Azade BOUDREAU

On The War Memorial Trail…..The Knights of Columbus Auxiliary Services Supervisor Who Drowned In A Belgian Canal

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December 21, 2025. Pieter’s research results are faster than I can keep up with, and so several of the graves we visited during our 2025 European War Memorial Tour were for soldiers whose stories have yet to be told. One of the cemeteries we visited was the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/12/08/on-the-war-memorial-trail-a-visit-to-the-canadian-war-cemetery-in-adegem/) 

Before we left for Europe this past spring, we looked at the names of 12 soldiers from Prince Edward Island are buried in this cemetery. One surname was familiar as we had researched a soldier who was born in the same village and had the same surname,  Michael Joseph ‘Joe’ MACKENNA. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/09/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-prince-edward-island-killed-during-the-battle-of-rha/) We contacted Joe MacKenna’s niece, Teresa Hennebery, and asked if there was a family connection.

 ….The search for a photo of Joseph began…

Teresa was certain the families were distantly related and began a search into family records.  In the meantime, Pieter began his own research.    

Joseph Augustine MACKENNA, born June 28, 1903 in Newton Cross, Prince Edward Island, was the son of James and Georgina (nee MacMillan) MacKenna of Newtown, Prince Edward Island, and the husband of Mary (nee Hanrahan) MacKenna, of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

When he enlisted with the 13th Company of the Canadian Army Forestry Corps (CAFC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 2, 1940, he had been a bank manager with the Royal Bank of Canada, and had over 20 years of banking experience.  It was also noted that he had graduated from high school, was married, and was the father of three daughters:  Mary Eileen, Alice Clare, and Enid Gertrude.

His daughter Mary Eileen later married Cliff Gorman, and it was their son Mike Gorman who first provided a photo of his grandfather. Not long afterwards, Mary McPherson, daughter of Joseph’s brother Francis, also provided photos of her uncle.

Joseph Augustine MacKenna, likely taken in the United Kingdom.  (Photo courtesy of Mike Gorman)

 ….Joseph underwent basic training in Valcartier…

Joseph was sent to A13 Canadian Infantry Training Centre in Valcartier, Quebec for basic training, as were all members of the Canadian Army Forestry Corps, whose role was to cut down and process trees for wood and lumber in the United Kingdom. 

As stated in an article on http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/corpsbranches/forestrycorps.htm  “…wood was needed for living quarters, messes, and recreation facilities, as well as crates for vital supplies such as food, ammunition and even vehicles, and for the creation of explosives, stocks for weapons, the construction of ships, aircraft and factory facilities….”

Although members of the CAFC were not expected to be in combat, very rudimentary basic training in using firearms was considered essential due to the threat to the United Kingdom of invasion by German forces.  As a result, members of CAFC “…received five to seven months of training…” at Valcartier.

On January 15, 1941, while still in Valcartier, Joseph was promoted to Acting Lance Corporal.  A few months later, on April 10, 1941, he was confirmed as Lance Corporal, and at the same time transferred to a Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) unit that was attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps Headquarters.  He was a few months short of his 38th birthday, and while he likely was seen as finding active logging work a challenge, his extensive banking and administrative experience was considered a valuable asset.  

Joseph remained in Valcartier, assigned temporarily to No. 12, No. 14, and No. 19 Companies as needed. 

He was granted embarkation leave from May 23 to June 5, 1941, the last chance he had to see his family again.

….Joseph left Canada for overseas service….

Joseph left Canada for the United Kingdom on June 18, 1941, sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, disembarking in Gourock, Scotland on July 2, 1941, before moving on to Canadian Army Forestry Corps Headquarters in Beauly, Scotland. 

August 1941 photo of staff at CAFC HQ in Beauly, Scotland.  Joseph Augustine MacKenna is identified by yellow arrows.  (Photo courtesy of Mary McPherson)

While in Scotland, Joseph received a number of promotions.  On September 2, 1941 he was made Acting Sergeant, and classified as a Clerk Class III, Group C.  He was confirmed in the rank of Sergeant on December 2, 1941.

On July 1, 1942, Joseph was promoted to Staff Sergeant, and a month later promoted again to Acting Quarter Master Sergeant.  On November 1, 1942 he was confirmed in the rank of Quarter Master Sergeant.

