Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Photo of Joseph Thistle

Photo of Joseph Thistle

Photo of Al and Joseph Thistle

Photo of Al Thistle (son) with Joseph Thistle - 1944

Family Photo – Gertrude “Ruth” Thistle 2nd row 4th to the right ( daughter). Joseph Thistle 1st row 4th to the right ( father )

Photo of Al and Joseph Thistle

Newspaper Clipping – Al Thistle ( Joseph’s son ) acceptance into the Navy

Letter – Canadian Government Notice of Joseph Thistle’s Death sent to my mom Gertrude Thistle and Annie Thistle ( my grandmother )

Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star November 1950. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star November 1950. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star November 1950. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

Memorial at Canoe River – Memorial at Canoe River train crash site. In November of 1950 thousands of soldiers were sent to Fort Lewis, Washington, for training before their journey to Korea. They went by rail. At 10:35 in the morning of November 21st, a troop train carrying 340 soldiers - soldiers of the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery - was just east of the village of Canoe River, British Columbia. An express train on the same track was speeding in the opposite direction. And the two crashed, head-on. The troop train was tossed into the air, its engine thrown back onto the coach cars behind it. Steel cars were shattered by other steel cars in a raging inferno. Seventeen Canadian soldiers died that morning, and the bodies of four of them were never found. Many of those who escaped death suffered horrible injury including massive burns. The sacrifice made by the men at Canoe River was no less than that of all war veterans who died in the service of our country. These Canoe River men also died so that others might live in peace. We remain eternally in their debt.

Photo of Joseph Thistle – He was born in Pouch Cove, NL to parents Joseph and Rachael (nee Noseworthy) Thistle. He had 4 brothers (Alex,Bill,Ches,Gordon) and 4 sisters (Gertie,May,Edith,Doris). The twin girls were 10 months old and his wife was 6 months pregnant when he died. The twin girls were Eileen and Doreen. His son was called Joseph and he joined the army in 1969. He served for 26 years. He later went by the name Anthony. If alive today Joseph would have 7 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He died at the Canoe Rive train accident.

Grave Marker – Joseph's grave site in Cupids, Conception Bay, NL

Joseph and his wife Ina

Family Photo – Joseph and Ina with their twin girls Eileen and Doreen.

Photo of his children – Joseph's 3 children Eileen, Anthony and Doreen. The girls were 10 months old and his wife was 6 months pregnant with Anthony at the time of his death. The kids were ages 6 and 5 in this picture.

Letter (September 26, 1950) – Joseph's last letter to his family before his death at the Canoe River train accident.

Letter Page 2 (September 26, 1950) – Page 2 of Joseph's last letter to his family before his death at the Canoe River train accident.

Monument – Reverse of Korean War Veterans War Memorial. It is a memorial to the victims of the Canoe River crash. The monument is located in the Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Inscription

Memorial Plaque – Memorial plaques for Gunner Joseph Thistle, Corporal Edward Earl Theobald, Gunner Takashi Takeuchi and Corporal Henry Andrew Szlahetka on the Korea Veterans National Wall of Remembrance in Meadowvale Cemetery, Brampton, Ontario.

Memorial – A section of the Korea Veterans National Wall of Remembrance in Meadowvale Cemetery, Brampton, Ontario. The memorial consists of a central section and 13 other sections containing memorial plaques for each of the 516 Canadian service men who died while serving with the Canadian Forces in the United Nations operations in Korea. It was erected by the Korea Veterans Association of Canada and was dedicated on July 27, 1997.

Memorial – Central Section of Korea Veterans National Wall of Remembrance Part 1

Inscription – Central Section of Korea Veterans National Wall of Remembrance Part 2

Memorial – Central Section of Korea Veterans National Wall of Remembrance Part 3