Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Photo of Francis Joseph Devine – I can't remember when I first heard of my Uncle Frank, it must have been my Mom talking about him. Mom's entire generation seemed affected in some way by World War II. She told me she clearly remembered a boy bringing a telegram to the house. I suppose the picture is frozen in the minds of many families - the black margins of the paper and the words "we regret to inform you". She then goes back in time to tell of a family in a small New Brunswick town of Sussex. They grew up in the turbulent times of the Great Depression, followed by World War II. Uncle Frank was a young teenage soldier when he shipped to Europe. His troop train must have passed through their small town on the way to Halifax but no family members knew of it's passing (such things were kept 'hush-hush' for security reasons). Due to heavy troop losses, on Frank' arrival in Europe his maritime unit was put together with the Hamilton Infantry. Like so many before him, Uncle Frank lost his life on a lovely summer day in 1944 - near Caen, France. He leaves no legacy of children or riches, his life was taken too early for such things to unfold. All we have left of him now are the memories of an 82 year old woman, my mother Dorothy Devine Smith. My reason for writing this - I simply hope that you will pause and remember these young men. Frank rests in the Canadian Cemetery located in the village of Cintheaux, Bretteville-sur-Laize, France, in a grave marked with a maple leaf.

Biography – In 2011, the grade 11 Modern History students at Belleisle Regional High School continued to write biographies for soldiers from the local area who died during the First and Second World Wars.

Biography – In 2011, the grade 11 Modern History students at Belleisle Regional High School continued to write biographies for soldiers from the local area who died during the First and Second World Wars.

Biography – In 2011, the grade 11 Modern History students at Belleisle Regional High School continued to write biographies for soldiers from the local area who died during the First and Second World Wars.

Biography – In 2011, the grade 11 Modern History students at Belleisle Regional High School continued to write biographies for soldiers from the local area who died during the First and Second World Wars.