Part of an August 1943 photo of staff at CAFC HQ in Beauly, Scotland.  Joseph Augustine MacKenna is identified by red arrow.  (Photo courtesy of Mary McPherson)

Joseph was transferred to the Canadian Army Forestry Corps Headquarters in London, England on September 28, 1943, and requested a demotion to Sergeant on October 15, 1943.  Over the next months, he was posted back and forth ‘On Command’ between London and Camp Whitley in Surrey, England, as Acting Staff Sergeant.

 ….Joseph was appointed Auxiliary Services Supervisor…

On July 18, 1944, Joseph was officially discharged from the Canadian Army and transferred to the Canadian Army Auxiliary Services (CAAS) upon receiving an appointment as Auxiliary Services Supervisor with the Canadian Military Headquarters in London.

What did Auxiliary Services do?  Members organized sports and dances, provided movies and concerts, reading and writing and recreation rooms, libraries, mobile canteens, and established leave hostels and information bureaus for troops on leave.

The Auxiliary Services section included four national volunteer service organizations: Canadian Legion War Services, Knights of Columbus, Salvation Army Canadian War Services, and Canadian Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Overseas.  Joseph was with the Knights of Columbus.

Now a civilian employee of the government, as were all members of Auxiliary Services, Joseph was considered an officer, with equivalent rank of captain, and addressed as Supervisor. As an Auxiliary Services officer he wore a modified service uniform.

 ….Joseph waited for an assignment in Continental Europe…

Example of a dual drive truck.  (Photo courtesy of The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum)

As Allied troops moved through France following D-Day on June 6, 1944 and then into Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, Auxiliary Services needed to plan for the support services needed as troops advanced. 

Joseph’s first task was to learn how to operate a Dual Drive truck with front wheel drive, an essential vehicle for the services that the Knights of Columbus would provide in France, Belgium, and The Netherlands, receiving his qualification in early August 1944.

On August 8, 1944, as a member of No. 11 Canadian Army Auxiliary Section (CAAS) Joseph was attached to No. 24 Canadian General Hospital in Horley, Surrey. It was a busy environment with wounded soldiers coming for treatment from the French front. He was there almost 8 months before being transferred to No. 1 Canadian General Reinforcement Unit (CGRU) on March 6, 1945, in preparation for a posting in North West Europe.

 ….Joseph was posted to Belgium…

On March 10, 1945, Joseph was transferred to the X4 General Reinforcement List of the 9th Battalion, leaving England and arriving in Belgium the following day. On March 13, 1945, he was assigned to the 14th Canadian Army Auxiliary Section (CAAS), which was attached to the 13th Canadian Base Reinforcement (CBR) Battalion.  This Battalion was part of the 13th Canadian Infantry Training Brigade, whose main role was administration and training for infantry reinforcements rather than a combat role in the field.

Joseph Augustine MacKenna, likely taken in Belgium. (Photo courtesy of Mary McPherson.  Photo restoration and colourization by Pieter Valkenburg.)

By the time Joseph arrived in Belgium, the country had been liberated since February 4, 1945.  At the time that Joseph arrived, the 14th CAAS, and 13th CBR Battalion, were based in Ghent, which had been liberated months earlier, on September 6, 1944. Among its’ other duties, the 13th CBR Battalion provided 14th CAAS with the supplies it required.

The Knights of Columbus recreation huts stated ‘Everybody Welcome, Everything Free’, providing services to soldiers regardless of race or religion. Travelling by truck to Knights of Columbus huts in Belgium and The Netherlands, Joseph transported supplies such as cigarettes, chocolates, and magazines, as well as equipment such as movie projectors and films. 

One of the many items provided to soldiers was stationery to allow them to write home to their family and friends.

Stationery provided to soldiers by the Knights of Columbus, with the logo showing Canadian symbols of the beaver and the maple leaf and the royal coat of arms at the top. (Photos source: Tales From The Supply Depot)

While Joseph was qualified to drive a truck, as an officer he was entitled to a driver who drove the vehicle in which they travelled to deliver supplies and equipment, before returning to Ghent for more supplies before the next journey.

