In his grave's headstone was written “He gave his all for God and truth. Thy will be done.”
Private Ernest Nile Hesse, with the service number A/3245, served the army of the Royal Canadian Regiment and died at the young age of 25 on Dec. 8, 1943 in Ortona, Italy.
It was during the Ortona Battle of the Second World War that claimed many Canadian lives, including that of Ernest Nile.
From that day on, he was never forgotten.
In August 2011 my husband, Ernest Patrick Hesse (Ernie), myself and our children travelled to Stratford, Ontario to visit his mom, sisters, nephews and nieces and to meet them for the first time. There, I had the chance to go to the War Memorial Monument where the names of the veterans and heroes of World Wars were listed. I took photos of Ernest Nile name that was written on the Second World War monument.
Ernie’s family started sharing stories with me about the war and how they anxiously waited for Ernest Nile to return, but did not make it.
This year, my husband decided to visit the grave of his grandfather who he had only seen in a portrait that was hung on the wall in their house in Stratford when he was just a little kid.
In 1995, my husband moved to 100 Mile House.
With all-out support for my husband’s desire to find his grandfather's grave, on June 25, 2016, I flew to Paris and met him at the airport. He flew all the way from work in Mali to Paris to meet me there.
We drove to Ortona, Italy on July 2, 2016, and with the help of a very kind local of San Donato, we found the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery.
There were more than one thousand graves in that cemetery, the land of which was the gift of Italian people for the perpetual resting place of the sailors, soldiers and airmen.
The cemetery is permanently open so we entered and walked through the path and looked for the plot X.B.9, and, yes, we found him.
It was very peaceful and the silence in the place had touched Ernie’s heart. I knew that it was a very emotional moment for him to be able to pay respect for his grandfather which he had desired to do for a long time.
He was the first among the Hesse clan to visit the actual location where Ernest Nile was killed and was buried.
It was in the heat of summer sunshine when we stood in front of the gravestone of Ernest Nile, and with sweat and tears Ernie, brought out a Canadian flag and wrote “Proud to bear your name, I have not forgot.”
He whispered to my ear: “I would like to have some alone time to speak to my grandfather."
I knew that moment, he had always wanted to thank his grandfather for his bravery and heroism and for what he did for his country, which brought the entire Hesse clan pride and honour.
Ernest Nile Hesse, who was the husband of Lucy Hesse, left a legacy. His first born son Ernest Wayne Hesse (Ernie the second) was named after him and his name was passed on generation to generation. My husband Ernest Patrick is Ernie the third and his first born son Ernest Jordan is Ernie the fourth and his grandson Ernest Nicolai, 7, is Ernie the fifth, and the family is hoping his name will continue to linger just like his memories.