Pius Blanchard

Pius Blanchard

Canadian Army | Second World War Born: September 27, 1926 — Duvar, Prince Edward Island, Canada Died: July 31, 2020 Medal: War Medal 1939–45

Pius Blanchard was a Canadian Army veteran of the Second World War, born on September 27, 1926, in the small community of Duvar, Prince Edward Island. Like many young Canadians of his generation, he came of age during a time when the world was at war and military service was understood not as something extraordinary, but as a duty quietly accepted.

Blanchard enlisted in the Canadian Army near the end of the war. Although he did not serve overseas, his service formed part of Canada’s final wartime mobilization effort. He was preparing for shipment to Germany when the war ended before he could be sent abroad. His military service therefore reflects an often-overlooked group of wartime Canadians: those who answered the call, trained, stood ready, and were prepared to go wherever they were ordered, but whose service was overtaken by the sudden end of hostilities.

For his wartime service, Pius Blanchard received the War Medal 1939–45, awarded to those who served in the armed forces during the Second World War. While his military record was not one of battlefield decoration or overseas campaigning, his willingness to serve places him among the Canadians who helped sustain the country’s wartime commitment during one of the most significant conflicts in modern history.

After the war, Blanchard returned to civilian life, part of the generation that built families, communities, and post-war Canada with little expectation of recognition. His story is a reminder that military history is not made only by those who reached the front lines. It is also carried by those who trained, waited, prepared, and accepted the possibility of being sent into danger.

Pius Blanchard holds a special place in the history of this website as the father of its owner. His inclusion here is both a family tribute and a reminder of the broader purpose of this project: to preserve the service stories of ordinary men and women whose lives were touched by war, whether their service took them overseas or kept them in Canada.

He passed away on July 31, 2020, leaving behind a family legacy remembered with pride and affection.