Citation(s);
Military service
Burial/memorial information
He stated at the time of enlistment that he had been born in Rimouski, Quebec; however, no record of his birth has been found in the province's registers, which are regarded as exceptionally comprehensive. He also identified an "Alberta Laurin" of the Ursuline Convent in Quebec City as his sister, but efforts to locate her following his death were unsuccessful.
These discrepancies may have been deliberate. A Canadian Customs document suggests that he may have sought to conceal his identity. The record indicates that, one year before his enlistment, he had been denied entry at the border as an undesirable immigrant, carrying only one dollar, and identifies him as a native-born citizen of the United States.
He enlisted in the 69th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, on 1 October 1915. He sailed for Great Britain on 17 April 1916 and arrived in Liverpool, England, on 27 April. On 4 January 1917, he was transferred to the 10th Reserve Battalion at Shoreham. During his service in England, he was hospitalized on several occasions and was both promoted and reduced in rank.
On 8 August 1918, he was transferred to the 22nd Battalion and crossed the English Channel two days later, joining the unit at the front. On 28 August 1918, during an advance from Wancourt toward Chérisy, Pas-de-Calais, as part of an operation to capture the village, he was killed instantly by German machine-gun fire.
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 446 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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QUEBEC CEMETERY Pas de Calais, France
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