Citation(s);
Military service
Burial/memorial information
Baptized Joseph-Siméon-Eugène Lalonde. Son of Siméon Lalonde and Clothilda Lalonde, of Ottawa, Ontario.
On his attestation paper, it is indicated he was born in Kalender, that the first name of his mother is Kotilda and that he was born on April 15, 1880.
Enlisted in the 77th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he sailed for Great Britain on October 23, 1915, with the first Canadian reinforcement contingent. He landed in Plymouth, England, on the 31st. On March 5, 1916, he was assigned to the 23rd Reserve Battalion. On the 15th, he was transferred to the 22nd Battalion and, that same day, from Folkestone, he crossed the English Channel to land at Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, with the 23rd Reserve Battalion. On the 17th, he rejoined his new unit, and on the 19th, he went to the front lines in the trenches at St-Éloi, Belgium. On October 4, 1916, he was reported missing in action at Courcelette, Somme, France, during the capture of the Regina Trench. On February 25, 1917, a report was sent to Geneva, Switzerland, to inquire with the German authorities about the possibility that he was a prisoner of war. On June 15 of that year, he was officially presumed to have been killed in action at Courcelette. His body was never found.
Digital gallery of Private Eugène Lalonde
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Inscription
Inscription - Vimy Memorial - August 2012 … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens -
Vimy Memorial
Mourning Mother - Vimy Memorial - August 2012 … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens -
Vimy Memorial
Vimy Memorial - August 2012 … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens -
Inscription
His name as it is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial. Over 11,000 fallen Canadians having no known place of burial in France, are honoured on this Memorial. May they never be forgotten. (J. Stephens) -
Vimy Memorial
Canada's Vimy Memorial, located approximately 8 kilometres to the north-east of Arras, France. May the sacrifice of so many never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)
Digital gallery of
Private Eugène Lalonde
Digital gallery of
Private Eugène Lalonde
Digital gallery of
Private Eugène Lalonde
Digital gallery of
Private Eugène Lalonde
Digital gallery of
Private Eugène Lalonde
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 115 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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VIMY MEMORIAL Pas de Calais, France
Canada's most impressive tribute overseas to those Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the First World War is the majestic and inspiring Vimy Memorial, which overlooks the Douai Plain from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about eight kilometres northeast of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The Memorial is signposted from this road to the left, just before you enter the village of Vimy from the south. The memorial itself is someway inside the memorial park, but again it is well signposted. At the base of the memorial, these words appear in French and in English:
Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial are the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead' in France.
A plaque at the entrance to the memorial states that the land for the battlefield park, 91.18 hectares in extent, was 'the free gift in perpetuity of the French nation to the people of Canada'. Construction of the massive work began in 1925, and 11 years later, on July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VIII.
The park surrounding the Vimy Memorial was created by horticultural experts. Canadian trees and shrubs were planted in great masses to resemble the woods and forests of Canada. Wooded parklands surround the grassy slopes of the approaches around the Vimy Memorial. Trenches and tunnels have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made.
On April 3, 2003, the Government of Canada designated April 9th of each year as a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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