• Normandy Massacres

Date of birth:

April 3rd, 1918 (Stellarton/Nova Scotia, Canada)

Date of death:

June 7th, 1944 (Buron, France)

Mentioned on:

Commonwealth Memorial of the Missing Bayeux

Service number:

F/45219

Nationality:

Canadian

James William MacKinnon was raised in a modest household at 140 Bridge Street. He was the son of Mary Catherine MacKinnon and James MacKinnon, the latter passing away in 1919. James grew up in Pictou County, where he spent his early years and received limited formal education, completing only two years of high school before leaving school at age 20. Despite being recorded as illiterate in some military documentation, he was fluent in English and worked various labor-intensive jobs, primarily as a pick-and-shovel laborer, earning a weekly wage of $20.06 from multiple employers.

At the onset of the Second World War, MacKinnon enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force on June 28, 1940, at Mulgrave, Nova Scotia. He was assigned to The Pictou Highlanders and later transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (NNSH), serving as a Private. His military training included basic instruction at Amherst and advanced training at Debert before deployment overseas. He arrived in the United Kingdom in July 1941 and was engaged in general duties, eventually qualifying as a rifleman. Though he attended a signaller course, he was not deemed competent in that specialization.

MacKinnon’s service record reflects a soldier of steady character, described as indifferent during interviews but physically fit and medically categorized as “A.” He had no significant health issues apart from minor nasal trouble and was not known to wear glasses. His hobbies included photography, radio, mechanics, and stamp collecting, and he enjoyed sports such as skiing and playing center in hockey. He expressed a postwar interest in becoming a mechanic, though no employment was promised upon discharge.

On June 7, 1944, during the Normandy campaign, MacKinnon was reported missing in action near Buron, France. Eyewitness accounts later suggested he had been wounded in the throat and was last seen bleeding heavily in a trench. Despite initial hopes, he was never recovered, and on July 3, 1945, he was officially presumed to have died of wounds sustained in combat. His name is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial in France.

Following his death, his mother, Mary C. MacKinnon, was designated next of kin and received his service estate, war service gratuity, and memorial cross.

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• - Service record(s)

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