 ….Mystery of what happened on June 12, 1945…

All went well with Joseph’s assignment with 14th CAAS until the evening of June 12, 1945, when he disappeared after arriving back in Ghent from a trip.  According to testimony by his driver, Private A. J. FONTAINE, after arriving at 14th CAAS in Ghent, “…we unloaded a movie projector and cigarettes and turned them in there.…” Joseph told him that he “…had other business to do here.  He told me to go and park the vehicle and to meet him at the Marguerite Café later.  On the way to Marguerite Café I stopped in at the American Café for a drink…. ”

Joseph met him at the American Café and they had a drink before going on to Marguerite Café, located at 230 Groendreef, at 7:30 pm. 

At the Marguerite Café Pte Fontaine stated that Joseph told the proprietor, Marguerite Cador, that “…I would occupy his room for the night there for that night and he would occupy another room across the canal he had already arranged for….”

They left the café together at 8 pm and crossed to the other side of the canal. Joseph then “…told me to return to the Marguerite Café to my room and to meet him the next morning at 14 Canadian Auxiliary Services Section at 1000 hours. I returned to the Marguerite Café, bought myself another drink and went to my room….”  It was the last time he saw Joseph.

Marguerite Cador, proprietor of Marguerite Café, testified that Pte Fontaine returned to the café “…15 or 20 minutes…” after they had left.  When she asked where Joseph was, he replied that “…I took him over the bridge to the other side of the canal and left him.  I gave him his bag before I left…”

When Joseph didn’t report for work the following day, Pte Fontaine returned to Marguerite Café “….at different times during the day and the same for the next two days. He always asked if I had seen Mr. MacKenna…” Where had Joseph gone?

 ….A body was found in a canal in Ghent…

On the morning of June 21, 1945, Sgt Alexander MATTHEW, special investigator for the Canadian Provost Corps (Military Police), 3rd Canadian Base Reinforcement Group, was informed by the Ghent Civil Police that “….the body of a soldier was in the canal at Ketelplein Bridge….” Sgt Matthew proceeded to the bridge.  “…I looked down from the bank of the canal and saw the body.  I could see that the uniform on it bore ‘Canada’ flashes …”

The local fire department retrieved the body and transported it to No. 2 Canadian General Hospital’s morgue, and the body was turned over to Quartermaster Sgt G. H. MACMILLAN, chief ward master at the hospital.  With Quartermaster Sgt MacMillan, Sgt Matthew stated that they “… searched his battle dress and obtained a wallet enclosing the identity card of Joseph Augustine MacKenna. There was also a sum of Dutch money…”   

Quartermaster Sgt MacMillan noted that the body was “…badly decomposed…”

Major J. D. DUFFIN, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Pathologist at No. 2 Canadian General Hospital, performed an autopsy. His report noted that “…There were no marks of injury either on the clothes or on the skin….” The lungs “…were heavy, voluminous, and filled with dirty water…” leading Major Duffin to surmise that “…death was apparently due to drowning….” The only oddity was that the drowning appeared to have occurred “…an estimated 5 to 7 weeks previously…” and not the 9 days since Joseph had last been seen.

On June 29, 1945, a Court of Inquiry concluded that Joseph died an accidental death by drowning in a canal in Ghent, Belgium.  Although Joseph was last seen on the evening of June 12, 1945, his death was ‘arbitrarily determined’ to be June 20, 1945, and his death ‘confirmed’ on June 21, 1945.

 ….Joseph is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem…

Pieter stands behind the grave of Joseph Augustine MacKenna.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Joseph was buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium on June 24, 1945.  We visited his grave during our 2025 European War Memorial Tour, and Pieter placed flags of Canada and Prince Edward Island at his grave. 

This was the second story written about a canal drowning in Ghent!  New Brunswick soldier Azade BOUDREAU also drowned in a canal in Ghent in 1945. See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/12/15/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-petit-rocher-nord-who-accidentally-drowned-in-a-belgian-canal/

….A surprise encounter in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten….

Amy Meunier (left) with Daria and Pieter at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.  (Photo credit: Ben Miller)

When Mike Gorman had learned that we would be in Europe for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, he mentioned that we might meet up with Amy Meunier, who works for Veterans Affairs.  “…Amy is my 1st cousin’s (Duane Gorman) ex…”

We didn’t think anything about it, but then, when we were at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands for the grave re-dedication ceremony for WWII soldier Arthur VANANCE of Kenora, Ontario, Paul Ledwell, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs, was in attendance with several people from Veterans Affairs.  One of them was Amy!  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/08/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-kenora-who-lay-in-an-unknown-grave-for-80-years-part-2-the-grave-re-dedication-ceremony/)

Paul called Amy over and once she realized that we were the people that Mike had told her about, she said “…OMG, my son Levi will love this…”  This surprise encounter helped bridge the past with the present, helping to ensure that those buried overseas will not be forgotten.

