Jean Marie Leger was born at Saint-Timothée, Quebec, on 24 September 1895. A single tramways motorman living in Montreal, he was drafted under the Military Service Act and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 17 June 1918 as Private 3163705. He went overseas to England in August 1918 and served with Canadian Engineer reinforcement and depot units, where he was recorded as a Sapper. In September he became seriously ill with pulmonary tuberculosis and was hospitalized in England. Medical authorities concluded that the condition had existed before enlistment but had been aggravated by his military service. He was invalided to Canada in November 1918 and was discharged at Montreal on 2 January 1919 as medically unfit.
Conflict:
WW1
Regimental No.:
3163705
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
2nd Quebec Regiment
Battalion:
2nd Depot Battalion
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Saint-Timothée, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
22 years 8 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
23 years 3 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Tramways Motorman
Next of Kin:
Octave Leger (father), Saint-Timothée, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
404 Decourcelles Street, Montreal, Quebec
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 6.0 in / 168 cm
Weight:
127 lbs / 58 kg
Chest:
32.0 in / 81 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Single
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Great Britain
Place of Discharge:
Montreal, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Discharged 2 January 1919 at Montreal as medically unfit, Category E, under R.O. 1420 para. (a). Pulmonary tuberculosis/tubercle of lung was the disabling condition; medical records state the condition existed before enlistment and was aggravated by service.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
199 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW1 |
Private |
2nd Quebec Regiment |
Army |
2nd Depot Battalion |
|
|
|
| Initial MSA unit. |
| WW1 |
Sapper |
Canadian Engineers |
Army |
District Depot No. 4 / Hospital Section |
|
|
|
| Administrative/hospital-disposal period until medical discharge. |
| WW1 |
Sapper |
Canadian Engineers |
Army |
C.E.R.B. / C.E.R.D. / C.E.T.D. |
|
|
|
| Canadian Engineer reinforcement/depot service is explicit. Exact expansion/order of the abbreviated sub-units is not inferred. |
Service Chronology
1895-09-24 — Born
1918-06-17 — Joined under the Military Service Act; medically classified A2
1918-08-15 — Arrived in England
1918-09-03 — Taken on strength of Canadian Engineer reinforcement/depot organization
1918-09-23 — Medical board examined him for bronchitis / suspected tuberculosis; sputum positive for TB
1918-09-29 — Admitted with pulmonary tuberculosis
1918-09-30 — Repeat sputum examination positive for tuberculosis
1918-10-02 — Transferred to Canadian Special Hospital
1918-10-06 — Sputum examination positive for tuberculosis
1918-10-18 — Medical board recommended invaliding to Canada
1918-10-30 — Discharged/transferred from Canadian Special Hospital into disposal/hospital-section administration
1918-11-10 — Arrived in Canada aboard Neuralia
1918-11-13 — Admitted to Ste. Anne's Military Hospital
1918-12-17 — Invalid medical board documented permanent disability and recommended sanatorium care / Category E
1918-12-20 — Struck off hospital section on transfer to discharge section
1919-01-02 — Discharged Category E, medically unfit
Notes
At enlistment Leger was 5 ft 6 in, about 127 lb, fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair, with a 32-35 in chest. He was initially classified A2. Medical records document recurrent bronchitis since childhood and a cough/expectorations for several years before service. In England he developed active pulmonary tuberculosis; sputum tests on 23 Sep, 30 Sep and 6 Oct 1918 were positive. Family history recorded that his father died of consumption at age 39 and a sister, age 25, was suffering from consumption. Medical authorities concluded the condition pre-dated enlistment but was aggravated by service.
Additional Service Notes
Jean Marie Leger, a tramways motorman from Montreal, was drafted under the Military Service Act and joined the 2nd Depot Battalion, 2nd Quebec Regiment on 17 June 1918 as Private 3163705. He proceeded overseas and arrived in England in August 1918. In September he entered Canadian Engineer reinforcement/depot service at Seaford and was recorded as Sapper. A medical board on 23 September investigated bronchitis and suspected tuberculosis; subsequent sputum examinations were positive for tuberculosis. He was treated at the 14th Canadian General Hospital, Eastbourne, then at the Canadian Special Hospital, Lenham. A medical board recommended invaliding him to Canada. He arrived at Halifax on 10 November 1918 aboard Neuralia, continued treatment at Ste. Anne's Military Hospital, and was discharged at Montreal on 2 January 1919 as medically unfit, Category E.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Father: Octave Leger, Saint-Timothée, Quebec. Medical history records father died of consumption at age 39 and one sister, age 25, was suffering from consumption.
Research Notes
Final QA confirms the medical and discharge sequence from the surviving file. Hospital records support 14th Canadian General Hospital, Eastbourne, 29 Sep-2 Oct 1918, followed by Canadian Special Hospital, Lenham, from 2 Oct to 30 Oct on the A&D card; a consolidated register gives 31 Oct, so the one-day discrepancy is preserved rather than normalized away. Repeated sputum tests were positive for tuberculosis. Medical boards recorded pulmonary tuberculosis/tubercle of lung, concluded that the condition pre-dated enlistment but was aggravated by service, and recommended invaliding to Canada and later sanatorium care. The exact internal sequence and full expansion of the Canadian Engineer abbreviations C.E.R.B./C.E.R.D./C.E.T.D. are not securely recoverable from this file; the workbook therefore preserves those source abbreviations rather than guessing. No POW event, combat wound, court-martial, promotion beyond Sapper, or explicit medal award was identified.
