Bolt, James Elgin

Normandy Massacres

Date of birth:: October 24th, 1919 (St. Thomas/Ontario, Canada)
Date of death:: June 7th, 1944 (Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe, France)
Buried on:: Canadian War Cemetery Beny-sur-mer
Plot: VI. Row: C. Grave: 2.
Service number:: B/48881
Nationality:: Canadian

Biography

James Elgin Bolt was the son of Matilda Bowins of Collingwood, Ontario. Before the war he worked as a truck driver He was unmarried at the time of his enlistment and identified as a member of the Church of Christ.

He enlisted in the Canadian Army (Active Service Force) at Owen Sound, Ontario, on 10 April 1941, joining the Simcoe Foresters before transferring to the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment). His regimental number was B-48881. Physically fit and of solid build, he was trained as a driver and loader-operator, reaching Trade Group II qualification. His pay was set accordingly, reflecting his specialization.

Bolt served in Canada for several years, training at places such as Camp Borden, where he sustained a Colles fracture of the wrist in 1942 during training exercises but recovered without lasting disability. By 1944, his unit was deployed overseas to England in preparation for the Allied invasion of Europe.

He landed in Normandy, France, in early June 1944 as part of the D-Day invasion force. On 7 June 1944, during heavy fighting south of Caen, Bolt was listed as missing in action when his tank crew, under Lieutenant Windsor, was cut off. Eyewitness reports later confirmed that Bolt was captured by German forces. Evidence presented at the postwar Kurt Meyer war crimes trial revealed that Bolt, along with other Canadian prisoners, had been executed after surrendering, a violation of the laws of war. His body was initially buried in a mass grave but later reinterred with honour.

His mother, Matilda Bowins, received his service medals and the Memorial Cross.

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