Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of Philippe Hélie dit Breton and Élodie Catellier, of St-Vallier, Bellechasse, Québec.
His full name is Joseph Jean Richard Breton.
His brother, Louis Philippe Breton, was enrolled in 1918, in the First World War with the 2nd Quebec Regiment, regimental number 3383445. He never went overseas or participated in combat.
At 2:30 a.m. on March 14, 1942, the Sarniadoc was sailing unescorted to St Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, when she was hit by a torpedo, behind the funnel, launched by U-161 200 miles (322 km) west of Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, and sank in less than 30 seconds with her crew of 21 men, in position 15°45'N/65°00'W.
Digital gallery of Deck Hand Jean Richard Breton
Digital gallery of
Deck Hand Jean Richard Breton
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In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 100 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance.
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HALIFAX MEMORIAL Nova Scotia, Canada
The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives.
This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs.
The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea.
The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.
On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.
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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