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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Joseph Germain Robert Dion

In memory of:

Private Joseph Germain Robert Dion

September 14, 1944
Mount Marano, Italy

Military Service

Service Number:

D/139111

Age:

20

Force:

Army

Unit:

Royal 22e Régiment, R.C.I.C.

Citation(s):

1939-1945 Star, Italy Star, 1939-1945 War Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with bar

Additional Information

Born:

December 11, 1923
Montreal, Quebec

Enlistment:

February 1, 1943
Montreal, Quebec

Baptized Joseph Germain Robert Dion. He served under the name Robert Dion. Son of Thomas Dion and Alice Bélanger. Husband of Delia Belleville of Montréal, Québec. Father of Robert and Aline Dion.

Enlisted at the 4th District Military Depot in Montreal South, he sailed for Great Britain on December 14, 1943, arriving on the 21st. Incorporated into Force M, he left for the Mediterranean on February 18, 1944, arriving in Italy on March 3. He was transferred to the Royal 22nd Regiment on June 23 and assigned to the 4th Battalion on August 17, 1944. He was killed in action on September 14, 1944, during an assault on Mount Marano. He was first buried in a makeshift cemetery near the Adriatic coast about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Rimini, in grave number 25. On October 15, 1945, his body was exhumed and reburied in the British Empire Cemetery in Gradara, grave number I.G.46. He had served 592 days, including 275 overseas.

Commemorated on Page 291 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

GRADARA WAR CEMETERY
Italy

Grave Reference:

I, G, 46.

Location:

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.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Grave Markers– Row of markers in the tiered Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

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    Grave Markers
    Grave Markers – Row of markers in the tiered Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Cross of Sacrifice - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Cross of Sacrifice - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– View of the Cross of Sacrifice from the tiered rows of Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013

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    Memorial
    Memorial – View of the Cross of Sacrifice from the tiered rows of Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013
  • Grave Marker– Grave marker - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

    Details

    Grave Marker
    Grave Marker – Grave marker - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

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