B68757 Lance Corporal Irvin Cholette was born in North Temiskaming, Quebec, on 6 August 1924, the son of Olivier Cholette and Mary Louise McBride and came from a large family with four brothers and six sisters. He completed grade 3, left school at 11, and was Roman Catholic.

Cholette worked as a miner when he enlisted in Noranda, Quebec, with the active service army on 29 April 1943 at age 19. He trained briefly in Brantford before arriving in the United Kingdom on 20 September and posted to The Queen’s Own Rifles on 9 October 1943.

In February 1944, he spent two weeks in hospital and on D-Day 6 June 1944, landed in the second wave with C Company on Juno Beach. He served with the QOR through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, and on 3 April 1945 was appointed to Lance Corporal.

Lance Corporal Cholette, aged 20, was killed in action in the Netherlands on 23 April 1945. He is buried in Holten Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference XI. G. 9.

In 1948, a letter was received from Mrs. K.W. Pots-Veenigen, Comschate, Deventer, Holland, stating that she had “adopted” his grave.