Canadian Private Albert Henry Detmold Laid to Rest at Loos British Cemetery, 109 Years After Hill 70

On July 9, 2026, Private Albert (Bert) Henry Detmold of the 107th (Timber Wolf) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, was buried with full military honours at the CWGC Loos British Cemetery in Loos-en-Gohelle, France. Detmold was killed in action on August 15, 1917, at age 33, on the first day of the Battle of Hill 70 — Canada's first major operation planned and commanded independently by Canadian officers. Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1884, Detmold emigrated to Canada in 1902 and homesteaded near Roblin, Manitoba, before enlisting in Winnipeg in February 1916. His remains were uncovered during a construction project in Loos-en-Gohelle in August 2020; Canada's Casualty Identification Review Board confirmed his identity in December 2025 through historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological and DNA analysis, and the Department of National Defence publicly announced the identification in March 2026. The 2 p.m. CEST ceremony, held near the Hill 70 Memorial, involved the North Saskatchewan Regiment, Veterans Affairs Canada, Detmold's family, and representatives of the Canadian and French governments. Subsequent research reported in late July 2026 established that Detmold was of Jewish heritage through birth registration and genealogical records, though his military attestation papers had listed his religion as Presbyterian — a discrepancy historians attribute to antisemitism documented among WWI-era Canadian recruits. In recognition, the graveside service also included a full Jewish rite led by Rabbi Noteh Glogauer, Senior Jewish Chaplain of the Canadian Armed Forces, featuring the Kaddish recited by an assembled minyan and the Kel Malei Rachamim memorial prayer.