Jewish Canadian Soldier From WWI Finally Buried in Jewish Military Funeral After 109 Years
Nearly 109 years after dying in World War I, Private Albert Henry Detmold, a Jewish Canadian soldier long listed as missing, was reburied in a Jewish military ceremony at a British war cemetery in France. The ceremony took place on July 9, 2026, marking the anniversary of his birth and honoring him with full military rites. Canadian soldiers stood guard in tribute to one of their fallen, while Rabbi Nota Glugower, Chief Rabbi of the Canadian Armed Forces, called the event a historic and solemn return of a Jewish soldier to his people.
Detmold had been commemorated on the Vimy Memorial alongside other Canadian soldiers whose burial sites were unknown. His remains were discovered in August 2020 during a construction project in Loos-en-Gohelle, France, near the site of the Battle of Hill 70, where he was killed on August 15, 1917, at age 33. This battle was fought between Canadian and German forces along the Western Front near Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.
Through extensive historical, genealogical, anthropological, archaeological, and DNA research supported by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Canadian Museum of History, and Canadian military legal teams, Detmold’s identity was confirmed in December 2025. Further research revealed he was born into a Jewish family in Hamburg, Germany, though his military enlistment papers did not list his religion, reflecting the antisemitism many Jewish soldiers faced at the time.
Detmold was born on July 9, 1884, in Hamburg to Frederick William and Nelly Detmold. He grew up in England and emigrated to Manitoba, Canada, with his brother at age 18. He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1916, joining the 107th Battalion, which specialized in road construction, laying communication lines, and digging trenches under fire. He was killed by shellfire while expanding a communication trench during the battle.
His proper Jewish burial was made possible by the dedication of historians, archaeologists, military personnel, local citizens, and Canadian authorities committed to honoring their fallen soldiers with respect to their heritage.
