Citation(s);
Military service
Burial/memorial information
Baptized Joseph-Arthur Gagnon. Son of Jean-Baptiste Gagnon (deceased in 1897) and Louise Bachand (deceased in 1906), of St-Hyacinthe, Québec. The first name Émile does not appear on the baptism record, but this was his usual name and that fist name is found in the 1891 and 1901 censuses.
Émile stated being born in 1884 when he enlisted and named two sisters as next of kin; including Adélina Gagnon, wife of Arthur Gosselin, of Montréal, Québec.
Enlisted in the 41st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he sailed for Great Britain on October 18, 1915, and landed in Plymouth, England, on the 28th. On April 20, 1916, he transferred to the 23rd Reserve Battalion until June 28, when he was transferred to the 22nd Battalion. On the 29th, he left for France and arrived the same day in Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais. He joined his new unit in combat on the 13th in Zillebeke, Belgium. There was great confusion surrounding his death. He was first reported missing in action on October 4, 1916, then declared alive on the 5th, then missing again, then presumed dead. Finally, he was reported missing on October 4, 1916, and presumed killed in action during the Battle of Courcelette, Pas-de-Calais, while taking the Regina trench. His death was confirmed on March 9, 1918. His body was never found.
Digital gallery of Private Émile Gagnon
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Newspaper clipping
From the Montreal Star c.1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me -
Newspaper clipping
From the Montreal Star c.1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Private Émile Gagnon
Digital gallery of
Private Émile Gagnon
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 89 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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