Royalton lays claim to one of largest number of residents to enlist in WW II

It may be a small community of only a couple hundred peoplein the western part of the province, but Royaltonclaims to have one of the largest number of people, per capita, to enlist in the Second World War.

There were 26 men and one woman who signed upto serve in the community, located ona roadnorth ofCentreville, and nearthe Maine border.

This Saturday, they plan to remember those brave men and womanat aRemembrance Day servicebeing held in the community's only church.

SistersDoris Ann Craig andHelen Crawfordgrew up in the tiny community hearing the story.

"My dad said thatRoyaltonhad the largest number of enlisted personnel in the second World War, known around."

While she knows it was "per capita", Craig said she doesn't know if that meant for New Brunswick,or if it was in all of Canada.

"But to him, it would have been in the world."

Craig said since Canada was celebrating 150 years as a country this year, she thought it would be a fitting time to hold the service.

"This is the big year of Confederation, so I thought, 'Ah, this would be the perfect year to do it.' So I called my sister, and the two of us put our heads together, and then we called some other friends, and this is it."

Kimberly Jensen's father,GrosvenorJensen, was one of the men who enlisted. Hewill be honoured Saturday at the service.

Jensen's father servedunder Field MarshalBernard Law Montgomery in North Africa, and in 10 other countries. He was hit by shrapnel in Italy, robbing him of sight in one eye, and hearing in one ear.

She said he told few stories of his time overseas while she was growing up. She said the gravity of those stories didn't really resonate with heruntil she was older.

Katherine Jensen's father one of the many Royalton residents enlisted in Second World War

7 years ago

Duration 1:19

Small rural community sent 26 men and one woman to serve during Second World War.

"I was 21, and I bought my first car, and I came home and picked him up and we were driving up fromFlorencevilleto Bristol, and he was not saying a whole lot. Then all of a sudden,he just turned to me and he said, 'When I was 21, I was in a foxhole in the Sahara, trying to kill somebody, before they killed me.'"

"And it just, I was old enough I guess, it just sunk in, what all those stories meant."

Another time, Jensen said he told her he would never forget the "smell of war", referringto the dead, decomposing bodies of fallen soldiers.

All of the 27 who enlisted are now dead. Four were killed overseas during the war.