Unidentified grave of PPCLI Lance-Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins positively identified in December 2014 by the late Richard Laughton, formerly of CEFSG.
Lance Corporal M. J. Jenkins #475898, KIA on or about August 28, 1918
-Richard Laughton, 20 December 2014
I now know that he is in Vis-en-Artois Cemetery in Plot 5, Row A Grave 12. Only Jenkins and Lindsay possible candidates of the 101 Lance Corporals KIA of the PPCLI. Fortunately, I already knew Lindsay in the same cemetery – Plot 4 Row C Grave 11.
-Richard Laughton, 20 December 2014
Investigate Report Submitted to CWGC Canadian Agency
SUBMITTED TO:
CWGC Canadian Aqency
66 Slater Street
Suite 1707
Ottawa Ontario Canada K1 A 0P4
Attn: Dominique Boulais
Report Date: 22 December 2014 (updated to standard format 25 August 2015)
Reason for Submission: Casualty Identification, Confirmed Identity, Burial Location Identified
Jenkins, Morgan Jones
Vis-en-Artois Cemetery
P.P.C.L.I.
Pas de Calais, France
L.CpI. #475898
Plot 5 Row A Grave 1 2
Date of Death 28 08 1918
Burial/Exhumation 6/1/1920
Summary of Findings
The Graves Registration Report form for Plot 5 Row A Grave 12 lists an UNKNOWN L.CpI. P.P.C.L.I. killed in action 30-8-1918.
An analysis of the details of the action of the P.P.C.L.I. at that time and the deaths of Lance Corporals revealed that the only possible candidate for the remains was L. Cpl Morgan Jones Jenkins #475898. All others accounted for in the CWGC records.
Details of Findings
The findings are conclusive that the remains in Plot 5 Row A Grave 1 2 are those of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins #475898 of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (P.P.C.LJ.).
The findings are based on the following:
Circumstance of Death
The Circumstance of Death file of L CpI Jenkins states he “previously reported missing and now killed in action”. Reported missing after taking part in the attack on Jigsaw Wood, north of Boiry-Notre-Dame. Late in the afternoon of the 28th of August a comrade saw him moving forward towards the enemy despite calls from his comrades. He disappeared behind a shelter and not seen alive again. The file reports that the reported location of his grave was Sheet 51 b 123 d.6.2 (Attachment #1 ).
War Graves Register
The Canadian War Graves Register repeats the information and confirms the remains not located as of 30 November 1918 and thus his name included on the Vimy Memorial as a soldier having no known grave (Attachment #2).
War Diary
The War Diary of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry confirms that the unit was in the area in late June 1918 as part of their capture of Jigsaw Wood. The narrative of the action from August 26th to 29th referenced in the entry of August 25, 1918, as the war diary narrative written after the battle (Attachment #3). It was during this period and at this location that L. CpI. Jenkins went missing and later presumed dead.
Nicholson Map
The area where the Canadian Expeditionary Force extensively involved in the August 1918 Battle of Arras from August 26th to September 5th depicted on Nicholson Map 12 (Attachment #4). An extract if that map is also provided that shows the path of the P.P.C.L.I. on the north flank of the 42nd Battalion (two of the 7th Infantry Brigade) to take Jigsaw Wood.
Jigsaw Wood
The path of the P.P.C.L.I. shown on an extract of Sheet 28 of the trench maps used during that period of action in the 1918 Battle of Arras (Attachment #5). The unit was on the east side of Jigsaw Wood, precisely where the casualty report states L.CpI. Jenkins disappeared. Where L.CpI. Jenkins wandered off to at that time is unknown. All that reported, he was seen going behind a shelter after which he was never seen again.
Battle of Arras
No question a large number of Canadian Soldiers lost in the 1918 Battle of Arras. The CWGC database reports 3,253 killed in action of which 58 were of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Of these only three (3) were Lance Corporals (Lindsay, Shaver and Jenkins). Lindsay and Shaver recorded buried in the Vis-en-Artois Cemetery in 4.C.11 and 10.C.10, respectively. Jenkins reported named on the Vimy Memorial for the missing.
