This street is named in memory of Lieutenant William James Robert Fogerty
William James Robert Fogerty was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland. In 1929, he emigrated to Canada with his parents, settling in Toronto where he obtained a position with the Imperial Life Assurance Company and served with the Queen’s Own Rifles. A number of years later, his work required that he transfer to London ON.
Enlisting in the fall of 1942, he went on to complete his military training at the Canadian Army Officers Training Centre in Belleville ON before embarking for the UK in September 1943. Once in England, he was assigned to the Essex Scottish Regiment who had been decimated the year before during the Dieppe Raid. The following months saw the Regiment (part of the 2nd Division) train in preparation for the D-Day invasion of June 1944. However crowding in the Normandy bridgehead delayed the move of the Division to France to the 7th July. With Caen falling on 19 July, the Canadians pushed forward to take Verrières Ridge, the dominant geographical feature between Caen and Falaise. Known as OP ATLANTIC, it is during this fighting that Lieutenant William James Robert Fogerty was killed near St. Martin-de-Fontenay. He died on 22 July 1944 and is buried in the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery.
