The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery () is a

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

containing predominantly

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

soldiers killed during the early stages of the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It is located in, and named after,

Bény-sur-Mer Bény-sur-Mer (, literally ''Bény on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region, in northwestern France. It lies 5 km south of Bernières-sur-Mer and 13 km north of Caen. World War II During World War I ...

, in the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

department, near

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, in lower

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. As is typical of war cemeteries in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the grounds are landscaped and kept. Contained within the cemetery is a

cross of sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth War grave ...

, a monument typical of memorials designed by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. Canadian soldiers killed later, in the

, are buried south-east of

, in the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, located in

Cintheaux Cintheaux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Geography The commune is located between Caen and Falaise and is the home to the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery. Gaumesnil was ...

History

Bény-sur-Mer was created as a permanent resting place for Canadian soldiers who had been temporarily interred in smaller plots close to where they fell. As is usual for war cemeteries or monuments, France granted Canada a perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery. The graves contain soldiers from the

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

and 15 airmen killed during the

, as well as three

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

graves and one

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

grave, for a total of 2,048 markers. The French grave belongs to a

French resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

soldier named R. Guenard, who fought and died alongside the Canadians and who had no known relatives. His marker is inscribed "Mort pour la France – 19-7-1944". Because of confusion during the movement of remains from temporary cemeteries, the remains of one Canadian soldier were misplaced; his tombstone is set apart from the others and bears an inscription stating that it is known that his remains are in the Bény-sur-Mer cemetery. Bény-sur-Mer contains the remains of nine sets of brothers. A large number of dead in the cemetery were killed in early July 1944, in the

Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) was a military engagement between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the Battle of Normandy. Caen is about inland f ...

. The cemetery also contains soldiers who fell during the initial

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

assault of

Juno Beach Juno and or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allies (World War II), Allied invasion of German occupation of France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the World War II, Second Wo ...

. Some of the Canadian

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

illegally executed at

Ardenne Abbey The Abbey of Our Lady of Ardenne (), commonly called Ardenne Abbey, is a former Premonstratensian abbey founded in the 12th century and located near Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe in Calvados, near Caen, France. It is now occupied by the Insti ...

are interred here. It also contains the grave of the Reverend (Honorary Captain) Walter Leslie Brown, chaplain to the 27th Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers) and the only chaplain killed in cold blood during the Second World War. Brown was murdered on the night of June 6 to 7, by members of III/25th S.S. Panzer Grenedier Regiment, Galmanche; but, his body was not found until July, 1944. Canadians killed later in the campaign were interred in the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery. The site was featured in the seventh leg of ''

The Amazing Race Canada ''The Amazing Race Canada'' is a Canadian reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in the ''Amazing Race'' franchise, the show follows teams of two as they race across C ...

''s second season, wherein contestants arrived at the cemetery and paid their respects before retrieving their clue along with a "

LEST WE FORGET "Lest we forget" is a phrase commonly used in war-remembrance services and commemorative occasions in English-speaking countries, usually those connected to the British Empire, such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia. History The originally b ...

" card.

Location

The cemetery is about one kilometre east of the village of

Reviers Reviers () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region, in northwestern France. It lies 4 km south of Courseulles-sur-Mer and 15 kn northwest of Caen. It lies at the confluence of the rivers Seulles and Mue. Ther ...

, in the

department, on the Creully-Tailleville-Ouistreham road. It is located 15 kilometres northwest of

, 18 kilometres east of

Bayeux Bayeux (, ; ) is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is also known as the fir ...

, and three and a half kilometres south of

Courseulles-sur-Mer Courseulles-sur-Mer (, ), commonly known as ''Courseulles'', is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Until 1957, the town's name was simply ''Courseulles''. It lies 3 km west of Bernières-sur-Mer and 18&n ...

. The village of

is some two kilometres south-east of the cemetery. The cemetery can be accessed any time.

Additional Images

Cimetière canadien Bény-sur-Mer 2018-oct - 1.jpg, Graves aligned. Cimetière canadien Bény-sur-Mer 2018-oct - 4.jpg, Graves aligned. Cimetière canadien Bény-sur-Mer 2018-oct - 2.jpg, Graves aligned. Cimetière canadien Bény-sur-Mer 2018-oct - 5.jpg, Detail on a grave. Rguenard.jpg, Grave of Mr. R. Guenard, 2006

References

Veterans Affairs Canada

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery Canadian military memorials and cemeteries Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France Military history of Canada during World War II Normandy landings Operation Overlord cemeteries

History

Location

Additional Images

See also

References

External links