Lance Corporals
To be absolutely sure there were no other missing Lance Corporals of the P.P.C.L.I., more than 100 records of the P.P.C.L.I. Lance Corporals checked using the reference text of Hodder-Williams (Volume 2), available at the Archive.org web site. All of the men accounted for other than Lance Corporal Jenkins.
Graves Registration Report Form
The CWGC “Graves Registration Report Form” shows that sometime after the battle, the remains of Lance Corporal Jenkins recovered and buried in Plot 5 Row A Grave 12 of the Vis-en-Artois Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France (Attachment #8). At that time in September 1920 the identification of the remains not completed and the date of death reported as August 30, 1918.
Concentration of Graves Burial Return
The CWGC “Concentration of Graves (Exhumation and Reburials) Burial Return” provides the details on the location where the body of Lance Corporal Jenkins exhumed (Attachment #9). This document, which appears to be dated 6/1/1920 contains the information of a cross on the battlefield grave that indicated that this unknown Lance Corporal of the P.P.C.L.I. killed on August 30, 1918 and initially buried at Sheet 28 132 d.4.5.
Last Reported Location
The location of the last reported location of Lance Corporal Jenkins relative to where the body exhumed depicted on a period extract of the Sheet 28 trench map, showing the area from Arras to Jig Saw Wood (Attachment #10). As Jenkins not reported seen after he disappeared, the question remained as to how he moved from his last known location to a reported burial site north of Jig Saw Wood and then to the Vis-en Artois Cemetery?
Initial Report by Richard Laughton
When the initial report on Lance Corporal Jenkins written in December 2014 (the first of the reports written), the standardized reporting process not yet developed and the investigative techniques, although sound, were in their infancy.
Private R. C. (L.) McGihon #639536
One of the things the team learned during the intervening period was to check others exhumed and buried with the unknowns. What this reveled in this case was that Plot 5 Row A Grave 14 at Vis-en-Artois Cemetery contained the remains of Private R. C. (L.) McGihon #639536, also of the P.P.C.L.I and KIA on 26 August 1918. What this analysis clearly shows is that Pte. McGihon initially buried in the Pelves Canadian Cemetery, 5 Vz miles east of Arras in Row A Grave 24. You will note from the CWGC Reburial that the coordinates for that site are Sheet 28 132 d.4.5, exactly matching the exhumation location of Lance Corporal Jenkins. From that we know that after Jenkins went missing, his body recovered and buried in the Pelves Canadian Cemetery, later exhumed and reburied at the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery.
Exhumations
Referring back to the CWGC information on Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery we find a reference to the exhumations from this cemetery:
Increased after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields of April-June 1 91 7, August and September 1918, and from the smaller cemeteries in the neighbourhood, including :-
PELVES CANADIAN CEMETERY, nearly 1 .6 kilometres due South of the village, contained the graves of 39 soldiers from Canada who fell in August and September 1918.
Action Required
The “Investigative Report” (updated from December 2014 to the standard format in August 2015) has been prepared in accordance with the procedures and criteria set out by the CWGC, should they wish to make any changes to the commemoration details (Attachment #12).
The evidence conclusive that the remains in the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery in Plot 5 Row A Grave 1 2 are those of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins #475898 reported missing from his unit and presumed to have died on or about August 28, 1918.
Procedure
All new identification cases need to be assessed in the first instance by the Canadian Agency (CA) and submissions should go to their office directly. After an initial assessment, if the Agency feels that the case is compelling, they will then pass all the documentation to the Commemorations Team at the Commission’s Flead Office. Head Office will then review the case and inform the CA of their findings. The Canadian authorities will then decide whether or not any changes to the arrangements for commemoration are required and inform the Commission accordingly.
Guideline Criteria for Submission
Cases need to present clear and convincing evidence to prove the identity of a casualty and must not be based on assumption or speculation. The Commission’s Commemoration Team will also consider whether the findings of a better informed contemporary investigation are being revisited and if there is any new evidence to consider. By way of example, it is unlikely that the Commission would support a revision of the arrangements for the commemoration where it is apparent that no new evidence is being presented and, a better informed previous decision is being revisited some 100 years later.
The following have participated in the preparation, review and submission of this report on a voluntary basis. Those noted below have read the investigative report and compared it to the criteria set out by the CWGC, as a guiding principle, and have agreed to have their name included as part of the review team. The CWGC may contact any of the reviewers at the e-mail address provided below.
