Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of Joseph and Mary Ellen Smith, of Beaconia, Manitoba.
Digital gallery of Rifleman Edward Smith
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Rifleman Edward Smith, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Beaconia, Manitoba,
son of Joseph Smith and Mary Ellen (nee Viznaugh/Visnaugh) brother of
Elmer, Victoria, Anna, Janace, William, and Rose. Both parents and all siblings
of "Uncle Eddie" are deceased since 1995.
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
This letter was sent by CMHQ to the head of the Chaplains Corps and through him to all the district chaplains. Each family on the list received a personal visit from a chaplain to explain that their loved ones named might be in the news and why. Some families heard it on the radio or read it in the paper before the chaplain could get to them. It came as a shock to them that they were not told previously how the deaths occurred.
Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
One of the three survivors of the killing was an RCA Gunner named Clarke. His statement explains what happened.
Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
This is a list of the Canadian soldiers who were found in a mass grave in Normandy. They had been POWs of the SS troops of Kurt Meyer. On the 8th of June 1944 they were herded into a field and shot. A description of the incident is found in the other documents.
Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Rifleman Edward Smith H/42084, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, at age 19. Ed born Sept. 17, 1922. Beloved son of Joseph and Mary Ellen Smith (nee Viznaugh)brother to Elmer, Sydney, William, Lily (Raven), Victoria, Janice (Prince) Anna (Genaille) Rosie (Sinclair/Hedberg)
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Gravemarker - France 2007
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
The Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, located at Reviers, about 4 kilometres from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. (J. Stephens)
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
This monument is dedicated to the memory of the Canadian soldiers of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and to all other Canadian combatants who played a part in the Liberation of Putot-en-Bessin on 7 June 1944. Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022.
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
Rifleman Edward Smith is also commemorated on the Memorial at Putot-en-Bessin, FR … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
Digital gallery of
Rifleman Edward Smith
From the Winnipeg Free Press 1945. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Image gallery
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Rifleman Edward Smith, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, of Beaconia, Manitoba, son of Joseph Smith and Mary Ellen (nee Viznaugh/Visnaugh) brother of Elmer, Victoria, Anna, Janace, William, and Rose. Both parents and all siblings of "Uncle Eddie" are deceased since 1995.
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This letter was sent by CMHQ to the head of the Chaplains Corps and through him to all the district chaplains. Each family on the list received a personal visit from a chaplain to explain that their loved ones named might be in the news and why. Some families heard it on the radio or read it in the paper before the chaplain could get to them. It came as a shock to them that they were not told previously how the deaths occurred. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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One of the three survivors of the killing was an RCA Gunner named Clarke. His statement explains what happened. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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This is a list of the Canadian soldiers who were found in a mass grave in Normandy. They had been POWs of the SS troops of Kurt Meyer. On the 8th of June 1944 they were herded into a field and shot. A description of the incident is found in the other documents. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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Rifleman Edward Smith H/42084, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, at age 19. Ed born Sept. 17, 1922. Beloved son of Joseph and Mary Ellen Smith (nee Viznaugh)brother to Elmer, Sydney, William, Lily (Raven), Victoria, Janice (Prince) Anna (Genaille) Rosie (Sinclair/Hedberg)
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Gravemarker - France 2007
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The Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, located at Reviers, about 4 kilometres from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. (J. Stephens)
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This monument is dedicated to the memory of the Canadian soldiers of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and to all other Canadian combatants who played a part in the Liberation of Putot-en-Bessin on 7 June 1944. Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022.
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Rifleman Edward Smith is also commemorated on the Memorial at Putot-en-Bessin, FR … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
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From the Winnipeg Free Press 1945. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 446 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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BENY-SUR-MER CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY Calvados, France
Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery is about 1 kilometre east of the village of Reviers, on the Creully-Tailleville-Ouistreham road (D.35). Reviers is a village and commune in the Department of the Calvados. It is located 15 kilometres north-west of Caen and 18 kilometres east of Bayeux and 3.5 kilometres south of Courseulles, a village on the sea coast. The village of Beny-sur-Mer is some 2 kilometres south-east of the cemetery. The bus service between Caen and Arromanches (via Reviers and Ver-sur-Mer) passes the cemetery.
It was on the coast just to the north that the 3rd Canadian Division landed on 6th June 1944; on that day, 335 officers and men of that division were killed in action or died of wounds. In this cemetery are the graves of Canadians who gave their lives in the landings in Normandy and in the earlier stages of the subsequent campaign. Canadians who died during the final stages of the fighting in Normandy are buried in Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery.
There are a total of 2,048 burials in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery. There is also one special memorial erected to a soldier of the Canadian Infantry Corps who is known to have been buried in this cemetery, but the exact site of whose grave could not be located.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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