Military service
Burial/memorial information
Baptised Joseph Napoléon Labrie. Son of Joseph Labrie and Lumina (aka Hermine) Bédard.
Enlisted in the Royal 22nd Regiment, he sailed for Great Britain on May 11, 1940, and arrived in Liverpool, England, on the 21st. From June 1, 1940, to April 22, 1943, he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Base Depot in Bordon. During this period, he was seconded from May 18 to June 7, 1941, to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Engineers. Returning to the Royal 22nd Regiment on April 22, 1943, he sailed for Sicily on June 15 to take in the Allied landing, Operation Husky. He landed on the beach at Pachino around noon on July 10, 1943, as part of the second assault wave. He was killed in action on July 27 of that year during an assault on Mount Scalpello near Catanenova. He was buried there on the 31st. Around October 16, 1944, his body was exhumed and reburied at the Canadian military cemetery in Agira. He had served for 1,269 days, including 1,172 days overseas.
Digital gallery of Private Napoléon Labrie
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clipping
Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me -
Entrance
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Agira Canadian War Cemetery
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Agira Canadian War Cemetery
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View of Mt. Enna
Digital gallery of
Private Napoléon Labrie
Digital gallery of
Private Napoléon Labrie
Digital gallery of
Private Napoléon Labrie
Digital gallery of
Private Napoléon Labrie
Digital gallery of
Private Napoléon Labrie
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 178 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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AGIRA CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY Italy
Agira Canadian War Cemetery lies in the Commune of Agira, Province of Enna, in the centre of Sicily. From the autostrada A19, Catania-Palermo, take the exit to Catenanuova. Follow signposts to Regalbuto, then pass Regalbuto, going in the direction of Agira. The Cemetery is then signposted about 12 kilometres from Regalbuto.
On 10 July 1943, following the successful conclusion of the north African campaign in mid May, a combined allied force of 160,000 Commonwealth and American troops invaded Sicily as a prelude to the assault on mainland Italy. The Italians, who would shortly make peace with the Allies and re-enter the war on their side, offered little determined resistance but German opposition was vigorous and stubborn. The campaign in Sicily came to an end on 17 August when the two allied forces came together at Messina, but failed to cut off the retreating Axis lines. Agira was taken by the 1st Canadian Division of 28 July and the site for the war cemetery was chosen in September for the burial of all Canadians who had been killed in the Sicily campaign. Agira Canadian War Cemetery contains 491 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
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