Military service
Burial/memorial information
He enlisted in the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars – 7th Reconnaissance Regiment Battalion, claiming to have been born in 1922 and sometimes in 1920. He was a very undisciplined soldier. On December 29, 1942, he embarked for Great Britain, where he arrived on January 7, 1943, and was assigned on the 17th to the 7th Reconnaissance Reinforcement Squadron. On July 16, 1944, he was incorporated into Force M and sailed for Italy on the 17th. On the 29th, he set foot on the Italian mainland and was immediately transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment. On May 15, he transferred to the 4th Battalion. He rejoined his unit on the front line, which was fighting along the Senio River near the Gothic Line. He was seriously wounded in the head by shrapnel from a mortar shell on February 2, 1945. He died on the 3rd at the 66th British General Hospital near Miramare di Romagna. He was buried there on the 5th in grave number 8.D. After the war, his remains were exhumed and reburied in the Cresta di Coriano cemetery.
Digital gallery of Corporal Joseph Léo Gauthier
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Coriano Ridge War Cemetery
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Newspaper clipping
From the Cornwall (Ontario) Daily Standard Freeholder newspaper c.1945. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Corporal Joseph Léo Gauthier
Digital gallery of
Corporal Joseph Léo Gauthier
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 517 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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CORIANO RIDGE WAR CEMETERY Italy
CORIANO RIDGE WAR CEMETERY is 3.5 kilometres west of Riccione, a seaside resort on the Adriatic coast, and is reached by turning west off the main Rimini/Riccione road about 1 kilometre north-west of Riccione. In the town of Riccione is a sign leading to the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery. Carry on in the direction of Coriano until a 'T' junction is reached. Turn left and after a short distance the Cemetery will be found on the right-hand side.
The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited outside the working hours of the local gardening staff, but will be unmanned.
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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