• Normandy Massacres

Date of birth:

October 29th, 1919 (Stellarton/Nova Scotia, Canada)

Date of death:

June 7th, 1944 (Beny-sur-Mer/Somme, France)

Buried on:

Canadian War Cemetery Beny-sur-mer
Plot: II. Row: H. Grave: 16.

Service number:

F/45210

Nationality:

Canadian

Thomas Roy Davidson was born to Roy and Mary Davidson. Raised in a close-knit family at 700 Albion Road, he was one of several siblings, including Eugene, Reginald, Mary Helen, Josephine, Agnes, Ruby, and Joney. Before enlisting, Thomas worked in the coal mines of Nova Scotia, living with his parents and intending to make Stellarton his permanent home.

He enlisted in the Canadian Army on June 28, 1940, joining the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. His service took him from Canada to the United Kingdom and ultimately to Northwest Europe. On June 6, 1944, he landed in Normandy as part of the Allied invasion. The following day, June 7, 1944, Corporal Davidson was murdered by Waffen-SS troops in France, just 24 years old. He was initially buried in a temporary grave near Beny-sur-Mer and later reinterred at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian Military Cemetery.

Davidson’s death was later linked to war crimes investigations. In December 1945, his mother was informed that his name might be mentioned in the trials of German war criminals responsible for murdering Canadian soldiers.

His personal effects, including photographs, shoulder flashes, an address book, and a folder of poems, were returned to his family in 1946. A watch sent to him by his mother in May 1944 was never recovered, prompting her to request its tracing for sentimental reasons.

His war service gratuity and estate were distributed equally between his parents. He held a life insurance policy with Metropolitan Life, naming his mother as beneficiary.

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• - Service record(s)

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