258124 Eugene Valentine Bourque Canadian Expeditionary Force from:Montreal It was just about 100 years ago when Canadian Eugene Bourque Sr. was discharged from the military.
His legacy includes some of the bloodiest battles of World War I, including the Somme and Passchendaele. It also includes a grandson, David Eugene Bourque of Altamont, who has kept the soldiers experiences alive, thanks to a collection of war mementos.
Eugene Bourque was born in Moncton in the province of New Brunswick in 1887.
He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 16th of March 1916 in Montreal. His two older brothers Edgar and Louis also enlisted.
He trained in England and was sent to France that October. Over the next two years he was involved in 11 major battles.
Amazingly, all three brothers returned.
They left the war, but the war didn't leave them.
My Grandfather was shelled at Vimy Ridge and many years later he would occasionally use tweezers to pull out pieces of shrapnel from his arms.
After the war he returned to Canada and married Lola Barnhardt of Ontario. They had a son, Alan, born in Montreal, then moved to Albany and had their second son, Eugene V. Bourque Jr., Dave's father, the first of their family born in America. (Allan joined the U.S. Army and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.)
Eugene Sr. died on May 12, 1966.
He passed away when I was nine so the few personal memories that I have of my grandfather are fading. I cannot recall him ever mentioning the war. The only thing that comes to mind is him responding to me at a meal when I asked how he liked it. He replied he couldn't really taste it because he had lost his sense of smell and taste during the war. Losing the sense of smell was likely from mustard gas exposure.
As a boy, I would ask to see his grandfather's war medals but now don't recall that he explained what they stood for.
When he passed there was no inheritance, as my grandmother was still alive. But there was one envelope with my name on it. Inside were the medals. Being only nine at the time I did not understand the significance. I certainly do now and I am proud to be able to share his story.
Here are the battles Eugene Bourque Sr. was involved in:
The Battle of the Somme in November 1916 and
Vimy Ridge April, 1917. During his 2nd engagement at Vimy Ridge he was wounded by cannon fire. He was hospitalized at Govan Merryflats Hospital near Glasgow, Scotland. After recovery he was transferred to Hastings, England. During the late summer of 1917 he volunteered to return to active duty.
He was at Hill 70 in August 1917, Passchendaele September to October 1917 and back on the The Somme in March 1918 during the German advance.
He was at Amiens and Arras in August 1918, Drocourt - Queant in September 1918, Canal de Nord September to October 1918 and Cambrai in October 1918.
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