Wilfred Vasseur: Service and Sacrifice

Wilfred Vasseur was born July 12, 1893, to Charles Vasseur and Mary Jane Jeffrey in Penetanguishene. The Vasseurs were one of the Georgian Bay Métis Community's founding families who had received a land grant “across the bay” from the British naval base in Penetanguishene harbour after relocating from Drummond Island following the War of 1812.

Wilfred's service during the First World War began on May 9, 1918, when he was conscripted during the conflict's final months. Unlike his brothers Charles Henry and Albert Paul Vasseur, who enlisted voluntarily, Wilfred was forced to leave his close-knit Métis community. This call to duty came less than a year after his younger brother, Albert, had been killed in action. 

Wilfred quickly embarked overseas with his fast-moving battalion, arriving in England just one month later on June 21, 1918. He trained with the 12th Reserve Battalion before being transferred to the 75th Battalion for service in France in October 1918.

On November 6, 1918, while the 75th Battalion was engaged in the final operations of the Hundred Days Offensive, Wilfred was tragically killed in action only five days before the Armistice was signed.

Wilfred’s sacrifice, alongside that of his fallen brother, Albert, stands as a lasting testament to the bravery, devotion, and profound loss endured by just one of countless Métis families who have taken up the call to military service throughout history.

See Our Sources

• Wilfred Vasseur CGWP

• Wilfred Vasseur Service file

• 75th Canadian Infantry Battalion War Diaries

• Vasseur-Longlade VMFL

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