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A British woman wanted to commemorate the life of her uncle, who died alone and was buried in an unmarked grave in Quesnel, British Columbia after joining the Canadian Army during World War II.

While studying his family tree, Stephanie Leigh of Worthing, UK, only recently learned the story of his grandfather’s brother Ferdinand Ainslie Oxenford.

Oxenford was born in England in 1902 and moved to Canada at the age of 17 to work in agriculture. During the war, he was drafted into the army and placed in the Canadian Forestry Corps (Canadian Forestry Corps.), a military department used to harvest and transport the wood needed. Support the Allies. Records show that he enrolled in October 1940 and was on duty in the kitchen in March 1941.

The next record Leigh found was from November 1941 in Quesnel Cariboo Observer. The newspaper reported that Oxenford dropped a ignited explosive under the head of the Quesnel Hotel and committed suicide.

According to a notebook found in his room, Oxenford became discouraged after being discharged from the army in May. Before ending his life, he went to work as a miner in Cariboo, British Columbia. The newspaper said that the police are looking for relatives and Oxenford has been buried in a local cemetery.

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Liming North11:27British woman hopes to commemorate the great uncle buried in unmarked grave in Quesnel, British Columbia

In 1940, Ferdinand Ainslie Oxenford joined the Canadian Army. A year later, he died alone in Quesnel and was buried in an unmarked grave. His great niece recently discovered this and is looking for a way to commemorate his life. 11:27

Leigh said she knew nothing about it, and she did not believe that Anisle’s brothers and sisters, including her grandfather, had been a member of the British glider pilot regiment during the war and died.

She said: “They were told that their brother was killed in an agricultural accident.” “So they were warned of the truth.”

Lee said that although he never knew Oxenford, the details of his death were shocking.

“It makes me very sad… it sounds like he was just doing his best and everything went wrong. This is a tragic ending, isn’t it?”

Now Lee hopes to commemorate him. She found volunteers in a local Facebook group who were willing to help in Quesnel, and they already believed that they had found his unmarked grave, which is where Leigh hopes to go someday.

Military records indicate that Oxenford joined the Canadian Forestry Corps. In October 1940. (War diary of the Canadian Forestry Corps, Canadian Library and Archives)

She also wanted to know more about why he was discharged from the army and provide him with reasons as appropriate. Confederate War Tomb; An official recognition of a veteran of the World War.

In short, she said that simply putting his name on his tombstone and attaching some details of his life would make her feel that she was respecting the lives of her family.

“Some kind of mark will be amazing. I think he deserves it, really. Everyone should do it.”

Stephanie Leigh and her father attended the memorial commemorating the British glider pilot regiment that her grandfather served during World War II. (Submitted by Stephanie Leigh)

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