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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Stewart Ferguson

In memory of:

Lieutenant William Stewart Ferguson

June 8, 1944

Military Service

Age:

35

Force:

Army

Unit:

Royal Winnipeg Rifles

Additional Information

Born:

March 24, 1909
Scone, Perthshire, Scotland

Enlistment:

November 5, 1940
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Son of Anne W. Pullen. Husband of Masala Margaret Ferguson, of Vancouver, British Columbia. His father Captain Thomas Ferguson, died on November 13, 1916, while serving with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders).

Commemorated on Page 303 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

BENY-SUR-MER CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY
Calvados, France

Grave Reference:

XIII. D. 8.

Location:

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.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Photo of William Stewart Ferguson– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Photo of William Stewart Ferguson
    Photo of William Stewart Ferguson – Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Memorial– 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.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – 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.
  • Memorial– Lieutenant William Stewart Ferguson is also commemorated on the Memorial at Putot-en-Bessin, FR … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Lieutenant William Stewart Ferguson is also commemorated on the Memorial at Putot-en-Bessin, FR … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
  • Document– 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. A Lt Ferguson is mentioned in the text as being in the front of the group of men before they were shot. The Initials of the murdered officer were 'WS'. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada

    Details

    Document
    Document – 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. A Lt Ferguson is mentioned in the text as being in the front of the group of men before they were shot. The Initials of the murdered officer were 'WS'. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
  • Letter– One of the three survivors of the killing was an RCA Gunner named Clarke. His statement explains what happened. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada

    Details

    Letter
    Letter – One of the three survivors of the killing was an RCA Gunner named Clarke. His statement explains what happened. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
  • Letter– This letter was sent by CMHQ to the head of the chaplains corps and through hime to all the district chaplains. Each family on the list received a personal visit 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 cam as a shock to them that they were not told previously how the deaths occurred. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada

    Details

    Letter
    Letter – This letter was sent by CMHQ to the head of the chaplains corps and through hime to all the district chaplains. Each family on the list received a personal visit 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 cam as a shock to them that they were not told previously how the deaths occurred. Source: Whitehouse via Archives Canada
  • Grave Marker– A photograph of the headstone at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, located at Reviers, about 4 kilometres from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. May he rest in peace. (J. Stephens)

    Details

    Grave Marker
    Grave Marker – A photograph of the headstone at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, located at Reviers, about 4 kilometres from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. May he rest in peace. (J. Stephens)
  • Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery– The Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, located at Reviers, about 4 kilometres from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. (J. Stephens)

    Details

    Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery
    Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery – 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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