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OTTAWA — It was a construction crew working on a hospital expansion that first came across human remains in 2010 near the pastoral French town of Vendin-le-Vieil — remains that would later prove to be those of an unknown Canadian soldier.

Over the six years that followed, the remains of 18 more missing Canadians would be found in the same area, either in small groups or alone where they fell nearly a century earlier.

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Located outside the city of Lens about 200 kilometres north of Paris, Vendin-le-Vieil was the scene of major fighting between Canadian and German forces in August 1917, during what is known as the Battle of Hill 70.

While largely overshadowed by the earlier fight for Vimy Ridge, Hill 70 was a defining moment for Canada, historians say: It was the first time in the First World War that the Canadian Corps was commanded by a Canadian, Arthur Currie, rather than a British general.

The 19 unknown soldiers are believed to have been among the 2,200 Canadians killed in the 10-day battle — hundreds of whom were lost in the muddy battlefield or buried quickly where they fell and thus have no known grave.