Lester James Leblanc was born at Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec, on 21 July 1916, the son of Stephen Leblanc. Before the war he worked in farming, gold mining and carpentry. He enlisted at Montreal on 8 September 1939 with the Royal Montreal Regiment and went overseas in December 1939. He spent most of his wartime service in the United Kingdom and later served with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps and Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, working as a driver and mechanic with light aid units. After returning to Canada in June 1945, he was discharged at Montreal South on 21 July 1945 with the rank of Craftsman. He intended to return to the Ste-Agnes de Dundee area and pursue dairy and mixed farming.
Leblanc later married Yvonne Martell. He died at Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown on 9 November 1989, aged 73, and was buried in the Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee parish cemetery.
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D76086
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Battalion:
RCEME
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
23 years
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
28 years 11 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
73 years 2 months
Country Born:
Trade or Calling:
Carpenter
Next of Kin:
Stephen Leblanc, Father, Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
Height:
5 ft 5.0 in / 165 cm
Weight:
139 lbs / 63 kg
Chest:
38.0 in / 97 cm
Expansion:
2.0 in / 5 cm
Marital Status:
Not Specified
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Great Britain
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Discharged at Montreal South on 21 July 1945 under Routine Order 1029 para. 5, to return to civilian life on demobilization. Final discharge rank was Craftsman, RCEME. A July 1945 medical board recorded bilateral pes planus and residual effects of the 1942 right-tibia fracture, approved a reduced lower-limb profile and referral to Veterans Affairs for supervision; these conditions did not make the discharge a medical discharge. Intended post-service residence was Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
2143 days in service
Buried at:
Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee Cemetery, Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee, Quebec
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Craftsman |
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
Army |
RCEME |
|
|
|
| Craftsman is explicit on the 21 Jul 1945 discharge proceedings/certificate. Exact effective date between 8 Jun and 21 Jul 1945 is not shown in the reviewed service statements; do not invent it. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
Army |
121 LAD |
|
|
|
| Posted from RCOC to RCEME effective 15 May 1944; service statement still shows rank Private on 8 Jun 1945. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Montreal Regiment |
Army |
Royal Montreal Regiment (M.G.) |
|
|
|
| Initial rank. Driver/Driver Mechanic entries are trade qualifications, not rank. |
| WW2 |
Private |
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps |
Army |
18 LAD / 43 LAD and related ordnance units |
|
|
|
| RCOC transfer/attachment sequence is now substantially reconciled; Private remains the rank shown. |
| WW2 |
Driver |
Royal Montreal Regiment |
Army |
|
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Service Badge, General Service Class |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1916-07-21 — Born
1939-09-08 — Enlisted in Canadian Army with Royal Montreal Regiment
1939-12-11 — Arrived in England for overseas service
1940-11-21 — Neglect in connection with a road accident; admonished
1940-12 — Failed to obey motor-transport orders by speeding; awarded 7 days confined to barracks
1941-04-30 — Charged with drunkenness / being unfit to drive a vehicle; awarded 7 days confined to barracks
1942-02-28 — Motorcycle accident caused facial lacerations and right-knee/tibial-condyle fracture
1942-03-04 — Admitted for treatment of accident injuries
1942-04-12 — Transferred for continued fracture treatment
1942-06-02 — Discharged from hospital fit for duty
1942-08-05 — Stoppage of pay ordered for damage to a War Department vehicle arising from the 28 Feb 1942 accident
1942-08-20 — Qualified Driver Mechanic Group C and appointed against a trade vacancy
1942-10-30 — Taken on strength of 43 LAD and attached to 25th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Elgin Regiment)
1942-11-07 — Ceased temporary attachment to 25th Canadian Armoured Regiment
1942-12-22 — Failed to qualify as Fitter Motor Vehicle Group B while on trade test
1943-05-10 — Reported foot strain and referred to specialist
1943-05-26 — Awarded 10 days confined to barracks under Army Act section 11
1943-07-02 to 1943-07-20 — Hospitalized for N.S. urethritis after referral for possible V.D.G.
