Léo Major

Who was Léo Major?

Corporal Léo Major DCM* was a French Canadian soldier in the Régiment de la Chaudière in World War II. He was one of only three Canadian soldiers to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the only Canadian to have been awarded a bar to his DCM. Major was the only person whose DCMs were awarded in two different wars

On the night of 13 April 1945, Major single-handedly liberated the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands from German army occupation. This action earned him his first Distinguished Conduct Medal. He received his second DCM during the Korean War for leading the capture of a key hill.

Major died in Longueuil on 12 October 2008 and was buried at the Last Post Fund National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. He was survived by: Pauline De Croiselle, his wife of 57 years; four children; and five grandchildren.