Bruno Picard, son of Olivier Picard and Hélène Desjardins, was born in L’Orignal in 1920.

Bruno enlisted in 1941 at the age of 21. After a few months of training in Canada, he embarked for Europe. His regiment’s activities led him to Belgium, where he met the woman who would share his life, Yvonne Vanacker of Comines, Belgium.

Mr. Picard did not suffer any physical injuries during the war but certainly experienced great sadness when his father and mother passed away during his time in Europe.

After the war, Bruno Picard and his wife returned to Canada. They lived in L’orignal for a few years, but as Yvonne could not adapt to her new country, the couple returned to live in Wervik, Belgium. There, Bruno Picard found a new vocation, looking after cemeteries where the remains of Canadian soldiers who died in combat lie buried. Bruno and his wife Yvonne came back to visit Bruno’s family in L’Orignal quite frequently through the years until Yvonne’s death in September 1990. Bruno’s last visit was in 1993.