A Francophone from the Prairies set off to defend France
When Louis Balcaen talks about his grandfather Marcel Dugas, you can immediately sense great pride in his words. And yet, he never met this grandfather. Not even his […]
Louis Balcaen speaks with pride about his grandfather, Marcel Dugas, even though he never met him. His mother, Marie-Madeleine Dugas, barely remembered her husband before he left for war in 1914. Dugas had emigrated from Pont-Audemer in Normandy to Saskatchewan in Canada two years before Marie-Madeleine joined him. They married in 1910, and had three children under three years old and another on the way when war broke out.
Dugas enlisted in the French army due to duty and fear of being considered a deserter. He died in combat on September 25, 1915, at 34 years old while leading his men into battle. His body was only returned home three days later due to its fierce resistance. Despite losing her husband, Yvonne Girardin, Dugas's widow, stayed in Canada with their four children.
She remarried in 1921-1922 and had two more children. The family moved to Manitoba after Yvonne finished her education. Louis Balcaen and the rest of the family are proud to tell the story of Dugas's bravery, with his grave in France being a place of pilgrimage.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
