In the Cagnicourt British Cemetery in France, a new commemorative marker indicates the grave where Newfoundland and Labrador’s unknown soldier rested for more than 100 years before making his journey home on May 25.

The new commemorative marker inscription reads:

An unknown Newfoundland soldier of the First World War. The remains were removed on 13 May 2024 and now lie interred at the Newfoundland National War Memorial, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Un soldat de Terre-Neuve inconnu mort au cours de la Première Guerre Mondiale. Il a été exhumé le 13 Mai 2024. Il repose maintenant au Monument Commémoratif National de Guerre de Terre-Neuve à St. John’s, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador.

Located in the town of Cagnicourt in northern France, the Cagnicourt British Cemetery is the resting place of nearly 300 lost souls, 103 of whom were identified war casualties from the First and Second World Wars.

On Memorial Day, July 1, the unknown soldier was reinterred at the National War Memorial in downtown St. John’s. A full military funeral was held and thousands of people gathered on Water and Duckworth Streets to pay their respects.

“The new headstone in Cagnicourt is the final chapter of this story and shares the journey of this individual’s tragic loss and his extraordinary return to his homeland,” says Premier Andrew Furey.