Bérubé, Joseph Edvas Adolphe

Joseph Edvas Adolphe Bérubé was born on 2 October 1899 in Montreal to Joseph and Clementine Bérubé. His father was a grocer/salesman. Little is known of his family or early life but by the time of his attestation he listed his occupation as labourer.

He attested to the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force in Montreal on 6 June 1919. He joined the 1st Depot Battalion, 1st Quebec Regiment but was sent to British Columbia and assigned to the 259th Canadian Rifle Battalion. This was part of the Siberia Expeditionary Force which had been stood up in November 1918 as part of the 16th Canadian Brigade Group to be sent to Russia to protect lines of communication and supplies during the Revolution. The 259th embarked from Vancouver on 26 December 1918 in the SS Protesilaus and arrived in Vladivostok on 15 January 1919. The Canadian camp was established nearby at Gornostai Bay. The Canadian contingent, consisting of 4,200 members, was never authorized to leave the area and get involved in combat operations. They spent their time in sports, theatrics, some sightseeing and, of course, training. Revolutionary fever was high in the area with many of the locals supporting the Bolsheviks. The city was also hit with a typhoid epidemic which limited contact with the local population. Bérubé was hospitalized during his deployment, though the symptoms were not severe. The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force was repatriated on 21 April on the SS Monteague to Vancouver. Bérubé was admitted to hospital in Montreal where his ailment was cleared up. He was discharged in Montreal on 6 June 1919.

Bérubé gave his discharge address as The Khaki Club, Montreal, but there are few reliable records of his post-service life. He married a Marcelle Renaud on 28 December 1935 in Montreal.