Archibald Guy Magdelin: Monday 9th April 1917
Archibald attestation form describes him as a single farmer from Glenbera, Manitoba and 5’7” tall, 35” chest with 3” expansion fair complexion with blue eyes, light brown hair and a scar on his right wrist. He gave his denomination as Church of England and enlisted at Winnipeg on 7 February 1916. He was Private 871104 with the 78th Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment).
He was reported first missing, and then killed in action, in the attack on Vimy Ridge. The Canadian army death notice shows him as being C of E. He is one of 29 Canadian soldiers buried at the time in the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade Cemetery, Givenchy-en-Gohelle, but whose graves are now lost and are commemorated by special memorial headstones, inscribed to this effect in the Canadian Cemetery No2, Neuville-St. Vaast. His headstone carries the additional message, “Their Glory shall not be blotted out”. He listed his mother as his next of kin.
He was born 12 October 1885 and baptised at St Anne’s on 4 March 1886. His parents were George Charles Jules, a French cook, and Sarah Ann Magdelin of 64 Brodrick Road. He had an elder sister Isabella who was a Civil Service telegraph learner and an elder brother who in 1901 was a mechanical engineer. He emigrated to Canada in 1902. He appears to have returned for a visit going back to Canada on 19 March 1914. The 1916 Canadian census lists him as a Presbyterian labourer living in Souris, Manitoba.