A Century's Silence Broken: The Homecoming of Private Lowson

It’s a story that truly makes you pause, doesn't it? A century — a full, sprawling hundred years — can pass in the blink of an eye for the cosmos, but for a family waiting, for a nation remembering, it's an eternity. And yet, sometimes, the earth itself decides it's time to give up its secrets, offering a flicker of closure long after the last gun has fallen silent. This is precisely what's unfolding for Private William George Lowson, a brave soul from Calgary, whose final chapter is, at last, being written.

Private Lowson, a soldier with the 10th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, vanished into the fog of war on November 9, 1917. You see, he was one of countless young men swallowed by the infamous, utterly brutal Battle of Passchendaele, a name that still echoes with the horror of mud, blood, and unimaginable sacrifice. For decades, he was simply 'missing, presumed dead,' a name etched on a memorial, a ghost in the collective memory, his resting place unknown. Imagine the quiet ache that must have settled in the hearts of his loved ones, generation after generation, wondering where he lay.

But fate, or perhaps just diligent human effort, intervened. It was back in 2017, quite remarkably, when the earth near Langemark, Belgium, began to whisper its secrets. Human remains were discovered, and that, friends, is where the meticulous, almost detective-like work of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces' casualty identification program truly began. These dedicated folks, alongside the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, pour over historical records, anthropological analyses, and, crucially, DNA evidence.

And here’s where the human connection deepens: a nephew, Gord Lowson, provided a DNA sample, a small act that would, in truth, bridge a century. His contribution, this thread of familial lineage, proved pivotal. Through this modern science, woven with historical detective work, the pieces finally clicked into place. This nameless soldier, this 'unknown,' had a name. He was William George Lowson. His identity, lost to the mire of Passchendaele, was reclaimed.

The closure, you could say, will be monumental. On November 9, 2025 — a date deliberately chosen, marking the 108th anniversary of his death — Private Lowson will receive a full military interment at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's New British Cemetery in Langemark, Belgium. It’s more than just a burial; it’s a solemn promise kept, a final salute, a proper send-off for a soldier who gave everything. For Gord Lowson, and indeed for all Canadians, it’s a moment of profound remembrance, a poignant reminder that no sacrifice, no life, is ever truly forgotten, even if it takes a century to bring them home.