Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | June 12, 1895 |
Place of Birth | Kenora, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | father, Elzaird Dion of 714 Tache St., St. Boniface, Manitoba |
Trade / Calling | Student |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 922351 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 200th Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | 714 Tache St., St. Boniface, Manitoba |
Date of Enlistment | April 27, 1916 |
Age at Enlistment | 20 |
Theatre of Service | Europe |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | December 25, 1969 |
Age at Death | 74 |
Buried At | Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon |
William Dion was born on 12 June 1895 in Rat Portage (now Kenora), Ontario. His parents were Elziard Dion and Clara Brissette who had married in Rat Portage in 1891. Siblings included Edward, Arthur, Rose Delima, Irene, and Phillip. The family was living in Keewatin at the time of the 1901 census and in Redditt when the 1911 census was taken. By 1916 they had moved to St. Boniface, Manitoba.
On 27 April 1916 William enlisted with the 200th Battalion in Winnipeg for overseas service in WW1. He was single and a student at the time. His brother, Edward had signed up the year before and his other brother, Arthur, followed him into the 200th Battalion in May of 1916. After training at Camp Hughes, William sailed to England, arriving on 25 May 1917. Like his brother, Arthur, he was placed with the 11th Reserve battalion. A recurrence of tonsillitis resulted in an operation to remove William’s tonsils in June of 1917. He was transferred to the 78th Battalion and sent to France on 15 November 1917.
The Battle of Amiens, which began on 08 August 1918, was the opening phase of the Allied offensive later known as the Hundred Days Offensive that ultimately led to the end of the First World War. William was wounded in this battle, receiving shrapnel wounds to his upper right arm. He was first taken to a casualty clearing station and then to #3 Australian General Hospital in Abbeville. Invalided back to England, he spent four weeks in a Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom. William was assigned to the Manitoba Regimental Depot until being struck off strength on 21 December 1918 for his return to Canada. He sailed home on the Carmania arriving in Halifax on 30 December. On 16 January 1919 William was transferred to the Canadian Army Pay Corps and served until his discharge on 19 May 1919 in Winnipeg.
William moved to the state of Washington in 1920 with the occupation of ‘book keeper’. He married Yvette Eva Regimbal on 13 October 1920 in Seattle. The 1930 US census showed William, Yvette and three children (Noel, Daniel and Fernande) living in Walla Walla, Washington where William was working as a wholesale salesman of groceries. By 1940 the family was in Eugene, Oregon with two more children (Doreen and Annette). William’s occupation was listed as travelling salesman. The couple gave birth to another child, daughter Joyce.
William and Yvette both passed away in a car accident on 25 December 1969 in Eugene, Oregon. They are buried in Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Eugene. Their son, Noel, served with the US Air Force in WW11, Korea and Vietnam.
Gravemarker photo courtesy of Grundbrecan on findagrave.com.