A ST Brelade-born man who died fighting for Canada during the First World War has been posthumously honoured with a state-organised military burial, in what may be the last ever funeral arranged in Canada for a veteran of the Great War.
Edwin Leigh Le Rissignol has been put to rest in his adopted country after a years-long international effort to identify and commemorate his remains.
He was wounded in action at Hooge during Battle of Mont Sorrel whilst serving with the 60th Battalion Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in June 1916.
In February 1918, he was discharged after being deemed unfit for war service. He later fell victim to the influenza pandemic and, in a remote town with no medical assistance, passed away at the age of just 27.
Mr Le Rossignol’s story, however, was saved from obscurity when his great-great-niece, Lara Pollard, who is based in Australia, joined forces with historical researcher and member of the Channel Islands Great War Study Group, Jason Cronin, to locate her ancestors’ grave.
With the help of two Army veterans still active on a local Facebook group, Mr Cronin found out that the Jersey-born solider had been buried in a field in Quebec, Canada.
It was further discovered that the area in which he had been buried could be swept out to sea due to coastal erosion within a matter of seven years.
Mr Cronin and Ms Pollard then worked hand-in-hand to have Mr Le Rossignol recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Commonwealth War Dead.
Their incredible efforts culminated in the soldier, on Thursday 15 October, being interred in Mount Hermon Cemetery in Quebec City with full military honours.
The ceremony, thought to be the last of its kind in Canada, was organised by the Department of National Defence and the Commonwealth Graves Commission.
The Islander will now rest alongside a large group of brave soldiers and veterans who fought and died in the First and Second World Wars..
Rob Whitley, who was born in Jersey and now works in Canada as a Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, attended the funeral alongside Hon Kill McKnight, Minister of Veterans Affairs, a group of local historians and members of the general public.
“I felt it was particularly important that someone from the Island was there to pay their respects and honour Edwin’s memory, especially as he came from St Brelade, an area where I spent much of my youth as a pupil at Les Quennevais”, Mr Whitley told the JEP.
“The coffin, draped in the Canadian flag, was solemnly carried by soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment, dressed in full ceremonial uniform.
“The presence of senior dignitaries, including the Minister of Veterans Affairs, reflected the importance that Canada attached to the occasion.
“This may have been the last funeral ever of a First World War veteran in Canada, making the occasion all the more extraordinary.”
He added that it was “very special” to see the Jersey-born man “honoured with such dignity and respect” by the Canadian people.
“The speeches delivered by the various dignitaries were heartfelt and moving, rightly recognising his service, sacrifice and contribution to Canada,” he said. “The sense of gratitude and remembrance was palpable.”
