Grave of First World War Canadian Soldier Captain William Wilson Identified in France
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have identified the grave of Captain William Webster Wilson, a Canadian First World War soldier, in Adanac Military Cemetery in Miraumont, France. The identification, announced by National Defence on June 2, 2025, was made through historical and archival research.
According to the DND, this identification is part of efforts to name service members whose graves have remained unidentified from past conflicts. The process included input from external researchers, review by the DND’s Directorate of History and Heritage, and confirmation by the Casualty Identification Review Board in December 2024. The CAF reports that Wilson’s family has been informed and will receive ongoing support.
Captain Wilson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 29, 1890. After working for the Royal Bank of Scotland, he immigrated to Canada in 1911 and joined the Bank of Montreal, first in Toronto and then in Lindsay, Ontario. He had previously volunteered with militia units in Scotland and Canada and served as a captain with the 45th Victoria Regiment in Lindsay prior to the war.
Wilson enlisted at Valcartier, Quebec, on September 23, 1914, joining the 1st Canadian Divisional Signal Company as an Honorary Captain and Paymaster. After training in Quebec and England, he arrived in France in April 1915. By 1916, he was attached to the 16th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. On October 9, 1916, after an unsuccessful attempt to capture Regina Trench during the Battle of the Ancre Heights, he was reported missing. His death at age 25 was later confirmed through a second-hand account received by his brother in June 1919.
The headstone at Adanac Military Cemetery will be rededicated at a later date, according to the CAF. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which works with partner organizations to recover, investigate, and identify the remains of Commonwealth servicemembers from the two world wars.
Captain Wilson’s name is inscribed on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France and the Lindsay Cenotaph in Ontario.