Name: Ernest Joseph Melanson Rank: Private Service Number: G/50000 Service: North Nova Scotia Highlanders, RCIC Date of Birth: December 29, 1906 Place of Birth: Hillgrove, Digby County, Nova Scotia Date of Enlistment: December 7, 1942 Place of Enlistment: Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine Address at Enlistment: Frenchboro, Hancock County, Maine Age at Enlistment: 35 Height: 5 feet, 5 ½ inches Complexion: Dark Hair Colour: Black Eye Colour: Brown Occupation: Farmer, Woodsman Marital Status: Single Religion: Roman Catholic Next of Kin: Annie Melanson (Mother) Date of Death: October 12, 1944 Age: 37 Cemetery: Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium Grave: Section VIII, Row C, Grave 2 Commemorated on Page 392 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on August 23 Ernest Joseph Melanson was the son of George Olivier Melanson (1868-1948) and Anne Marthe Annie (Blinn) Melanson (1881-1949), of Plympton, Digby Co., Nova Scotia, and the brother of Marie Grace Melanson (1901-1904), Celeste Mary (Melanson) Pearson (1907-2002), and Reverend Frederic Joseph Melanson (1911-1990) of Amherst, NS. Ernest enlisted in December of 1942 at the Canadian Army Enlistment Centre in Bangor, Maine, while living there. He completed his medical upon induction in Fredericton, York County, New Brunswick, and completed his basic training at the No. 70 Canadian Infantry Basic Training Centre (CIBTC) in Fredericton from December 12, 1942, to August 5, 1943. During this time, he had stopped training and was employed as staff at CIBTC 70 with general duties from February to June of 1943. In August, he transferred to the A- 30 Canadian Infantry Training Centre (Camp Utopia) in St. George in Eastern Charlotte, Charlotte County, New Brunswick. From November 19 to December 10, 1943, Ernest was given 3 weeks of compassionate leave. In Woodstock, Ontario, he qualified as a driver (Class III) on February 4, 1944. Ernest departed Canada for England on April 30, 1944, arriving there on May 7, 1944. He attended a course on regimental sanitary duties and was attached to the Army School of Hygiene in June of 1944. After additional training, he also qualifying as a driver (Class I) in mid-August, and embarked England for France on August 24, 1944. Private Ernest Joseph Melanson was killed in action on October 12, 1944, serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, and is interred at the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in Belgium.

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial findagrave