Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | December 25, 1868 |
Place of Birth | St. Anne, Quebec |
Country | Canada |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | sister, Marie Trudel of St. Morris, Quebec |
Trade / Calling | Cook |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 198977 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 94th Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | Kenora, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | February 17, 1916 |
Age at Enlistment | 47 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details |
Pierre Noel Bernard enlisted with the 94th Battalion for overseas service during WW1 on 17 February 1916 in Kenora, Ontario. He stated that he was born on 25 December 1877 in St. Ann, Quebec. Birth records (Drouin Collection) show that he was actually born in 1868, so he was 48 years old when he signed his attestation papers. Pierre was not married and his occupation was ‘cook’.
Few details of Pierre’s life before his enlistment or after his discharge are known. Baptismal records from St. Anne-de-la-Perade, Quebec show his parents were Pierre Bernard and Elizabeth Sauvage (spelling of her surname is in question). The 1871 census has record of an Elise Bernard (who was then a widow) and her two year old son, Pierre, still living in St. Anne-de-la-Perade. After that, Pierre’s where-abouts cannot be confirmed until his enlistment in Kenora.
On 27 May 1916, Pierre left Kenora to go into camp with the 94th battalion in Port Arthur. The unit sailed for England on 28 June 1916 aboard the S.S. Olympic. Once in England Pierre was taken on strength with the 32nd Reserve battalion on 18 July. In October 1916 he was transferred to the 28th Battalion and served with them in France and Belgium for the next 22 months. During this time he suffered bouts of myalgia and P.U.O (fever of unknown origin). On 21 June 1918, Pierre was wounded when he was buried by a shell explosion in the area of Arras. Examined in Etaples, he was found unfit for further service in France and returned to England and then Canada. Pierre received his official discharge due to being medically unfit on 26 October 1918 in Winnipeg. He was entitled to one gold bar because of his injury.
The last record found for Pierre is on his War Gratuity form, which indicates that in March of 1919 he was working for the International Nickel Company in Port Colborne, Ontario.