Cochet, Marin

Marin Cochet was born on 8 December 1891 in Maison-Carrée, near Algiers, Algeria, which was then a French colony. It is unclear when Cochet immigrated to Canada; however, evidence suggests that, in 1916, he successfully applied for a land grant in Alberta under the Dominion Lands Act.

A farmer, Cochet enlisted in the 232nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Saskatchewan) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on 8 March 1917. After receiving basic training in Canada, he and his unit were shipped to England on SS Olympic in May 1917 and arrived there on 9 June 1917. At Camp Bramshott, a Canadian military facility in Hampshire, the unit was absorbed into the 15th Reserve Battalion, which provided reinforcements to units already active in the field.

On 24 November 1917, Cochet was transferred to the 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Western Cavalry) for service in France. He joined the unit in the field on 30 November. Cochet’s initial time with the 5th Battalion was to be short. Suffering from mumps, he was hospitalized on 29 December 1917 and only returned to his unit on 1 February 1918. His return was short-lived. A mere 18 days later, he was hospitalized after being gassed. He would not rejoin the 5th Battalion until 16 May 1918.

Cochet was wounded in the left arm and leg by shell fire during a raid on a German trench near Arras on the night of 26-27 July 1918. His leg wound was particularly bad, the shell having fractured the femur. After being stabilized in hospitals in France, he was shipped to No. 15 Canadian General Hospital in Taplow, England, on 31 August 1918. While in the hospital, he contracted septicemia and pneumonia. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff caring for him, Cochet died on 2 January 1919.

Marin Cochet is buried in Cliveden War Cemetery, Buckinghamshire, England.