Einar Victor Isfeld

In memory of private Einar Victor Isfeld, a fallen Canadian soldier. (1945)

His son Dennis wrote :

I have prepared a bit of a biography of my father from the information that is available to me. As you know I was only a little over 2 years of age when my father left for overseas and don't have any personal recollection of him. Einar Victor Isfeld (b.19 March 1915) (d. 6 April 1945)

This is a photo of my father, mother and me taken in 1944 at the family farm.

My father, Einar Victor Isfeld, was born at Big Point, Manitoba on March 19, 1945 to Einar and Jonina Isfeld. His parents, Einar and Jonina, immigrants from Iceland in the late 1800's were married on February 13, 1890. They homesteaded in an almost exclusive Icelandic community at Big Point, Manitoba. My father was the 2nd youngest of the family of 7 sons and 5 daughters. The family were livestock farmers and fisherman on Lake Manitoba. He received his education at Big Point school and as a young man followed in his father‘s footsteps becoming a fisherman.On November 8, 1941 Einar married Jean Lillian Schive of Amaranth, Manitoba. Dennis Victor Isfeld (b. 18 August 1942) is the only child of this marriage.

This photo shows my father and me, as a toddler.

Mom and dad continued farming and fishing with the family. Later, he bought a truck and became a cream delivery driver, picking up cream cans from local farmers and delivering to the central creamery at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Following my father's enlistment, my mother and I went to reside with her parents (my grandparents) Albert and Bertha Schive, homestead farmers at Falmouth, Manitoba.

This is the medallion my father took with him at his journey. His ring shows the initials E.V.I.

In November, 1942, my father enlisted in The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. His military training took place in Portage la Prairie and Shilo, Manitoba, as well as Prince George and Vernon, British Columbia. On December 25, 1944, he departed overseas by ship out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He arrived in Scotland in January, 1945 and received further training in England, Belgium and Holland. On March 13, 1945 he went into active action.                                                                                                                                    Two weeks later on March 30th, just two days after crossing the Rhine River at Rees,Pte. Einar Victor Isfeld was seriously wounded in action during the fighting at Netterden, Netherlands, suffering a bullet wound to the stomach along with a broken arm. He hung on for several days, but his injuries proved too severe and he passed away on April 6, 1945. He had just recently turned 30. The war in Europe would end one month later.

This is the photo of my father’ s wallet with a picture of my mother (left) and two friends. This is most likely the last letter he ever got from his wife.

Victor has first been buried on the temporary Canadian military cemetery Bedburg, and in August 1946 his remains were transported to the Canadian military cemetery in Nijmegen.                                                                           

His last pace to rest in section 014, row C. grave 7.

Almost 60 years after Victor’s death, his son came to visit his father’s grave for the first time.

 Canadian War Cemetery Groesbeek with memorial.