J. B. A. Desaleux
Service no. 1250216
Gunner, Canadian Field Artillery, 76th Bty. Reserve Bde.
Died age 29 on 25 May 1917
Son of J. B. A. and Edith Desaleux, of London, England; husband of Alice E. Desaleux, of 1399, Winnipeg Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Remembered at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Kent
Brother of Ernest William Desaleux and Frederick Desaleux
Shorncliffe Barracks, on the Kent coast close to Folkstone and Dover, was inhabited mainly by Canadian troops, and subject to airborne attacks by German bombers. The most devastating came on 25 May 1917 when two bombs fell on the huts occupied by 18 soldiers, of whom 16 were Canadian. There were 71 military and civilian casualties, including Jules Benjamin Desaleux.
Jules had emigrated with his wife to Canada and lived with at 253 Park View Street, St. James, Winnipeg. He attested on 8 January 1917, stating that he had previously served in the Territorials with the Royal West Surreys. Jules was described as brown-eyed with dark brown hair and a fair complexion, and 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a 36-inch chest.