Lawrence Moore Cosgrave

World War I

When the First World War broke out, Cosgrave and McCrae volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force together, and signed each other's attestation papers. Cosgrave, apparently signed McCrae's attestation on the wrong line.

He served as an artillery officer in the Canadian Field Artillery on the Western Front, where was wounded and blinded in one eye. Cosgrave was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Order, first in 1916 and again in 1918. His DSO bar citation reading:He fought at the Second Battle of Ypres alongside McCrae and Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. Later, Cosgrave was presented with the French Croix de Guerre. During the Battle of Hill 70, Cosgrave played a role in reconnaissance and intelligence that coordinated the elimination of German artillery, which contributed greatly to Canadian victory in the battle. His first DSO citation noted that he: carried out several reconnaissances under very heavy fire, and explored the enemy's wire in daylight, displaying the greatest courage and ability throughout. When his turn to sign came, Cosgrave inadvertently placed his signature one line too low on the Japanese copy of the documents, signing on the line for the French Republic. This was attributed to his being blind in one eye, through an injury sustained in the First World War.

The problem was easily corrected, by US General Richard Sutherland who crossed out "French Republic" and wrote in "Dominion of Canada" under Cosgrave's signature, then made similar corrections for the rest of the document. Air Vice-Marshal Leonard Monk Isitt, the Dominion of New Zealand representative, left without a blank to sign, had to have his name and country written in at the bottom margin of the document. The Japanese delegates accepted the corrected copy. Cosgrave did not repeat this error on the Allied copy.

Cosgrave knew Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, who signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of the Japanese Emperor and Government, from their diplomatic days in Shanghai. It is reported that their eyes met when Mamoru Shigemitsu boarded the Missouri, they both smiled with mutual recognition, before Shigemitsu once more became stern and serious. They met each other again a number of years later in London at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

After the war Cosgrave retired from the military in 1946 and began working for the Commerce Department again.

On 28 July 1971, Cosgrave died at his home in Knowlton (Eastern Townships), province of Quebec where he had previously settled. Decades after Cosgrave's death, social media of the Canadian armed forces, posted a series of tweets in September 2020, emphasizing the importance of his military career. They included these two: "Who among us was awarded two Distinguished Service Orders for gallantry in action during WWI?" and "Who among us was awarded a Croix de Guerre?".