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In memory of:

Private Joseph Lalancette

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Military service

Service number: 672604
Age: 21
Rank: Private
Force: Army
Unit/Regiment: Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regiment)
Division: 22nd Battalion
Birth: September 1, 1895 London, Middlesex, Ontario
Enlistment: June 10, 1916 Québec, Québec
Death: July 3, 1917 Aix-Noulette, Pas-de-Calais, France

Burial/memorial information

AIX-NOULETTE COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION
Grave reference: I. F. 21.
Additional information

Son of Henri Lalancette ("Henry Lancette"), who died in 1902, and Sarah Palmby, who died in 1900, of Woodstock, Ontario, and Chicoutimi, Quebec. He named his sister, Marie-Jeanne, as his next of kin. She married François Jean in 1908 and settled in St-Henri-de-Taillon, Lac-Saint-Jean, where she died in 1918.

The above date and place of birth were reported at the time of his enlistment, but a corresponding birth record could not be located. The Ontario birth register suggests that his given name at birth may have been Henry, like his father, and that he was born on September 11, 1892, in Woodstock, Ontario. His parents were married in London, Ontario, but resided in Woodstock. Orphaned at a very young age, it is understandable that some details concerning his family background may have been confused.

He enlisted in the 167th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Quebec City, Quebec, and was subsequently assigned to the 189th Battalion at Camp Valcartier, north of Quebec City. On September 23, 1916, he embarked for Great Britain, arriving in Liverpool, England, on October 6. Upon arrival, he was posted to the 69th Reserve Battalion. After being transferred to the 22nd Battalion on October 27, he proceeded to France and arrived there the same day. On November 3, he entered the trenches at Bully-Grenay, Pas-de-Calais. On November 21, he was seconded to the 2nd Canadian Entrenchment Battalion, which he was scheduled to join the following day. However, he went absent without leave. On December 27, he saw action at Lens. From April 5 to May 18, 1917, he remained absent, and upon his arrest was charged with desertion. He appeared before a court-martial on June 7, 1917, and was sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad on July 3, 1917, at Aix-Noulette, Pas-de-Calais.

In an effort to address the recurring problem of unauthorized absences and desertion, military authorities adopted increasingly severe disciplinary measures. Despite repeated warnings, some soldiers continued to defy military regulations. As the 22nd Battalion prepared for the assault on Vimy Ridge, two men with previous records of unauthorized absences, Joseph Lalancette and Gustave Comte, abandoned their posts. Both remained absent for more than a month before being apprehended, indicating no intention of returning voluntarily. Tried by court-martial for desertion in the face of the enemy, they were convicted and sentenced to death. They were executed together on July 3, 1917, and are buried side by side in the cemetery at Aix-Noulette.

On December 11, 2001, the Government of Canada, represented by Veterans Affairs Minister Ronald Duhamel, issued an apology to the families of the 23 Canadians executed during the First World War for desertion. Three additional Canadian soldiers had been executed for serious criminal offences. Over time, changing social attitudes and a greater understanding of the psychological effects of warfare have influenced how these cases are viewed. Many of these volunteers endured immense combat stress, including what is now recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition not understood at the time. It is now widely acknowledged that some soldiers whose mental resilience had been shattered by the horrors of war may have been treated unjustly. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding their convictions, these men served in some of the war's most difficult battles and deserve to be remembered. To commemorate the executed soldiers, including the Canadians, the British government erected the Shot at Dawn Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, Lichfield. Created by artist Andy De Comyn, the memorial was unveiled on June 21, 2001. It is surrounded by 307 wooden posts, each bearing the name of an executed soldier.

Related media

First World War (1914 – 1918)

In the Books of Remembrance

Commemorated on:

Page 603 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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