• Normandy Massacres

Date of birth:

January 17th, 1919 (Bell Island/Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada)

Date of death:

June 7th, 1944 (France)

Buried on:

Canadian War Cemetery Beny-sur-mer
Plot: XVI. Row: D. Grave: 10.

Service number:

F/55243

Nationality:

Canadian

John Metcalfe (a laborer of trade) moved with his family to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, where he grew up alongside his parents, Albert and Violet Metcalfe, and three siblings. His upbringing in Glace Bay shaped his sense of duty and community, and in June 1940, at the age of 21, he enlisted in the Canadian Army in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Initially joining the Cape Breton Highlanders, Metcalfe was quickly transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, a unit based in Amherst, Nova Scotia. He was sent to join his new battalion almost immediately, and in July 1941, he deployed to the United Kingdom with the regiment. For nearly three years, Metcalfe trained in Britain, preparing for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.

On June 6, 1944—D-Day—Metcalfe landed on Juno Beach in Normandy as part of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, who were attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. The following day, June 7, his unit advanced inland alongside tanks from the 27th Armoured Regiment. They successfully captured the village of Buron and pressed forward toward Authie. However, their advance collided with a fierce counterattack by the 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend,” composed of fanatical young soldiers and seasoned officers. The Canadians were caught in the open and suffered devastating losses.

During the chaos of battle, Metcalfe and several of his comrades were surrounded and captured by SS troops. After being disarmed, Metcalfe was searched by a young SS soldier who, without warning, opened fire and killed him with a machine gun. This brutal act was part of a broader pattern of war crimes committed by the 12th SS Division, which executed numerous unarmed Canadian prisoners in the days following D-Day. The SS unit responsible was likely the 25th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, commanded by SS Standartenführer Kurt Meyer.

Metcalfe was initially buried in a communal grave, but his remains were later exhumed and laid to rest at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy, France. His parents were first informed that he was missing in action, but his status was later updated to killed in action once his body was identified. He was 25 years old at the time of his death and held the rank of private.

At the time of Jack’s death, his brother Bill was serving with the Cape Breton Highlanders in Italy, while his sisters Betty and Yvonne were members of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, contributing to the war effort from home.

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