CORPORAL LOUIS LEO BELL
CANADIAN INFANTRY
4TH OCTOBER 1916 AGE 28
BURIED: CONTAY BRITISH CEMETERY, FRANCE
Everything seems to point to this being the epitaph of a French Canadian soldier: it's expressed in French, the soldier's Christian names are Louis Leo and he came from Grand Sault which the British call Great Falls, in New Brunswick, Canada. However, his parents don't sound very French - Thomas and Margaret Bell. Perhaps since Great Falls/Grand Sault is a bi-lingual town, the parents spoke French and thought it was an appropriate language to commemorate their son buried in France.
It's an interesting inscription: very Canadian - Vive le Canada - Long live Canada. And then look at the cause for which Corporal Bell died - Est mort pour l'Europe - Died for Europe. No mention of King, Empire, Britain or England.
Bell served with the 26th Battalion Canadian Infantry, which was raised in New Brunswick in November 1914. It departed for Europe in June 1915 and arrived in France in September. In the autumn of 1916 the Battalion was on the Somme. Bell died of wounds in a Casualty Clearing Station at Contay on 4 October 1916. The previous day the 26th Battalion had been in reserve in Courcelette Trench when the 22nd, 24th and 25th attacked Regina Trench with very heavy casualties.