MONTREAL–Family and friends of Leo Major describe him as a humble man who wore his battle scars with grace.

The residents of the Dutch city of Zwolle remember him as a hero.

Major is the only Canadian to have received two Distinguished Conduct Medals, the second highest award for gallantry in action after the Victoria Cross, for accomplishments in World War II and the Korean War.

He died in Montreal on Oct. 12 at age 87. His funeral was yesterday.

In 1940, at 19, the French-Canadian from a tough Montreal neighbourhood joined Le Régiment de la Chaudière.

After losing an eye to a grenade on D-Day on the beach in Normandy, he refused a medical evacuation. He claimed he could still sight a rifle with one eye.

But it was his bravery on a cold, rainy April night in 1945 that won him his first medal and the lasting respect of the people of Zwolle.

On that night, Major single-handedly liberated the city.

It was April 13, 1945, when Pte. Major and another French-Canadian soldier, Willie Arsenault, were sent to scope out the German presence in the town, about 120 kilometres northeast of Amsterdam.

Arsenault was killed by German machine-gunners. But Major, using a combination of luck, cunning and guts, was able to capture Zwolle from the Germans by killing them when he could and setting off enough grenades to create the impression a large Canadian force had entered the city. By early morning, they had fled the town.

Since Major died, the town hall flag in Zwolle has been flying at half-mast, a register has been opened so townspeople can record their condolences, and Lt.-Col. Henri J.L. Schevers from the Dutch embassy attended his Montreal funeral yesterday.

Betty Redemeyer's stepfather, Hendrik van Gerner, met Major that night. It began a lifetime of friendship as Major, in his later years, frequently travelled back to Holland to speak to schoolchildren about his experiences.

"Because of Leo, (the Allies) knew they didn't need to bomb the city, the Germans were gone," she said.

Redemeyer recalled Major's visits back to Zwolle with fondness.

"He could have been my grandfather," she said. "He was so sweet."

She added: "He will never be forgotten. To us, he really is a hero."

Major's son, Denis, said his father rarely spoke of his exploits. In fact, he only told his family in the late 1960s about some of what he'd accomplished.

"Even my mother didn't know," Denis said.

In the Korean War, Major won his second medal for bravery after leading a company to capture a key hill.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Major is survived by his wife of 57 years, Pauline De Croiselle, his four children and five grandchildren.



