OTTAWA - David George Parfitt was born in London, England, in 1891 and immigrated to Canada at the age of 18.
He was a mill worker in Keewatin, Ont., before enlisting to fight in World War One.
We remember the courage of the Canadians who served our nation both at home and overseas in the First World War,” said Anita Anand, Minister of National Defence. “The successful identification of Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt is a reminder for all Canadians of the ultimate sacrifice made by many in service to our nation. To the family of Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt, know that Canada honours him and is grateful for his service."
According to The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, Parfitt had been a member of the Non-Permanent Active Militia for four years which gave Parfitt the knowledge and leadership skills necessary for immediate promotion to the rank of sergeant upon enlisting.
Serving under the 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Parfitt and his troops arrived in France in February 1915. In September 1915, he was promoted once again to the rank of company sergeant-major.
of the 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion (90th Rifles), Canadian Expeditionary Force,
On September 26, 1916, one of the objectives of the 1st Canadian Division (which included the 8th Infantry Battalion within the 2nd Infantry Brigade) was to take and occupy a series of trenches located between Thiepval and Courcelette, France. Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt lost his life leading a platoon from D Company of the 8th Infantry Battalion in the attack that day.
Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt, who was 25 years of age, was one of 156 members killed in action on September 26, 1916, during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge.
“Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt was one of our own – a Canadian soldier who fought for our country with honour during the First World War. His name is engraved on the base of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial along with those of the more than 11,000 of his comrades who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead in France. Now that his grave has been identified, I’m pleased to know he will receive a permanent headstone to commemorate his courage, service, and ultimate sacrifice.”
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
He is the only Canadian company sergeant-major to have died on that date in France, a detail that significantly contributed to the identification of his grave.
“Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt was one of our own – a Canadian soldier who fought for our country with honour during the First World War,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. “His name is engraved on the base of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial along with those of the more than 11,000 of his comrades who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead in France. Now that his grave has been identified, I’m pleased to know he will receive a permanent headstone to commemorate his courage, service, and ultimate sacrifice.”
His headstone, in Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt, France, identified him only as an unknown sergeant-major of the 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion.
In May 2019, the Directorate of History and Heritage received a report from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission detailing the potential identification of the unknown soldier buried in a plot of unknown soldiers in Regina Trench Cemetery, in Grandcourt, France.
Independent researchers raised the possibility this grave belonged to Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt.
Following extensive archival research by the CWGC and the Directorate of History and Heritage researchers confirmed the identification of Parfitt through the Casualty Identification Review Board, which includes representatives from the Canadian Forces Forensic Odontology Response Team and the Canadian Museum of History.
A headstone rededication ceremony for Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt will take place at the earliest opportunity at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Regina Trench Cemetery, in France.
