“We Shall Not Forget “– The Story of Richard (Dick) Ernest Brault
Veterans are fewer and fewer every year. Other volunteers are stepping in to help sell poppies during the campaign. I did two shifts with another Legion member, Edwina Bougie. While we were selling poppies, several men and women talked about their parent’s or grandparent’s war service. I mentioned that these stories needed to be recorded before they were lost. One person brought her father’s story to the Legion to pass on to me and I would like to pass it on to you, the readers.
Irene Brault wrote the following about her father.
“Richard was born on June 15th, 1923, in Ogdensburg, New York State. His father, Oliver Brault, was a professional golfer. His mother, Gabrielle Legeault, was the mother of eight children.
‘Dick’ joined the Canadian Army late in 1941 at the age of eighteen. He was stationed in Nanaimo, assigned to active duty, and was then sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia. His unit was the St. John’s Fusiliers. When the unit was disbanded, he joined the North Nova Scotian Highlanders and was sent to Europe.
He was wounded in Holland on October 15th, 1944. His leg was amputated in Belgium below the knee, and a second time in England, above the knee. He was back in Canada in late December 1944. He sailed home on the Queen Mary.
He then met a lovely girl, Fernande Surprenant, and they were married on January 5th, 1946. They had two girls and three boys for whom he provided for 32 years, often working ten to twelve hours a day, at the silk factory, Bruck Mills, in Cowansville, standing most of the time.
In his spare time, he played golf like a pro and won many tournaments. He even had a hole in one at the age of 78! After Fern’s death in 1988, he remarried in 1989 to Frances Ingalls. They had a good twelve years together before Frances died.
All his life, he loved and was loved. He was an example of courage and perseverance to all around him. He died after a full life (his words) on November 8th, 2009, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
When Dick was asked, “Would you like to have changed anything in your life?”, he replied, “Nothing. I did my duty, for our freedom.”
Richard 'Dick' Ernest Brault served Canada in World War Two and was a long-time resident of Cowansville after the war.