We regret to advise of the death of Second World War veteran Sapper Joseph Leopold Thibeault of Montreal QC on 10 January 2025, at the age of 105 years. Léopold Thibeault was 21 when he enlisted in 1941 in Rimouski QC 1941. He was not the only member in his family to serve: his brothers were members of Canada's military, and his uncle fought in the First World War.
After training in Canada, Léopold left for England in April 1942 as part of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Engineers. The next two years of training and employment in the United Kingdom saw his unit heavily involved in constructing infrastructure for the Canadian Army in England and building roads and airfields for the defence of the United Kingdom.
The 3rd Battalion, RCE disembarked in France after D-Day as part of the Canadian Commander Royal Canadian Engineer Works group. In France, Léopold repaired roads, constructed bridges, cleared mines, and moved masses of engineer stores forward to support the Allied advance. His battalion then moved into Belgium, where it worked on building the Ostend-Ghent 50-mile pipeline until January 1945 before moving into Holland. Léopold recalled working with many Canadian and British engineers on the "Foulkes" and "Simonds" 1400-feet long Bailey Bridges over the Neder Rijn at Arnhem. After VE Day, Léopold returned to Canada and was demobilized. He became a railway engineer for the Canadian National Railway and worked until he retired in 1983.
Léopold's contributions to the Battle of France were recognized on 11 November 2022 when the Consul General of France in Montreal, Sophie Lagoutte, presented him the French Légion d'honneur for his service.
Léopold was an active member of his Royal Canadian Legion Branch. He attended the pilgrimage events in Europe for the 40th anniversary of D-Day and revisited Juno Beach with fellow Allied soldiers. He also made it to Normandy for the pilgrimage on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing, where he met Prime Minister Trudeau and Prince Phillip and saw Juno Beach again. Léopold was hoping to return to Europe in 2025 to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day.
Visitation will be held at the Côte-des-Neiges Funeral Centre {4525 Chemin de Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal}. Visitation hours are 1 February 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and 2 February from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. A service will be held at the chapel on 2 February 2025 at 12:00 p.m. Online condolences can be sent to the funeral Home.