Regiment: Edmonton Regiment, Royal Canadian Regiment
Regimental Number: M562778, M65908
Rank: Private
Force: Army
Donat Girard was born on April 3, 1918 in St. Simeone, Quebec, to parents Edgar and Blanche Girard. He had several siblings: Ailondese, Louisa, Rose, Claude, Delores, and Marcel. In fall of 1930, Edgar and Blanche and family moved from Quebec to Alberta by train. They joined other relatives who built a large cabin for the family near Rahab (Codesa/Eaglesham area) AB. Donat and his family worked hard at various jobs – farming, breaking land, logging, selling fish. Donat was a farmer. On December 20, 1940, Donat applied to join the Army. A few days later he married Marie Burroughs on Christmas Day in Codesa, and they made their home in Eaglesham. He was enlisted in the Edmonton Regiment on June 30, 1941, and went overseas in 1942. Marie and Donat’s daughter, Gail, was born in the same year. Tragically, Donat was killed in action on October 1, 1943 in Sicily, and was buried at the Bari War Cemetery in Italy. The inscription on his grave reads: “Christ shall clasp that broken chain close when we meet again”. Marie remarried in 1948 to Delbert Campbell. Gail married Leo Trudel, and moved to BC. They had two daughters, Penny, and Michelle.
Source: Smoky Peace Triangle p. 85 photo of Donat in uniform, p.161 (Family history of Marie), p. 224 (family history of Paul Girard – relative of Edgar)
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Enrolment Document (SPRA)