Private Dennis Quinn was born March 17, 1923, in Crow Lake, Ontario, to parents Alexander Quinn and Ethel Quinn (later remarried as Ethel Cooper).
Quinn enlisted with the Canadian Infantry Corps on October 28, 1942, in Toronto, Ontario. On March 13, 1943, one month prior to shipping overseas to England, he was married to Doryne Shirley Jenkins.
Following several months spent training in England, Quinn fought in the Italy Campaign with the 48th Highlanders of Canada. He was wounded in action on October 4, 1943, and died that same day. He was 18 years old. Quinn was buried in Italy, initially in Foggia Civilian Cemetery, and later reburied in Bari War Cemetery.
Content notes:
Single letter collection, written by Quinn to his sister Mary during the time he was stationed in the Central Mediterranean Forces area. Quinn wrote his wife’s name as “Doryne” but it also appears in some records as “Doreen.”
External links:
Private Quinn’s service record (Serv/Reg# B134908) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Quinn can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
