This Day in History: June 7, 1944

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by Simonov

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This Day in History

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On June 7, 1944, 11 Canadian prisoners of war (POWs) were massacred by members of the 12th SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend at the Abbey d'Ardenne in the Normandy region of France. The Canadian troops were members of the Nova Scotia Highlanders and the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment) who had been captured during the Normandy invasion. The following day, seven more men from the Nova Scotia Highlanders were murdered at the abbey. Two more Canadian troops, Lieutenant Frederick Williams and Lance Corporal George Pollard, were captured on June 17 while patrolling the area and were later killed by their captors at the abbey. The body of Williams would be recovered by the Regina Rifle Regiment in July while that of Pollard was never found. The 18 men killed on June 7-8 were discovered in the winter and spring of 1945 by residents of the abbey.

The following are the names of the victims of June 7-8.

Of the Nova Scotia Highlanders:
Private Ivan Crowe
Private Charles Doucette
Corporal Joseph MacIntyre
Private Reginald Keeping
Private James Moss
Private Walter Doherty
Private Hollis McKeil
Private Hugh MacDonald
Private George McNaughton
Private George Millar
Private Thomas Mont
Private Raymond Moore

Of the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment):
Trooper James Bolt
Trooper George Gill
Trooper Thomas Henry
Trooper Roger Lockhead
Trooper Harold Philip
Lieutenant Thomas Windsor

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