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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

John Montgomery Simpson

In memory of:

Lance Sergeant John Montgomery Simpson

June 6, 1944
Bernières Sur Mer, France

Military Service

Service Number:

B/63935

Age:

23

Force:

Army

Unit:

Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, R.C.I.C.

Division:

1st Bn.

Additional Information

Born:

December 9, 1920
Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

June 18, 1940
Toronto, Ontario

Son of William John and Ormenta Simpson, of Toronto, Ontario. Husband of Mary Jean Simpson, of Toronto. Brother of William James Simpson.

Commemorated on Page 443 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:

V. B. 15.

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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  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star July 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star July 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star July 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star July 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of John Simpson– LSgt John M. Simpson, QOR of C, 1944

    Details

    Photo of John Simpson
    Photo of John Simpson – LSgt John M. Simpson, QOR of C, 1944
  • Group Photo– John M. Simpson (R) and brother William J. Simpson (L) c. 1940 John (Jack) was 20 yrs. old and a Rifleman with the QOR of C, William (Red) was 15 yrs old and a Private with the Kent Regt when this photo was taken. Four years later they went ashore together with the QOR of C at Juno Beach on D-Day. William said that John's last words as he died were "Keep Going!" William died in the line of duty as a City of Toronto Firefighter in 1966.

    Details

    Group Photo
    Group Photo – John M. Simpson (R) and brother William J. Simpson (L) c. 1940 John (Jack) was 20 yrs. old and a Rifleman with the QOR of C, William (Red) was 15 yrs old and a Private with the Kent Regt when this photo was taken. Four years later they went ashore together with the QOR of C at Juno Beach on D-Day. William said that John's last words as he died were "Keep Going!" William died in the line of duty as a City of Toronto Firefighter in 1966.
  • Photo of John Montgomery Simpson– John M. Simpson ca, 1939. Age 18. Employed as Jewelry Polisher or Jeweler's Apprentice.

    Details

    Photo of John Montgomery Simpson
    Photo of John Montgomery Simpson – John M. Simpson ca, 1939. Age 18. Employed as Jewelry Polisher or Jeweler's Apprentice.
  • Obituary– This copy of Sgt. Simpson's obituary is from a Toronto paper in June 1944.

    Details

    Obituary
    Obituary – This copy of Sgt. Simpson's obituary is from a Toronto paper in June 1944.
  • Newspaper Clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper Clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • 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)
  • Grave Marker– This photo of Sgt Simpson's gravemarker was taken by Padre Craig Cameron on June 6th, 2003.

    Details

    Grave Marker
    Grave Marker – This photo of Sgt Simpson's gravemarker was taken by Padre Craig Cameron on June 6th, 2003.

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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