Military service
Burial/memorial information
An only child, he embarked for Great Britain on September 13, 1943, arriving at his destination on the 19th. On February 18, 1944, he boarded a troop transport that landed him in Italy on March 3. He was slightly wounded in combat on March 14. Wounded a second time on September 20 in the San Fortunato sector by an explosion, he died on the 22nd at the 4th Canadian Clearing Station. He was buried the same day in the regimental cemetery, grave 31. After the war, he was exhumed and reburied in the cemetery in Gradara. He had served 481 days, including 375 overseas.
Digital gallery of Private Marcel Deschenes
Digital gallery of
Private Marcel Deschenes
Digital gallery of
Private Marcel Deschenes
Digital gallery of
Private Marcel Deschenes
Digital gallery of
Private Marcel Deschenes
Image gallery
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 289 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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GRADARA WAR CEMETERY Italy
GRADARA WAR CEMETERY is situated in the Commune of Gradara in the Province of Pesaro, at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres from the shores of the Adriatic. To reach the GRADARA WAR CEMETERY from Highway A14 (Bologna-Taranto), exit at Cattolica, which is the nearest town and a seaside resort. The Cemetery is on the main road 5 kilometres south west of the town.
The cemetery occupies a unique position on a hillside which was terraced for agriculture, each row of graves taking up one terrace. The site for the cemetery was chosen in November 1944 and it contains the graves of casualties incurred during the advance from Ancona to Rimini (which broke the Gothic Line) and in the heavy fighting around Rimini, which was taken by the Allies on 21st September 1944.
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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