Robert Louis Richard

Robert Louis Richard was a single male who was born on the 3rd of October, 1921 in Ottawa Ontario. Robert was raised at 195 Patterson Ave which is located in The Glebe Ontario and raised by his father, Adrian Henry Albert Richard and his mother, Janet Neilson Richard. Along with Robert’s father and mother he had a 14 year old brother whose name was Donald Gordon Richard. Robert's father was an Ontario Civil Servant and his mother was unemployed and more focussed on house work. As Robert lived in The Glebe he went to Glebe Collegiate Institute where he took up hockey and rugby as two of his favorite sports. After high school Robert applied to go to Queens university for a mechanical program but later enlisted himself into the military. Friends and family or anyone who really knew Robert described him as having superior intelligence and a great learning ability. He took this intelligence of his and went to Queens University for a mechanical program.

Robert Louis Richard enlisted on the 4th of May 1943 in Kingston, Ontario. When Robert enlisted he was first appointed as second lieutenant in the unit No. 3-A District Depot-Gen list. Later after his enlistment he got promoted to Lt Arty( lieutenant artillery) on November 13, 1943. One year later on November 13, 1944 he got transferred overseas to fight. There could be many possibilities of why a soldier may enlist in the military but it is believed Robert enlisted because his father fought during the first world war. Robert looked up to his father and decided to do the same thing as him. When enlisting into the war Robert was close to graduating Queens University and he signed a paper on 13 of October 1942. The paper stated “I, Robert, Louis, Richard, whose name is hereunto subscribed declare that I agree to serve in an Active Formation or Unit - Canadian military upon graduation from or leaving university.” Sadly Robert never returned from war and didn’t get to continue serving his country or even working in the field of mechanics.

Robert Louis Richard died when he was 24 years old on the 6th of April, 1945. The death of Robert is very minimal. He died from multiple wounds received overseas when he was fighting with his country, Canada. For a memorial Robert was buried at The Algonquin Regiment which is located in North Bay, Ontario where you can still go and see to this day.

Primary Source Documents : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2227902?Robert%20Louis%20Richard

“The Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM) - Memorials - Remembrance.” Veterans Affairs Canada, 15 January 2024, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial. Accessed 23 October 2024.

“Personnel records of the Second World War.” Library and Archives Canada, 22 March 2024, https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/military-heritage/second-world-war/pages/personnel-records-second-world-war.aspx. Accessed 23 October 2024.

The biographies appearing on this website have been written by students, roughly the same age as the soldiers they are studying, using primary source evidence from Library and Archives Canada, in addition to primary source documents from The Virtual War Memorial on veterans.ca. We welcome any corrections or additions you may have to these biographies.

'If we do preserve it, we honour them, and when we in our turn pass on, we will know that behind us lives a generation of free men and of free women to be the keepers of this great heritage of ours - Canada.'

- Ian A. McPhee, former student at GCI, 1937.

Glebe Collegiate Institute
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada

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