Lester Brown, a Canadian Second World War veteran Photo Historica Canada
By michelle-lee : Lester Brown, believed to be the last Black Canadian soldier to fight in the 1944 D-Day invasion at Juno Beach, died in a hospital in Wallaceburg, Ontario at age 92. His funeral was held September 22nd at North Buxton Community Church in the Chatham area. Brown was wounded in a German a bush and his fellow soldier was shot to death. The two were advancing toward an allied tank when they came under fire. When he returned home he married and fathered three children. He was a railway porter and then conductor for the CPR. Although unconfirmed, Brown’s family and the Buxton Museum believe he was the last surviving Black Canadian soldier involved in the D-Day invasion. The Memory Project of Veterans Affairs Canada also could not confirm this.
Note: The Buxton Museum features tributes to the achievements of Black people who came to Canada after fleeing slavery in the US, and their descendents.
