Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of Charles Napoléon and Amelia (Montpetit) Potvin, of Edmonton, Alberta.
Digital gallery of Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
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Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Léo volunteered to serve in the Air Force after intensive studies to complete his school education which had been interrupted at the age of 15 to help support his family. He worked for 12 years as a bell-boy at the Macdonald Hotel in Edmonton, where he was well regarded. During this time, he had become close friends with the famous aviator, Captain Wilfred 'Wop' May, OBE.
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Léo loved sports and distinguished himself in skating and hockey.
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He left behind his parents and 15 brothers and sisters. Seven of his siblings served in the Canadian Armed Forces and two others served with the auxiliary forces.
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
This photo of Léo was taken in 1935.
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Wedding picture - Charles Potvin and Amélia Montpetit - Léo Potvin's Mom and Dad, photo c. 1910.
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
The Potvin's are coming for supper - lined up by age, photo c. 1935.
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Potvin family Portrait, c. 1935.
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Inscription - Runnymede Memorial - April 2017 … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin is commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin
Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin is commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Image gallery
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Léo volunteered to serve in the Air Force after intensive studies to complete his school education which had been interrupted at the age of 15 to help support his family. He worked for 12 years as a bell-boy at the Macdonald Hotel in Edmonton, where he was well regarded. During this time, he had become close friends with the famous aviator, Captain Wilfred 'Wop' May, OBE. <br> Léo loved sports and distinguished himself in skating and hockey. <br> He left behind his parents and 15 brothers and sisters. Seven of his siblings served in the Canadian Armed Forces and two others served with the auxiliary forces.
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This photo of Léo was taken in 1935.
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Wedding picture - Charles Potvin and Amélia Montpetit - Léo Potvin's Mom and Dad, photo c. 1910.
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The Potvin's are coming for supper - lined up by age, photo c. 1935.
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Potvin family Portrait, c. 1935.
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Inscription - Runnymede Memorial - April 2017 … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin is commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Adrien Leo Potvin is commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 555 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL Surrey, United Kingdom
During the Second World War more than 116,000 men and women of the Air Forces of the British Commonwealth gave their lives in service. More than 17,000 of these were members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, or Canadians serving with the Royal Air Force. Approximately one-third of all who died have no known grave. Of these, 20,450 are commemorated by name on the Runnymede Memorial, which is situated at Englefield Green, near Egham, 32 kilometers by road west of London.
The design of the Runnymede Memorial is original and striking. On the crest of Cooper's Hill, overlooking the Thames, a square tower dominates a cloister, in the centre of which rests the Stone of Remembrance. The cloistered walks terminate in two lookouts, one facing towards Windsor, and the other towards London Airport at Heathrow. The names of the dead are inscribed on the stone reveals of the narrow windows in the cloisters and the lookouts. They include those of 3,050 Canadian airmen. Above the three-arched entrance to the cloister is a great stone eagle with the Royal Air Force motto, Per Ardua ad Astra". On each side is the inscription:
IN THIS CLOISTER ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF TWENTY THOUSAND AIRMEN WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE. THEY DIED FOR FREEDOM IN RAID AND SORTIE OVER THE BRITISH ISLES AND THE LANDS AND SEAS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE
In the tower a vaulted shrine, which provides a quiet place for contemplation, contains illuminated verses by Paul H. Scott."
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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