1943-09-16 — Proceeded on Fitter Motor Vehicle course No. 1083
1943-09-23 to 1943-10-01 — Hospitalized for Vincent's angina
1943-11-09 to 1943-11-11 — Hospitalized for a common cold
1944-01 — Medical board considered bilateral flat feet and residual right-knee weakness
1944-01-14 — Medical board found bilateral flat feet and residual right-knee weakness; restricted to L4 duties
1944-04-09 — Taken on strength of 121 Light Aid Detachment
1944-05-15 — Posted from RCOC to RCEME while remaining with 121 LAD
1944-09-07 — Medical re-board found no Army disability or complaints; fit for full duty
1945-05-16 — Awarded 3 days confined to barracks and forfeiture of one day's pay for absence of 8 hours
1945-06-08 — Returned to Canada from overseas service
1945-06-17 to 1945-07-16 — Granted demobilization leave
1945-07-06 to 1945-07-19 — Discharge medical board reviewed bilateral pes planus and residual old right-tibia fracture; referred to DVA supervision
1945-07-21 — Discharged to civilian life on demobilization as Craftsman
1960-08-31 — Awards record stamped campaign medals unclaimed
1989-11-09 — Died suddenly at Barrie Memorial Hospital
1989-11-11 — Funeral at St-Joseph church; burial at Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee
Notes
Before enlistment Leblanc had worked as a farm hand in dairy/mixed farming, as a mucker in gold mines, and most recently as a carpenter or labourer. He had five years of rural schooling in Quebec and the United States and later improved his education by reading and through army experience. A 1945 rehabilitation interview described him as a trained infantryman and experienced driver/mechanic who intended to use Veterans' Land Act assistance for full-time dairy and mixed farming.
Enlisted December, 1939. Overseas.
BIRTH 12 AUG 1916 • Dundee, Québec DEATH 9 NOV 1989 • Ormstown, Quebec, Canada
Father :Etienne Steven Leblanc
ATIP Request confirmation number EA2026_0171076
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted 8 September 1939 with the Royal Montreal Regiment (M.G.) and went overseas in December 1939. He served in the United Kingdom for most of the war, with service records showing the Royal Montreal Regiment, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps and later Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, including light aid detachments and driver/mechanic duties. DVA counselling records 71 months of service, including 66 months in the United Kingdom. He returned to Canada in June 1945 and was discharged 21 July 1945.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Wartime next of kin: father Stephen Leblanc of Ste-Agnes de Dundee, Quebec. Current CWVMP notes contain the variant 'Etienne Steven Leblanc.' Postwar obituary identifies wife Yvonne Martell and daughter Marian, married to Clément Quenneville.
Research Notes
DOB conflict: attestation and a later verified service summary give 21 Jul 1916; current CWVMP notes give 12 Aug 1916; a 1987 service-document request gives 12 Jul 1916. Use 21 Jul 1916 as the best-supported service-file value. A motorcycle accident on 28 Feb 1942 caused facial lacerations and a fracture involving the medial/internal condyle of the right tibia with prolonged hospitalization from 4 Mar to 2 Jun 1942; later boards noted residual knee weakness and bilateral flat feet, with temporary restriction from heavy duties. July 1943 records document a venereal/urethritis admission and treatment; retain detailed sexual-health material as restricted medical research. Other admissions include Vincent's angina in Sep-Oct 1943 and a common cold in Nov 1943. A clear 16 May 1945 disciplinary entry records 3 days confined to barracks plus forfeiture of one day's pay for an 8-hour absence. The supplied obituary records death at Barrie Memorial Hospital, Ormstown, on 9 Nov 1989, wife Yvonne Martell, daughter Marian (wife of Clément Quenneville), and burial at Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee. Pass 2: service statements show RMR overseas from Dec 1939, later RCOC light-aid service, 43 LAD from 30 Oct 1942, 121 LAD from 9 Apr 1944, and formal posting from RCOC to RCEME effective 15 May 1944. Rank remains Private on the service statement through 8 Jun 1945; Craftsman is explicit at discharge on 21 Jul 1945, so no unsupported promotion date is assigned. Conduct records also show an admonishment for a road-accident-related neglect offence in Nov 1940, 7 days confined to barracks for a 1940 speeding/M.T. offence, 7 days confined to barracks for drunkenness/unfitness to drive in Apr-May 1941, 10 days confined to barracks in May 1943, and 3 days confined to barracks plus forfeiture of one day's pay for an 8-hour absence in May 1945. Marc clarified that the obituary's Ste-Agnès-de-Dundee burial refers to the locality's Catholic parish cemetery, the only Catholic cemetery there. Final QA: the July 1943 episode is specifically documented as N.S. urethritis on the hospital record, after initial referral for possible V.D.G.; the venereal case card records discharge without gonococci and subsequent tests of cure. Keep this restricted medical detail out of publication text. January 1944 medical board: bilateral pes planus and old right-tibia fracture residuals, temporarily not fit for duties heavier than L4. September 1944 re-board found no Army disability or complaints and fit for full duty. The July 1945 discharge medical board again recorded bilateral pes planus and old fracture effects, with DVA referral/supervision, but discharge authority remained normal demobilization. Awards card lists Defence Medal, CVSM & Clasp and War Medal 1939-45; the campaign medals were stamped UNCLAIMED in 1960. War Service Badge GSC no. 279314 was issued.
