• Normandy Massacres

Date of birth:

December 8th, 1923 (Toronto/Ontario, Canada)

Date of death:

June 17th, 1944 (Mouen/Somme, France)

Buried on:

Canadian War Cemetery Beny-sur-mer
Plot: XVI. Row: C. Grave: 9.

Service number:

B/134348

Nationality:

Canadian

John Ramage Campbell Jr. was born to Mr. John R. Campbell, a resident of 92 Armstrong Avenue. Raised in a Christian Missionary Alliance household, John attended public school for eight years and briefly studied at Western Technical School in Toronto. Before enlisting, he worked as a warehouse laborer and butcher, occupations that reflected his working-class roots and practical skill set.

At the age of 18, John enlisted in the Canadian Army on October 13, 1942, at the #2 District Depot in Toronto. He was medically examined and found fit for service, despite a history of nasal surgery and scarring on his eardrums. His attestation papers record him as single, fluent in English, and committed to serving in any active formation as long as required by His Majesty. He was assigned Regimental Number B-134348 and joined the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (Q.O.R. of C.), an infantry regiment with a storied legacy.

John’s military training began at #25 Basic Training Centre in Simcoe, Ontario, followed by further instruction at Camp Borden. He was granted a modest pay increase and a 14-day furlough before being transferred overseas. On March 26, 1943, he was struck off strength from the Canadian Army in Canada and taken on strength with the Canadian Army Overseas. He disembarked in the United Kingdom on April 4, 1943, and reported for duty the following day.

Rifleman Campbell served with the Queen’s Own Rifles during the Allied campaign in Normandy. On June 12, 1944, he was officially reported killed in action in France. However, subsequent investigations revealed a darker truth. On June 17, 1944, John was among seven Canadian soldiers captured and executed by members of the German 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in the village of Mouen, Normandy. The atrocity was documented by multiple courts of inquiry, including SHAEF and Canadian War Crimes Investigation Units. The bodies were buried in a mass grave and later exhumed and identified by Allied authorities.

John Campbell Jr. was laid to rest in the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France, initially recorded as buried in Plot XXXVI, Grave 18, and later reinterred in Grave 9, Row C, Plot 16. His death was acknowledged by the Canadian Pension Commission, and his estate was bequeathed entirely to his father, as stated in his military will dated October 16, 1942. He appointed his father as executor and signed the document in the presence of two civilian clerks.

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• Photo 1: Canadian Virtual War Memorial
• - Service record(s)

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