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CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
WWII veteran's grave found empty after daughter hoped to relocate burial site
Elizabeth Patrick has more questions than answers after learning her father's grave was empty. Patrick is from England, and was estranged from her father. After years of searching for him she learned he was buried at Green Acres Cemetery just outside of Winnipeg. She wanted to have him relocated to Woodland Cemetery in Ontario, but when the grave was excavated, she got some terrible news. "I got a phone call from the funeral director at Green Acres on the 21st of May," said Patrick. "He said 'I'm sorry to tell you this, and I don't know how to tell you, but your father's not in the grave.'" Patrick's father, Gordon Patrick, was a glider pilot in World War II. He spent his final years in Winnipeg, and died in 1973, but he had no family in Canada, so he was buried without a headstone. Elizabeth Patrick's late son Patrick Moulden also served in the Canadian Armed Forces, and he was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery's Field of Honour in Ontario. Patrick's plan was to move her father's grave next to her son. "I don't want him to be alone, and because my dad was a sergeant glider pilot in World War II … he is eligible for a Last Post headstone, and all the rights of being buried in a military field of honour," explained Patrick. Leading up to the discovery of the empty grave, Patrick was working with Last Post — a veteran-focused charity that makes sure all veterans are given a dignified funeral, burial, and a military gravestone, despite any financial challenges at the time of their death. Patrick planned to have a military headstone for her dad once he was relocated, but the empty grave changes that. "He won't be allowed to have a Last Post headstone because … in order to have a Last Post headstone, you have to have remains," said Patrick. "He's entitled to that. But without remains he's not." Green Acres Cemetery, where Patrick's father was said to be buried, was founded in the 1950s, and the original owners have since passed away. Ownership of the cemetery changed hands a couple of times in the 1990s before it was bought by Service Corporation International in the 2000s. "At the time of the original burial in the early 1970s, Service Corporation International did not own the property," said SCI in an emailed statement. "Given the age of the burial, the historical records that have been passed down to us may be incomplete or inaccurate." Considered a missing person SCI said the cemetery is exploring other areas near the empty grave to try to locate the remains. Because Green Acres can't find the body, it's considered a missing person, and the RCMP is involved. "The RCMP Forensic Identification Section has attended to examine the site many times," said RCMP in a statement "The Oakbank RCMP is working closely with the cemetery and the family." Patrick said communication with SCI and Green Acres was cordial at first, but she noticed they started including their lawyer in the email correspondence. Now she's secured a lawyer as well, and she hasn't heard from Green Acres or SCI since June 9. She said Last Post is still working with her to get a memorial for her father put up next to her son's grave, but she doesn't think she'll find her father's remains. "At this point what are they going to do? Look all over the graveyard for his remains? I don't think so." Patrick believes SCI and Green Acres should do a full inventory of its death records, so no one else finds an empty grave where a loved one should be. Daughter finds WWII veteran's grave empty 3 minutes ago A British woman wanted to relocate her estranged father's grave from a cemetery near Winnipeg to a military site in Ontario, but was shocked to learn the grave her father was supposed to be in was empty.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Shock and sadness': U.K. woman distraught after learning father's remains not at Winnipeg gravesite
A woman had her father's remains exhumed in Winnipeg for a reinterment but discovered an empty grave. Michelle Gerwing reports. Elizabeth Patrick never knew her father. Her parents divorced when she was very young in England. After more than a decade of searching, she found out her father, Sgt. Gordon Alexander Patrick, was a Royal Air Force Glider Pilot in the U.K. He eventually moved to Canada in 1956. 'I've been able to check census records. He was in Saskatchewan, he was in Winnipeg and Alberta,' says Patrick, who now lives in England. Patrick's father died in 1973 in Winnipeg and was buried at the Green Acres Funeral Home & Cemetery. He was laid to rest in an unmarked grave. Once she had the information of where her father's remains were, she wanted to move him next to her son, who was also in the military and is buried in Burlington, Ont. He died in 2022. She began the process of getting her father's remains disinterred from the cemetery in Winnipeg last year, and after six months, it was approved. 'I have been working on this for so long,' she said. 'I was so excited for it to come to fruition.' Sgt. Gordon Alexander Patrick Sgt. Gordon Alexander Patrick. (Elizabeth Patrick) But that excitement quickly turned to shock and grief. When cemetery workers started digging earlier this week, they realized the plot was empty. 'I didn't in my wildest dreams think that he was going to tell me your dad's grave is empty,' she said, 'I didn't think that.' Patrick adds that the entire experience was 'totally unexpected.' 'When you're met with something that is unexpected like that, you don't react until after the fact.' Cemetery is 'actively conducting' explorations CTV News reached out to the cemetery to get some clarification of what has transpired in this situation. In a statement, Green Acres Funeral Home and Cemetery says they are 'aware of the concerns raised and are in communication with the family to explore every possible solution.' The statement goes on to say the owners of the cemetery, Service Corporation International, did not own the property back in the 70s. 'Given the age of the burial, the historical records that have been passed down to us may be incomplete or inaccurate,' the statement reads. 'Additionally, considering the burial took place during the winter months in Canada—where harsh weather conditions such as snow and frozen ground can impact both the burial process and physical documentation—it's possible these factors also contributed to the inconsistencies.' Sgt. Gordon Patrick's gravesite Sgt. Gordon Patrick's gravesite. (Elizabeth Patrick) Green Acres says they 'remain fully committed to supporting the family and working toward a resolution with compassion, transparency, and respect.' Patrick is happy to see there is progress being made to find her father. She says it's not only important to find the remains, but eventually put her father next to her son. 'When we're gone, they'll have each other, and that to me is the most crucial,' she said. 'Even though my son never met his granddad, they will be together long after and for eternity when we are gone.'
