A Canadian World War II veteran has died one day before he was to return to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, it was announced Tuesday.
William Cameron was 100 years old.
Canada’s veterans affairs ministry announced his Sunday passing on X, the former Twitter. The next day he had been scheduled to fly to France as part of a Canadian delegation attending ceremonies on Thursday.
“We are saddened by the passing of #SWW Veteran, William ‘Bill’ Cameron,” said the post. “Rest easy, Mr. Cameron.”
Cameron was an anti-aircraft gunner aboard a corvette that escorted American barges during the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy.
Born in Brandon, Manitoba, he later moved with his family to Canada’s Pacific coast where he joined the navy in 1943.
He recalled in a video on the website of the Juno Beach Centre museum in Normandy that he and his crew — the only Canadian corvette to reach the beaches during the invasion — was ordered at Omaha Beach to “protect all these fellas on the barges landing on the beaches.”
“I’ll tell you it was something awful,” he said, adding that this particular beach had been described as the hardest to take.
“We were all very frightened,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that, especially when the [enemy] aircraft were coming right at you.”
“At one point, the captain mentioned me, ‘Good shooting, Cameron.’ I’ll never forget that,” he added.
Some members of his ship’s crew suffered injuries, but none died in the battle. Some 45,000 Canadians lost their lives in the war, including 5,500 killed during the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day.
Cameron was decorated in 2015 with France’s Legion of Honor — the nation’s highest decoration — in recognition of his contribution to the liberation of France.
“France will never forget what the country owes him and will keep his memory alive,” said France’s consulate in Vancouver.
“We will remember his service and story,” said Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs Ginette Petitpas Taylor.
French President Emmanuel Macron is to host US President Joe Biden, Britain’s King Charles III, and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the shores of Normandy, representing the three main countries involved in the landings on June 6, 1944.
Some 200 veterans, most in their late 90s or older, are also expected.