The flags placed at Joseph’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
  • Matt MacFarlane, MLA for District 19, Borden-Kinkora, for the flag from Prince Edward Island.

Thank you to Joseph’s grandson Mike Gorman and Joseph’s niece Mary McKenna MacPherson for sharing photos and information. Thank you also to Teresa Hennebery. We’ll continue to share the highlights of our adventures on the 2025 European War Memorial Tour. 

The research work continues for Pieter.  If you have photos or information to share about soldiers buried in The Netherlands or Belgium, please email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.    

© Daria Valkenburg

….Another Canadian Army Forestry Corps story….

This was the second story written on this blog about the CAFC.  Edgar M. GUITARD of New Brunswick also served in the Canadian Army Forestry Corps.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2024/06/24/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-lumberjack-from-belledune-killed-by-stray-mortar-fire-in-the-nijmegen-salient/

….Want to follow our research?…

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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On The War Memorial Trail….. The WWII Soldier From Petit Rocher Nord Who Accidentally Drowned In A Belgian Canal

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Pieter beside the sign welcoming us to Petit Rocher, New Brunswick. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

December 15, 2025. Pieter’s research results are faster than I can keep up with, and so several of the graves we visited during our 2025 European War Memorial Tour were for soldiers whose stories have yet to be told. One of the cemeteries we visited was the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/12/08/on-the-war-memorial-trail-a-visit-to-the-canadian-war-cemetery-in-adegem/) 

Azade BOUDREAU, a soldier from New Brunswick, who is buried in this cemetery, became the focus of Pieter’s research after receiving a request from Belgian researcher Patrick Michiels.  The son of a former colleague of his had adopted the grave and wanted to know what he looked like.

….The search for a photo of Azade was successful….

The search for a photo of Azade led us to my hometown of Winnipeg, where Pauline Theriault, the daughter of his sister Alice May, lives. “….Here is a photo of my uncle Azade Boudreau….”  Pauline explained. “…I had reached out to my cousin in Montreal and she had the same photo. She also confirmed that her mother had always told her that Azade had drowned at war….”

Azade Boudreau, taken in 1943 in the United Kingdom.  (Photo Courtesy of the Boudreau Family)

….Azade was born in Petit Rocher Nord…

Petit Rocher Nord is located along the shore of Chaleur Bay.  (Map source: Google maps)

Born January 31, 1923 in Petit Rocher Nord, New Brunswick, Azade was the son of Frank J. and Marguerite (nee Doucet) Boudreau.  He was one of 9 children, with 4 brothers and 4 sisters.  We’d visited this beautiful part of New Brunswick in 2024. 

….Azade enlisted shortly after his 19th birthday…

At the time of his enlistment on March 9, 1942 with the 58th Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, in Quebec City, Quebec, Azade, now aged 19, had worked a number of odd jobs as a store clerk and cook’s helper.  He was noted he was fluent in both French and English, and enjoyed skating, as well as playing hockey and baseball. When asked by an interviewer why he joined the army, he stated his reason was ‘adventure’….not an uncommon answer by so many young men.

Working as a waiter in the Officers Mess, he was attached to No. 5 District Depot in Quebec City until May 14, 1942, when he was sent to the No. 53 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre (CABTC) in Lauzon, Quebec. 

After successfully completing his basic training, Azade returned to No. 5 District Depot in Quebec City on June 20, 1942.  He was there for a few weeks before being transferred to the 4th Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, in Petawawa, Ontario on July 14, 1942 for final training before going overseas. 

….Azade left Canada for overseas service….

On August 8, 1942, Azade left Canada with the 4th Medium Regiment.  Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, the Regiment came under the command of HQ Canadian Corps Medium Artillery.  

Azade, who was identified as being very deft mechanically, was a gun layer, responsible for aiming and firing large guns, using either manual controls or emerging radar/fire-control systems, and working with optical rangefinders.  It was a responsibility that required high skill and tactical awareness.

