benouville

graves

IN MEMORy by Pierre Vandervelden

The visit of Commonwealth graves in Communals Cemeteries & Churchyards in Belgium & France

BENOUVILLE Churchyard (Calvados France)

F. E. Surey - R. J. Keel

G. Dransfield - A. A. Ellmer

S. D. Hayward

Photos Courtesy Isabelle Perrot - Van Der Wende (Fr)

Pte Michael John McGee DCM 06/06/1944 aged 20
"Mick" McGee was from Mill Street, Aughnacloy.
He served with 7th Parachute Battalion which was part of 5 Airborne Brigade in 6th Airborne Division.
On the night of 5/6 June 1944, Private McGee jumped with his battalion behind the German lines in Normandy.
The task of 5 Airborne Brigade was to capture bridges over the Orne river in preparation for the arrival of the seaborne invasion on 6 June – D-Day.
At Benouville the bridge over the Orne canal was captured by soldiers of 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who landed in gliders, and the men of 7th Parachute Battalion.
The bridge was intact as the airborne soldiers had arrived so quickly that the German engineers had not had time to set off the explosives that would have demolished it.
Michael McGee’s company – about 100 men – of 7th Parachute Battalion was in action without a break for almost 24 hours.
For much of that time it was cut off from the remainder of the battalion and was under determined attack from stronger German forces.
These included tanks and self-propelled artillery as well as infantry.
When a German Panther tank approached the position held by Michael McGee and some of his comrades, it seemed as if that position would be overrun.
However, Private McGee jumped from his trench and charged towards the tank, firing a Bren gun from the hip.
This must have seemed suicidal to his comrades but it shocked the Germans so much that the tank commander ordered his driver to stop.
With the vehicle at a halt, other members of McGee’s company were able to run towards it and ‘put it out of action with a hand bomb’.
This was probably a No. 75 Hawkins grenade, which was a hand-thrown or surface-laid anti-tank mine.
Although the Hawkins grenade was effective against light armoured vehicles it would usually have had little effect on a medium tank such as the Panther.
However, with the tank stopped the paras were able to blow a track off with the weapon and this put the Panther out of action.
Michael McGee’s courage had saved his company from possible disaster one of whom was Richard Todd, who returned home to become a British actor in leading roles such as "The Dambusters" & "The Longest Day" of which Todd acknowledges in his autobiography!
He was subsequently commended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
The commendation noted that ‘his complete disregard for his personal safety was largely responsible for the successful and gallant action fought by his company’.
Michael McGee did not survive that day.
He had been wounded by machine-gun fire from the German tank and died from his wounds later that day.
With about twenty other soldiers, mostly from 6th Airborne Division, he is buried in Benouville churchyard.
The Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) was the highest gallantry award, other than the Victoria Cross, that could be awarded to a British or Commonwealth soldier.
Interestingly, it could not be awarded to someone who had died but several senior officers turned a blind eye to this rule – which was not rescinded until the 1970s – so that Michael McGee’s courage would be recognised officially.
for George McConnell

23 casualties

BOWYER WILLIAM
United Kingdom Captain Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 27 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 176175 (20)

BURGESS KENNETH IVOR HARRY
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 23 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 2056538 (14)

DRANSFIELD GEORGE
United Kingdom Driver Royal Engineers 71 Field Coy. Age: 36 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 2123802 (2)

ELLMER ALFRED ALEXANDER
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 26 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 5383220 (3)

ELSTON DONALD ARTHUR
United Kingdom Private Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2nd Bn. Age: 18 Date of Death: 07/06/1944 Service No: 14642926 (6)

EVANS ARTHUR
United Kingdom Marine Royal Marines R.M. Engineer Commando. Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: CH/X 109879 (8)

FIDDLER JOHN EDWARD
United Kingdom Serjeant Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 23 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 1475163 (15)

FISHER CHARLES WILLIAM
United Kingdom Lance Corporal Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 19 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 14000182 (11)

GEMMELL WILLIAM
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 20 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 14219260 (19)

HAYWARD STANLEY DOUGLAS
United Kingdom Lance Corporal Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 5675290 (1)

JACKSON FREDERICK
United Kingdom Lance Corporal Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 29 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 3253029 (13)

KEEL RUPERT J.
United Kingdom Driver Royal Army Service Corps Age: 29 Date of Death: 09/06/1944 Service No: T/193904 (23)

KETLEY WALTER SAMUEL
United Kingdom Driver Royal Army Service Corps 106 Bridge Coy. Date of Death: 09/06/1944 Service No: T/6031229 (4)

KNOX HARRY
United Kingdom Corporal Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry 2nd (Airborne) Bn. Age: 25 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 5387231 (9)

LEGGETT RONALD
United Kingdom Private Royal Army Medical Corps 225 Parachute Field Amb. Age: 26 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 7266888 (18)

McARA JOHN
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 29 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 3251685 (5)

McGEE MICHAEL JOHN
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 20 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 14216814 (12)

MILLS RAYMOND HENRY
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 19 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 14408742 (16)

PANTON DOUGLAS
United Kingdom Corporal Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 27 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 3252435 (7)

PARRY The Rev. GEORGE EDWARD MAULE
United Kingdom Chaplain 4th Class Royal Army Chaplains' Department Sec Rgt: Parachute Regiment A.A.C. Sec. attd. 7th Bn. Age: 29 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 173033 (21)

SUREY FRANCIS EDWARD
United Kingdom Trooper Royal Armoured Corps 13th/18th Royal Hussars Date of Death: 10/06/1944 Service No: 6354292 (22)

WHITTINGHAM PETER ALFRED
United Kingdom Lance Corporal Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 20 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 14301841 (17)

WHITTY ALAN WILLIAM
United Kingdom Private Parachute Regiment A.A.C. 7th Bn. Age: 19 Date of Death: 06/06/1944 Service No: 888352 (10)

IF You have a casualty picture, please send me a copy, I'll be glad to show it on this page.

IF You want a king size copy of this picture (300/900 ko - 2592/1944 pixels) please e-mail me.

IF You want picture of a particular grave, in this cemetery, please e-mail me.

Casualties informations come usualy from Commonwealth War Graves Commission, see links for more informations