Contribution
Richard Laughton
Private Researcher
LMC Great War Research Company
Report Author
Steve Newman
Private Researcher
Bellewaerde House Publications
Conclusion
The above report submitted to Dominique Boulais of the CWGC Canadian Agency earlier on 25 August 2015 by the late Richard Laughton.
Over the past week, several sources have announced the identification of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins’ grave, although not one has given credit to the late Richard Laughton.
Government of Canada
The GoC received a report in May 2019, and The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that the gravesite in question is that of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins.
In November 2019, the Casualty Identification Program’s Review Board confirmed the identification of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, CEF. The Casualty Identification Program’s Review Board is made up of members from the DHH, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Canadian Forces Forensic Odontology Response Team, and the Canadian Museum of History.
For shame!
No credit given to Mr Richard Laughton by any of these sources.
The Department of National Defence
On 15 November 2021, The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed the identification of a previously unknown grave as being that of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins, a Canadian soldier of the Great War buried as an unknown soldier at the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, in Haucourt, France.
For shame!
No credit given to Mr Richard Laughton by The Department of National Defence, nor the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Regina Leader Post
On 25 August 2021, a Regina family learned that the remains of a relative who went missing during the Great War have been located. Tom Jenkins, and his sister Margaret Schaffer not informed the discovery made by the late Richard Laughton.
For shame!
The Jenkins family not notified of the discovery made by Richard Laughton.
Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery
Vis-En-Artois and Haucourt taken by the Canadian Corps on 27 August 1918. The cemetery begun immediately afterwards and used by fighting units and field ambulances until the middle of October. Many graves contain two sets of remains.
Richard Laughton
A cherished husband, father, and grandfather taken from us too soon. Richard’s illness was brief but intense. He never stopped fighting, spurred by his unwavering love and devotion to his family. Richard a devoted father to four daughters (including triplets!), Melissa, Tessa, Jennifer and Edwyna. Proud grandfather of Evan and Cole (twins) and Sophie and Riley (more twins!). His love for his wife of 44 years, Olga, never faltered. After selling his business, Pollutech Group of Companies, and “retiring” at the age of 51, Richard went on to help his daughter, Tessa, in her business, Laughton Training and Sales (LTS), and loved every minute of being a horse “Farmer”. He took great pleasure in being at the farm, especially driving his tractor!
Another major part of Richard’s retirement was spent locating lost soldiers from the Great War. It was truly a passion for him and he derived immense satisfaction from his many successes (as did their families).
Last Letter of Lance Corporal Morgan Jones Jenkins
“There is one thing we fellows out here miss very much, and that is a practical scheme of wireless telepathy. Letter writing even in the best of times was not a regular pastime of mine, but since I have been in France it has degenerated to annual letters to my friends. With the aforesaid W.T. we could hold constant converse as things are always cropping up to remind me of you all at the M.A.C. In the summer time especially are my thoughts turned along biological channels.
When I return to the M.A.C. I shall pursue with great interest the study of the structure of metamorphosis of parasites, pests and reptiles, as I have had practical experience of their industry and perseverance, to say nothing of their dentition. We are on the eve of casting our votes for the Dominion election. We can only vote one way, of course. I am most pleased and we are being given the chance of voting by ballot. It shows better than anything else could, I think, the moral of our men and the trust placed in us by our government. Can you imagine the Hun soldiers being given the chance of voting whether the war should go on or not?
Luxury
Personally, I am in the lap of luxury compared with what the fellows in the front line have to put up with. I have three hot meals a day and a bed at night, and what that means it is beyond me to describe. This Russian fiasco and the Italian reverses have just served to stiffen up the boys, and they are facing the prospect of another winter in the trenches even more steadfastly than they did last year, if that were possible, though they realise clearly that there is not going to be much letting up on account of climatic conditions All will be well as long as we have Horatio Bottomley and Beech Thomas to liven us up, but if anything should happen to either of these humorists we would suffer a reverse almost impossible to recover from.
With kindest regards to Mrs. Jackson and yourself, as well as the other members of the staff I know, and Happy Christmas to you all.
Very sincerely yours,
(signed), Morgan Jenkins – January 1918