Stag Special

The burials of three Canadian soldiers of the First World War — Pte Harry Atherton, Cpl Percy Howarth, and Sgt Richard Musgrave — will take place June 8 at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery outside Loos-en-Gohelle, France.
All three soldiers were reported missing on Aug. 15, 1917, on the first day of the Battle of Hill 70 near Lens, France, and each was presumed to have died as part of the summer battle.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will conduct the burials at 2 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST) with the families of the soldiers in attendance, with the support of Veterans Affairs Canada. Representatives of the Government of Canada and the local French Government will be in attendance.
Pte Harry Atherton will be buried by his perpetuating unit, The Calgary Highlanders. He died age 24. His remains were discovered in July 2017 and his identification was announced by the Department of National Defence (DND) in October 2022.
Cpl Percy Howarth will be buried by his perpetuating unit, The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own). He died age 23. His remains were discovered in June 2011 and his identification was announced by DND in January 2023.
Sgt Richard Musgrave will be buried by his perpetuating unit, The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own). He died age 32. His remains were discovered in July 2017 and his identification was announced by DND in March 2022.

Some of the artifacts found with the remains of the three Great War soldiers helped with their identifications, besides the use of DNA. Pte Harry Atherton’s ID disc was found with his body, while Cpl Percy Howarth’s watch and whistle were among his remains. Sgt Richard Musgrave’s Military Medal ribbon was found with his skeletal human remains discovered during a munitions clearing process on July 11, 1917 north of Lens, France. The Musgrave family provided Great War photos of their relative