Stag Special

Does missing 2PPCLI soldier Cpl John Richard Toole — presumed dead as of Oct. 11, 1951 — still have family or relatives in Canada?
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the families of 22-year-old Cpl Toole and 15 other Canadian Army soldiers who went missing during the Korean War in the 1950s.
Cpl Toole, who was born March 30, 1929 and had the service number B-801850, and these other soldiers went missing in action between Oct. 11, 1951, and July 12, 1953.
Their remains are presumably located near where they were last seen, in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification, known as MAKRI, has been working towards locating and recovering the remains of soldiers from the DMZ where Canadian soldiers are reported to have gone missing.
Working in close relationship with MAKRI, the CAF is looking for relatives to help identify through genealogical, familial and/or historical research if any discovered remains are those of the missing Canadian Army soldiers.
“Our military relationship with Korea dates back to 1950, when Canada declared its support of South Korea following its sudden invasion by North Korea,” said Military Personnel Command Comd LGen Steven Whelan.
“Canada contributed the third largest number of soldiers among United Nations (UN) countries during the Korean War. Of the more than 26,000 who deployed, 516 made the ultimate sacrifice.
“A formal agreement between the Republic of Korea and Canada signed June 23, 2021, shows we will never forget our fallen, and brings us one step closer to granting peace to the families of the soldiers who went missing.”
The successful identification of the missing, and their burial with their name by their regiment, brings closure to the families and a direct link to the past for soldiers currently serving.
More broadly, it gives all Canadians the opportunity to reflect on the experience of those who died for their country.
“Canada owes a debt to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said DND’s casualty identification co-ordinator Dr Sarah Lockyer. “It is our sacred duty to remember and honour those who died in service to Canada, no matter how long ago or how far away.”
The missing soldiers are:
• Pte Marcel Bear – 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SL-4741 DOB: April 26, 1932 Missing Presumed Dead: May 3, 1953
• Pte Marc André Bolduc – 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment Service No. E-800002 DOB: Oct. 2, 1930 Missing Presumed Dead: Nov. 24, 1951
• Pte Donald Frederick Bradshaw – 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Service No. SH-61876 / DOB: July 17, 1929 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 23, 1951
• Pte John Nicholas Burak – 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SK-5520 / DOB: Oct. 11, 1926 / Missing Presumed Dead: May 3, 1953
Pte Gerard Distefano – 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment Service No. D-801423 / DOB: May 22, 1930 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 23, 1951
• LCpl John Howard Fairman – 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SM-9462 / DOB: March 21, 1932 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 13, 1952
• Pte Robert Gendron – 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SE-103719 / DOB: July 15, 1925 / Missing Presumed Dead: May 6, 1952
• Cpl Donald Perkins Hastings – 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Service No. SK-12663 / DOB: March 20, 1929 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 15, 1952
• LCpl William Edward Johnstone – 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Service No. SF-10453 / DOB: Nov. 14, 1929 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 15, 1952
• Pte John Paul Keating – 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SB-13903 / Date of birth: Aug. 15, 1930 / Missing Presumed Dead: May 3, 1953
• Pte Joseph Edward Kilpatrick – 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SD-4685 / DPB: July 4, 1933 / Missing Presumed Dead: Oct. 13, 1952
• A/Cpl Joseph Gaston Maurice Ladouceur – 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment Service No. SD-4552 / DOB: Aug. 8, 1930 / Missing Presumed Dead: Sept. 6, 1952
• Pte William Albert Stone – 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SF-22255 / DOB: May 6, 1926 / Missing Presumed Dead: May 23, 1952
• Cpl John Richard Toole – 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Service No. B-801850 / DOB: March 30, 1929 / Missing Presumed Dead: 11-Oct-51
• Pte Joseph Georges Tremblay – 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment Service No. SD-4621 / DOB: Dec. 7, 1932 / Missing Presumed Dead: June 23, 1952
Sgt Gordon William Morrison Walker – 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Service No. SD-800063 / DOB: April 9, 1926 / Missing Presumed Dead: July 12, 1953
DND officially established the Casualty Identification Program (CIP) in 2007 to respond to an increasing number of discovered human remains of the more than 27,000 Canadian war dead with no known grave from the First World War, Second World War, and the UN operations in Korea.
In order to bring closure to the families of the 16 Canadian soldiers who went missing during the Korean War, the CAF is asking anyone who may know someone whose family member was declared Missing in Action (MIA) between 1950 and 1953 to inform them of the CIP and encourage them to fill out the form found on the program’s website. Personal information will be protected in accordance with the Privacy Act.
Quick Facts
The Canadian Armed Forces’ Casualty Identification Program (CIP), within DND’s Directorate of History and Heritage, identifies unknown Canadian service members when their remains are recovered, so that they may be buried with their name, by their regiment, and in the presence of their family.
The program also identifies Canadian service members previously buried as unknown soldiers when there is sufficient historical and archival evidence to confirm their identification.
When that is the case, the previously unknown soldier receives a new headstone with their name, unit affiliation, and a personal family inscription, if that is requested.
Since 2007, the CIP has successfully identified the human remains of 32 Canadians, while five sets of remains have been buried as unknown soldiers in cases where identification was not possible. Additionally, the CIP has successfully identified the graves of 2 Canadians — previously marked as unknown — since 2019.