Grave of WWII Soldier Who Once Worked in Bonnyville Identified 80 Years Later

Private Vanance and his mother – Photo courtesy of the family of Albert and Elsie Vanasse

A Second World War soldier who once worked on a farm in Bonnyville, Alberta, has finally been identified 80 years after he was declared missing in action. 

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have confirmed that an unknown soldier buried in the Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands is Private Arthur Vanance. His identity was verified through extensive historical and archival research. 

Private Vanance was born on January 5, 1919, in Kenora, Ontario. Before enlisting in the military, he worked as a truck driver for a farm in Bonnyville, Alberta, according to his personnel file: Library and Archives Canada – Private Arthur Vanance. 

In July 1940, he joined the 1st Battalion, The Lake Superior Regiment, Canadian Active Service Force. Two of his brothers, Albert and Emmanuel (Buster), also served with the regiment. He later married Rita Margaret Meservier in Port Arthur, Ontario, and the couple welcomed a child in 1941. 

Always seeking “adventure,” Private Vanance applied to become a motorcyclist in 1942, completing training in Saint John, New Brunswick, and the United Kingdom. He landed in Normandy in July 1944 and took part in the Allied push to liberate France and the Netherlands. 

On February 15, 1945, his unit was operating near Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands as part of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. “Private Vanance and a comrade set up a Bren gun on the German-held side of the Maas, helping to provide covering fire as the unit moved forward. The patrol came under heavy German machine gun fire and was forced to fall back. According to reports, men found Private Vanance badly wounded and his comrade dead but were unable to retrieve them,” according to the DND. 

At just 26 years old, Private Vanance was declared missing in action. His name was later inscribed on panel 11 of the Groesbeek Memorial, which honours Commonwealth soldiers with no known graves. 

The search for his final resting place began in 2016 when independent researchers suggested that an unidentified grave in the Netherlands might belong to Private Vanance. After years of work by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and DND’s Directorate of History and Heritage, the CAF’s Casualty Identification Review Board officially confirmed his identity in December 2024. 

“The identification of Private Arthur Vanance’s grave nearly 80 years after his death is a testament to this commitment,” the DND stated. “His story – one of service, courage, and sacrifice – now has the recognition it deserves.” 

His family has been notified, and the CAF is providing ongoing support. A headstone rededication ceremony will take place at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery at the earliest opportunity.