offers an opportunity for all Canadians to remember those who served during the First World War, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Canada,” sad Minister of Defence Anita Anand. “To the family of LCpl Jenkins — please know I and Canadians across our country will always remember the ultimate sacrifice of LCpl Jenkins. Lest we forget.”
In May 2019, the Directorate of History and Heritage received a report from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) detailing a potential identification of Grave 12, Row A, Plot 5 in the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery after independent researchers had raised the possibility this was where LCpl Jenkins was buried.
Following extensive archival research by the CWGC and the Directorate of History and Heritage, the identification was confirmed in November 2019 by the Casualty Identification Review Board, which includes representatives from the Canadian Forces Forensic Odontology Response Team and the Canadian Museum of History.
LCpl Jenkins was born in Wales in 1886 to a minister and his wife who would lose two other sons in the First World War.
After immigrating to Canada, he studied at the Manitoba Agricultural College before enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Saskatoon, and joining the 3rd University Company, based out of McGill University.
The company sailed for England on Sept. 4, 1915. Overseas, he was transferred to Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). Wounded and promoted, he was assigned to the Canadian Corps’ intelligence service for 18 months.
Having rejoined PPCLI, the 32-year-old was declared Killed In Action (KIA) on Aug. 28, 1918, during the Second Battle of Arras, following a difficult advance on Jigsaw Wood, a position used by the enemy to defend the Fresnes-Rouvroy Line in France.
The CAF notified the family of LCpl Jenkins’ identification and provided them with ongoing support. 2PPCLI CO LCol Jesse Van Eijk was part of that identification team which met with the PPCLI soldiers’ next of kin on Aug. 28, 2021 in Regina, Sask.
A headstone rededication ceremony took place Sept. 28 at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery in Haurcourt, France. 2PPCLI’s Reconnaissance Pl Comd Capt Ken Clayton led the party which was part of the graveside ceremony, while 1RCHA Padre Capt Euikyun Chang officiated at the grave site, standing in for 2PPCLI Padre Capt Sean Smallwood, who is deployed to Latvia on Op REASSURANCE.
The Canadian Armed Forces Casualty Identification Program (CAFCIP), within the Directorate of History and Heritage, identifies unknown Canadian service members when their remains are recovered.
The program also identifies service members previously buried as unknown soldiers when there is sufficient evidence to confirm the identification.
“While unmarked graves are an unfortunate reality of the brutal fighting on the Western Front, those graves contain the remains of real people that gave their lives in service of their country,” said Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Lawrence MacAulay. “The identification of LCpl Jenkins is an important reminder of that, and I’m glad he will now receive the recognition that his service to Canada deserved.”
Quick Facts
• LCpl Morgan Jones Jenkins was born on May 14, 1886, in Pontypridd, Wales. He was the son of the Rev John Jenkins and Elizabeth Florence Jenkins (née Capenhurst), who lost two other sons during the First World War: Sgt David Jones Capenhurst Jenkins, who served with the 5th Battalion, CEF and 2Lt Richard Jenkins, who served with a British unit, the Manchester Regiment.
• LCpl Jenkins was previously commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, erected in memory of Canadian soldiers killed in France during the First World War who have no known grave.
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates the 1.7-million Commonwealth servicemen and women who died during the two world wars. Using an extensive archive, the Commission works with their partners to recover, investigate, and identify those with no known grave to give them the dignity of burial and the commemoration they deserve.