Joseph Alfred Jeddry

Born in 1921 in the small community of Meteghan Station, Nova Scotia along the picturesque shores of St. Marys Bay, Joseph Alfred Jeddry was recently awarded the rank of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour by the French Republic for his superb efforts during the Normandy Campaign of 1944. Shortly after graduating from school, Alfred began working as a welder at the Meteghan shipyard. Here he met Marie Stella Comeau whom he married in 1943.

With World War II beginning Alfred enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1942 as a welder in the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Serving in Canada, Belgium, England, France, Holland and Germany, Alfred Jeddry received the War Medal, Volunteer Medal, France-Germany Medal, Battle of Britain Medal and George VI Defence Medal. In July 1944 Alfred and his Elgin Regiment crossed the English Channel to Normandy and participated in the breakout from Caen and the drive to Germany. Alfred drove a tank during these battles. Returning to Nova Scotia in February 1946, Alfred reunited with his young bride and returned to work first at the Meteghan shipyard and then the Halifax Shipyards. In the early 1950s Alfred Jeddry and his family migrated to New Haven, CT where he eventually joined the A. W. Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at Yale University as a technician. Although he had to learn the practical aspects of nuclear physics in a heavy ion accelerator, Alfred eagerly accepted the challenge and excelled at this job. After 33 years at Yale Alfred Jeddry retired as Senior Technical Specialist Supervisor and was recognized for his exemplary service to the lab by Dr. Alan Bromley, the Engineering Dean at Yale.