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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Joseph Grad

In memory of:

Private Joseph Grad

July 29, 1943

Military Service


Service Number:

K/53880

Age:

22

Force:

Army

Unit:

Seaforth Highlanders of Canada

Additional Information


Son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Grad, of Vancouver, British Columbia; husband of Jennie Grad, of Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

Commemorated on Page 164 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:
Grave Reference:

C, A, 261.

Location:

Agira Canadian War Cemetery lies in the Commune of Agira, Province of Enna, in the centre of Sicily. From the autostrada A19, Catania-Palermo, take the exit to Catenanuova. Follow signposts to Regalbuto, then pass Regalbuto, going in the direction of Agira. The Cemetery is then signposted about 12 kilometres from Regalbuto. On 10 July 1943, following the successful conclusion of the north African campaign in mid May, a combined allied force of 160,000 Commonwealth and American troops invaded Sicily as a prelude to the assault on mainland Italy. The Italians, who would shortly make peace with the Allies and re-enter the war on their side, offered little determined resistance but German opposition was vigorous and stubborn. The campaign in Sicily came to an end on 17 August when the two allied forces came together at Messina, but failed to cut off the retreating Axis lines. Agira was taken by the 1st Canadian Division of 28 July and the site for the war cemetery was chosen in September for the burial of all Canadians who had been killed in the Sicily campaign. Agira Canadian War Cemetery contains 491 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Newspaper clipping– From a World War 2 issue of the Vancouver Province c.1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of Joseph Grad– Joseph Grad is honoured on page 33 of the memorial book,
CANADIAN JEWS IN WORLD WAR II, Part II: Casualties,
compiled by David Rome for the Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, 1948.  
This extract is provided courtesy of the Canadian Jewish Congress which holds the copyright for this volume.  For additional information about these archival records, please contact:
The Canadian Jewish Congress National Archives 
1590 Ave. Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Que. H3G 1C5 (Canada)
telephone: 514-931-7531 ex. 2 
facsimile:  514-931-0548 
website:     www.cjc.ca
  • Entrance
  • Agira Canadian War Cemetery
  • Agira Canadian War Cemetery
  • View of Mt. Enna

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