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The first Canadian UN fatality, and a connection with the first British troops in Cyprus
The Black Watch Amongst the nine Canadian burials in Dhekelia are two soldiers, Private Joseph
Bernard and Private John LeRue, who were serving with The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
of Canada in 1966 and 1970 respectively. Their unit is now the senior Scottish regiment of the Canadian
Militia and, as the Royal Highlanders of Canada, it became formally affiliated with the Black Watch of
the British Army in 1906.16 It raised three active-service battalions during the First World War, including
the 42nd Battalion (RHC), which proudly bore the historic number of its parent unit in the British Army.
Thus, these two young Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in the service of peace have an indirect
connection with the first British soldiers to land in Cyprus in 1878, who were the 42nd Royal Highlanders
(the Black Watch).
The Canadian UN memorial The Canadians lost a total of 28 servicemen during their UNFICYP tours
until they withdrew in 1993. The first nine of them are buried in this cemetery, the rest having been
repatriated. Their memorial, listing all 28 names, stands near the Ledra Palace Hotel, Nicosia.17 The story
of the Canadian UNFICYP mission is available online.18
The Canadian Virtual War Memorial Trooper Campbell, Privates Bernard and LeRue, and the other
Canadians buried in Dhekelia or repatriated to Canada, are also commemorated online on the Canadian
Virtual War Memorial.19
16 ‘The Victorian Soldier – History and uniform of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, 1862-present’
www.militaryheritage.com/blackwatchofcanada.htm
17 The 28 Canadians listed on the Canadian UN memorial in Nicosia are: Trooper JN Campbell, Lieutenant KE Edwards,
Rifleman PJ Hoare, Guardsman JJP Chartier, Private JPE Bernard, Trooper LW Nass, Corporal OJ Redmond, Corporal KA
Salmon, Private JA Lerue, Private TJ Hall, Corporal PE Isenor, Master Corporal JRMJP Lessard, Corporal A Roach, Sergeant
CAH Wambach, Private JLG Perion, Private JJC Berge, Captain IE Patten, Private SJ Kohlman, Captain DC Crawford, Private
DR Kreiger, Corporal JRA Dupont, Master Corporal JD McInnis, Sergeant JER Archambeault, Private A Prins, Private MD
Wilson, Master Corporal M Macrae, Private JJ Trottier and Sergeant DL Kloss.
18 Canadiansoldiers.com – United Nations Forces in Cyprus www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/peacekeeping/unficyp.
htm This site listed only 26 of the 28 Canadians commemorated on the UN memorial in Nicosia when accessed in July 2013.
19 Canadian Virtual War Memorial http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem
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