A stained glass window in the south west wall of the LaSalette Church pays tribute to Private Francis Leoland Murphy. He was born in 1885 in Silver Hill to John and Elsie Forbes Murphy. Francis enlisted in the 133rd on February 9, 1916. He had been a member of the 39th Militia and was a farmer. He was college educated and an accomplished writer who sent a steady stream of letters home to the Simcoe Reformer describing days in training at Camp Borden and later in England.
Francis and his friend, John Carnaham of St Williams, were placed in the 29th Battalion, British Columbia. John was killed on April 9, 1917 at the battle of Vimy Ridge. It had a profound impact on Francis. He wrote a heart rendering story of how he visited a church in France and asked M. le Cure for some of his red roses to lay on his friend’s grave. Francis was killed in action four months later on August 21 at the Battle of Hill 70. He has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial and on the window that reflects the sorrow of a grieving family.
The La Salette Historic Church, formerly known as Our Lady of La Salette Roman Catholic Church was opened in 1881. It was destroyed by a fire in March 1913. The current building was built in the same location and opened in April 1914. The La Salette Area Rural Roots Community Hall Corporation acquired it in 2012.
