Bones of Manitoba First World War soldier killed in France identified
WINNIPEG — A lost First World War soldier whose remains were discovered nearly six years ago outside a French village has been identified as a young private from Manitoba.
Pte. Reginald Joseph Winfield Johnston of Fairford, Man., was identified through a review of historical facts, forensic evidence and DNA testing.
His remains were found alongside First World War artifacts in August 2011 during a munitions clearing process ahead of construction near Vendin-le-Vieil, France.
The Department of National Defence says Johnston was a homesteader who enlisted in Winnipeg at age 20 in January 1916.