Jersey veteran's grave tracked down over a century after passing

Monday 08 November 2021

The grave of a Jersey-born war veteran has been tracked down to Canada over a century after his passing, with plans underway to have his body reinterred at Montreal’s National Field of Honour.

Friday marked 103 years since the death of Edwin Leigh Le Rossignol, who fought for the Canadian army during the first world war, and died as a result of his injuries and the Spanish Flu.

His grave was tracked down in a collaboration between Rossignol's great great niece, Lara Pollard, who is based in Australia, and historical researcher and member of the Channel Islands Great War Study Group, Jason Cronin.

Pictured: Edwin Leigh Le Rossignol is remembered on the St Helier memorial, along with his younger brother, Wilfred.

From research carried out by Lara and Jason, it was found that Edwin was born in St. Brelade in 1891, before moving to Canada to serve in the 60th Battalion Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force (CEF).

As Jason explained: "Many years ago, Jersey sons especially didn't inherit a family farm or business, so the younger sons would emigrate and find their fortune elsewhere."

In June 1916, he was wounded in action at Hooge during Battle of Mont Sorrel whilst serving with the Battalion, hit by shrapnel causing a large wound above his left scapula.

He had also suffered a haemothorax injury and was left with shrapnel, dullness and diminished capacity in his left lung.

Records then showed that he returned to Jersey following this, visiting his family and found employment as a clerk with Robin, Jones and Whitman Ltd., which predominantly dealt with fish exports.

The company arranged for Edwin to travel from Jersey to Canada in May 1917 to work in Quebec, and in January 1918, he re-attested back into the Canadian army, possibly been so he could get further treatment for his injury.

Pictured: Edwin's grave - located at Riviere St Jean, Cote Nord, Quebec - features an erroneous 'J' in his middle name, something Lara said her great grandfather, as a stone mason, would have corrected if he had known of it.

In February 2018, he was discharged again due to no longer being physically fit for war service, before returning to work at the company.

He died on 5 November 1918 aged 27, with his death being attributed to influenza, but with no medical certification released and paperwork Jason tracked down saying there were no doctors or nurses in attendance.

Lara notes in her submission: "Anecdotal information from company records following the death of Edwin Le Rossignol express... concern for the people living in Cote Nord due to the lack of medical care available in the region at the time."

Following his passing, Lara worked with Jason - who she had previously got to know when he helped repatriate the medal of a "brave" local serviceman to his family in Australia - to try and track down the grave and more information about her great, great uncle.

"She knew that he died in Canada, and at the time didn't know exactly where he was buried," Jason told Express.

"There was no death certificate for Edwin and so I was able to look into it and I made a few suggestions and I did a little bit of research myself." 

Pictured: Edwin was commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission last year.

He noted that on the Canadian military records, he noted "his medal decorations were to go to his mother," as well as the plaque scroll and military cross.

However, though he knew he was buried in Quebec, he could not track down his grave on any record or website.

"I thought to myself well something's not quite right here - there was mention in the company records of getting a gravestone - so I looked onto Facebook and looked at the community where the shop used to be," he explained.

Two army veterans eventually caught onto Jason's questions in a local group telling him they knew where the grave was - in a field at Riviere St. Jean, Cote Nord, Quebec, Canada.

Whilst this was initially surprising to Jason, they explained that because he was Anglican, the Church would not bury him in a Catholic cemetery.

After some more research, Jason learnt that the area was on a low headland and subject to coastal erosion, and that within seven years, could be swept out to sea.

As there was no death certificate legally established, Jason contacted Lara, and the two collaborated to get Edwin recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Commonwealth War Dead.

He explained said that they had to prove he had died of their wounds, explaining that "he actually died of his wounds as he was incapacitated [and] he wasn't able to fight off any infection of a respiratory nature."

After persevering, Lara managed to get a certificate recognising this, and in late 2020, the Commission accepted it too - now both it and Veterans Affairs Canada are working to have his remains reinterred to the National Field of Honour in Montreal, though this has been delayed due to the pandemic.

Jason said that, should he finally get to be buried at this new place of rest, he is "hoping Jersey would be able to send a representative over", as, according to records, Edwin also served in the Jersey militia.

On the finding, Lara said: "From the family's perspective we are all immensely glad to have finally found Edwin, and we are extremely thankful that the Last Post Fund and Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Canada have not only acknowledged him but undertaken to move his grave as it is at risk of sea inundation due to coastal erosion in the area."

"Edwin sadly died after returning injured to Canada from the Great War and falling victim to the influenza pandemic of 1918 in a remote town with no medical assistance.

"Now his family have finally found him we are grateful and thankful and very proud of his service.  We can not help but see irony in the fact that yet another global pandemic is impacting on him even in death, by delaying the relocation of his grave by the CWGC.

"Like all those that gave their lives for our tomorrows we will remember them."

Today, the Parish of St Helier will once again be bringing the Roll of Honour to the town centre in commemoration of the soldiers who lost their lives, this time hosting it in the window of the Santander Work Café