Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Grave marker – Private Raymond Collier was one of several men who served for only a few weeks before dying while undergoing training. A French Canadian immigrant to the United States, he enlisted on 4 May 1918 in Saint John, New Brunswick and joined the 1st Depot Battalion, New Brunswick Regiment, where he was allocated the number 3259323. After only three-and-a-half weeks he was admitted to St. John Military Hospital on 29 May suffering from pneumonia and very severe bronchitis; after a few days’ treatment he rallied but then relapsed and died at 3:00 pm on 8 June, aged 22. (Joseph) Raymond Collier was born on 5 November 1895 at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia into a large French Canadian family. His father was a French immigrant to Canada and his mother was Canadian born.[1] His father died in 1909 and in 1914 the family emigrated to the United States, settling in Lynn, Massachusetts. Raymond was a cotton spinner by trade but worked as a labourer in Lynn until he enlisted. After his death his body was returned to his family and he was buried in Saint Jean de Baptiste Cemetery, Lynn