An October 1942 army interviewer noted that he was neat in appearance, had a cheerful disposition, and liked the army and what he was doing.

The Regiment transferred to 2nd Canadian Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) on October 15, 1943.

….The Regiment arrived in France in July 1944….

Azade and the 4th Medium Regiment continued training while in the United Kingdom, but on July 5, 1944, a month after D-Day, they left for Normandy, as part of the 21st Army Group, arriving in Normandy 2 days later. 

Over the next months, they made their way through France and into Belgium as part of the North-West Europe Campaign.  On September 5, 1944, Azade received a promotion to Lance Bombadier. 

 ….Azade accidentally drowned in Belgium…

On December 15, 1944, while the Regiment was in Belgium, Azade, accompanied by Private W. T. SHORTT, was in Ghent.  According to an account by Pte Shortt, they “…went visiting the various cafes in Ghent.  On our way home we dropped into the ice cream parlour near the bridge. After eating our ice cream….” Azade “…said he was going to the toilet.  We went out the door, which presumably led to the toilet, but it was the balcony along the canal. He went to the rail….” and the next thing that Pte Shortt knew was that Azade had fallen into the canal of the Lower Scheldt River.

“…I shone my torch on him and yelled ‘man in the canal’.  A light on the bridge seemed to pick him up and I put my torch out and went through the ice cream parlour to the bridge. When I arrived there, there was no sign of anyone with a torch…”  Azade “…had also disappeared…”  

 ….Azade’s body was found 5 months later…

5 months after he fell into the canal, Azade’s body was found on May 18, 1945 in a sluice in the Lower Scheldt, near Laurent Place in Ghent. His body was taken to the morgue at No. 2 Canadian General Hospital. An examination to verify his identity determined it was the body of a Canadian soldier.  A letter and photograph in one of the pockets of his clothing had disintegrated from being in the water for so long, leaving no clues to follow up.   However, the location of where the body was found, and with the height of the body, and a dental plate matching Azade, it was determined that it was him.

 ….Azade is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem…

Azade was temporarily buried on May 21, 1945 at the Ghent West Cemetery in Belgium before being reburied on August 28, 1945 at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium.

Pieter stands behind the grave of Azade Boudreau.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We visited his grave during our 2025 European War Memorial Tour, and Pieter placed Acadian, Canadian, and New Brunswick flags at his grave. 

Patrick Michiels at the grave of Azade Boudreau.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Patrick Michiels, who had requested the photo search on behalf of his former colleague’s son, was with us in the cemetery to pay his respects to a young man who drowned, just one month before his 22nd birthday.

The flags placed at Azade’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
  • Jean-Claude D’Amours, MLA for Edmundston-Madawaska Centre, Minister responsible for Military Affairs, with the help of Cécile LePage, Province of New Brunswick, for the New Brunswick flag.
  • La Société acadienne de Clare at the request of Simone Comeau for the Acadian flags.

Thank you to Pauline Theriault for sharing a photo of her uncle. Thank you also to Patrick Michiels for joining us during our visit to Adegem. We’ll continue to share the highlights of our adventures on the 2025 European War Memorial Tour. 

The research work continues for Pieter.  If you have photos or information to share about soldiers buried in The Netherlands or Belgium, please email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.    

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?…

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

Never miss a posting!  Subscribe below to have each new story from the war memorial trail delivered to your inbox.

2024 Christmas Eve Candle Lighting At The Canadian War Cemetery In Adegem

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christmas-red-candles-header

December 31, 2024.  For over 30 years, it’s been a Christmas Eve tradition in Europe to light candles by the graves of Allied soldiers who are buried in War Cemeteries or in municipal cemeteries.

These candles are funded by various non-profit groups at each cemetery participating in the candle-lighting ceremony.  In many of the cemeteries, children are active participants, placing candles at each grave. On a day when many of us in Canada are thinking of presents, a visit by Santa, and preparations for our Christmas Day meal, volunteers spend their day in an act of commemoration.

In previous years, we’ve featured photos from cemeteries in The Netherlands.  This year, we include photos of the candlelit graves for 9 soldiers – that Pieter has researched – who are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium. 

