MLU FORUM - H 42084 Smith, Edward, Rifleman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vets Dottir (Post 26510)

Hi Bill,

It looks like this Lieutenant W. S. Ferguson was killed in action on D-Day ... it also looks like he was laid to rest in the same section of Beny Sur Mer as my Uncle ... maybe they knew and trained with each other, even landed with the same company, my Uncle Ed making it through til the 8th, and Lt Ferguson sadly was killed the first day, along with my other Uncle Phillip. It's hard not to wonder if they all trained together and landed with the same Company isn't it? My dad's brother also was overseas with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and came home. I imagine all these men, or many of them, knew each other. Other Uncle's I'm interested in finding out who they served with too ... I'm blown away by how many of my male Uncles were with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, so maybe my other Uncles were too? I want to know.

There WAS another soldier, last name FERGUSON (who I believe was a good friend of Cliff Chadderton) who was one of the executed soldiers, but he was with a different group ... I'd have to dig out, or search the other thread, to find this information.

Karmen

Hi, Yes the second William Ferguson ('C' Company) was killed on June 8, with 39 other Canadian soldiers after they ran out of admonition defending a counterattack at Putot-en-Bessin. Their deployment position was undefensable because both of their flanks were exposed. Colonel Meldram also made another mistake in not requesting immediate support. Anyhow, my father was there and Ltn. Ferguson split up the withdrawal group. My father and a Dakota Sioux soldier (Lawrence Bunn) were the only ones to have survived that escape effort (even though they were captured).