(Montreal) Canadian veteran William Cameron, who participated in the June 6, 1944, died at the age of 100 the day before his return to Normandy, where he was to attend the festivities of the 80th anniversary of the landing, Ottawa said Tuesday .
This former anti-aircraft machine gunner who took part in the landing on Omaha beach was to be “part of the delegation which went to France”, indicated the Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs, Ginette Petitpas Taylor.
“We will remember his service and his story,” she added in a post on X.
Enlisted in the navy in 1943, the man we called Bill was only 20 years old when he had to protect the American frigates which landed Allied troops on June 6.
“And I’ll tell you, it was something horrible,” the veteran commented in a video testimony published by the Juno Beach Center in Normandy.
Some members of the crew were injured, but none lost their lives during the battle.
“France will never forget what the country owes him and will keep his memory alive,” the Consulate General of France in Vancouver declared on X, noting that Bill Cameron had been decorated with the Legion of Honour in 2015.
This week, French President Emmanuel Macron planned a three-day “memorial pilgrimage,” from Wednesday to Friday, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy.
Some 200 events will be organized, including various ceremonies including those with heads of state from June 5 to 7, but also exhibitions, reenactment camps of the different armies, parades of vintage military vehicles, conferences, concerts, etc.
The Canadian delegation has already arrived there where it will be joined by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 6. She will return to Canada on Sunday.
Some 45,000 Canadians lost their lives during the Second World War, including 5,500 during the Battle of Normandy and 381 during D-Day.