The photos are courtesy of Patrick Michiels, who travelled an hour each way from his home on Christmas Day to take the photos for us.  He explained that he “… went over myself to Adegem….” because his friend, who lives near Adegem and had planned to take the photos, couldn’t make it, and Patrick himself was unable to go on Christmas Eve. He made the time on Christmas Day to travel to Adegem and take the photos. “…The weather was terrible, so the state of the cemetery was not very pleasant to take photos…” but it didn’t deter him.

…9 graves visited in Adegem….

Candles were placed at all of the graves at the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, and we had asked for photos of 9 of these graves:

IMG_0819 Boudreau

Candle placed at the grave of Azade Boudreau.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

WWII soldier Azade BOUDREAU of Petit Rocher Nord, New Brunswick, was serving with the Royal Canadian Artillery, when he drowned accidentally in a canal of the lower Scheldt River on December 15, 1944, at the age of 21. Azade’s story will be told in an upcoming posting.

IMG_0797 Bulger

Candle placed at the grave of Harold Gabriel Bulger.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

WWII soldier Harold ‘Hal’ Gabriel BULGER of Foxley River, Prince Edward Island, was serving with the Algonquin Regiment when he was killed during the Battle of Moerbrugge in Belgium on September 10, 1944, at the age of 26.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2024/08/05/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-bulger-brothers-part-i-the-wwii-soldier-from-foxley-river-killed-during-the-battle-of-moerbrugge/)

IMG_0808 Churchill

Candle placed at the grave of Bruce Wilbur Churchill.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

WWI soldier Bruce Wilbur CHURCHILL of Sandford, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Algonquin Regiment when he lost his life in a monastery garden in Hulst, The Netherlands, accidentally killed when a Bren gun ricocheted on September 29, 1944. He was 27 years old. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/06/05/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-ww2-soldier-who-lost-his-life-in-a-monastery-garden/)

IMG_0805 Henderson

Candle placed at the grave of David Stinson Henderson.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

David Stinson HENDERSON of Armstrong, British Columbia, was serving with the Canadian Scottish Regiment when he lost his life on October 17, 1944, at the age of 25, after a discarded German luger he had picked up accidentally went off.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/01/17/on-the-war-memorial-trail-honouring-two-canscots-buried-in-adegem-by-adopting-their-graves/)

IMG_0815 Hoole

Candle placed at the grave of Ronald Stuart Walter Hoole.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

Ronald Stuart Walter HOOLE of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, was serving with the Canadian Scottish Regiment when he lost his life on October 27, 1944, at the age of 21, during the Battle of Breskens Pocket. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/01/17/on-the-war-memorial-trail-honouring-two-canscots-buried-in-adegem-by-adopting-their-graves/)

IMG_0817 MacDonald

Candle placed at the grave of Alexander Fraser MacDonald.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

Alexander Fraser MACDONALD of Trenton, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Regina Rifles, when he lost his life on October 31, 1944, at the age of 27, during the Battle of the Scheldt. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/13/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-2/)

IMG_0802 Pallister

Candle placed at the grave of Joseph Hudson Pallister.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

Joseph Hudson PALLISTER of Calgary, Alberta, was serving with the Canadian Scottish Regiment, when he lost his life on October 6, 1944, at the age of 21, during the Battle of the Leopold Canal. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/06/18/on-the-war-memorial-trail-1-wwii-soldier-2-families-3-countries/)

IMG_0811 Smith

Candle placed at the grave of Edison Reynolds Smith.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

Edison Reynolds SMITH of Nova Scotia, was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, when he lost his life in The Netherlands on October 15, 1944, at the age of 20, during the Battle of the Scheldt. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-1/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/12/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-part-1-the-wwii-letters-of-edison-reynolds-smith/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/12/12/on-the-war-memorial-trail-part-2-the-wwii-letters-of-edison-reynolds-smith/)

IMG_0799 Taylor

Candle placed at the grave of Arthur Brambel ‘Jack’ Taylor.  (Photo credit: Patrick Michiels)

Arthur Brambel ‘Jack’ TAYLOR of Woodstock, New Brunswick, was serving with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles when he lost his life on October 12, 1944, at the age of 26, during the Battle of the Leopold Canal. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/27/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-5/)

Thank you to Patrick Michiels for sharing photos from the Canadian War Cemetery in Adegem, Belgium.

If you have a story or photo to share about Canadian military personnel buried in The Netherlands or Belgium, please contact Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com or comment on the blog. 

© Daria Valkenburg

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