Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 29 Nova Scotia War Dead: D-Day By Gary Silliker At least 16 men from Nova Scotia died on 6 June, 1944, during the opening day of Operation Overlord. The airborne assault: The first Canadian unit to land in Normandy was the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. On the night of 5/6 June 1944, they crossed the English Channel and were dropped a few hours before the seaborne assault. Their primary task was to destroy the bridges on the Dives and Divette Rivers in Varaville and Robehomme; and, to protect the left flank of the 9th Parachute Battalion as it attacked the German artillery position in Merville. Killed in action were Warrant Officer 1st Class Wendell Clark of Halifax, Private Alexander J McInnis of Glace Bay, and Major Hugh Murray MacLeod of Glace Bay. The bodies of Clark and MacLeod are buried in the Ranville War Cemetery. McInnis has no known grave and is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial. The seaborne assault: The assault wave that morning was made up of four infantry battalions and various corps units (engineers, artillery, medical, service) of the 3rd Canadian Division. Sapper Arthur Thomas Jackson of Shelburne served to 6th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. He was part of the assault platoon on D-Day. His six-man team were supporting 10 Platoon of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (the first Canadian unit to assault Juno Beach, landing at 0749 hours at beaches 'Mike Red' and 'Mike Green'). The 6th Field Company lost 75% of its men (killed, wounded, missing) and were reduced to one officer and 26 men. Arthur was killed in action by enemy machine gun fire on the beach. Sapper Jackson was the first official Canadian casualty of the assault. Major Gavin Fraser Rainnie of Halifax served in the 13th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was the unit landing officer and was killed in action when his landing craft struck an underwater mine coming into beach “Mike Red”. continued ... Canadian Paratroopers on D-Day Sapper Jackson Major Rainnie
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