Floyd Edwin MacKenzie was born in Roachvale, Guysborough County, on May 18, 1921, the youngest of Alexander Edward and Mildred Sophia (Horton) MacKenzie’s four children. Alexander was the son of Edward and Eliza (George) MacKenzie, while Mildred was the daughter of Moses Cook and Caroline Orissa “Carrie” (Nickerson) Horton, Roachvale. Mildred’s brother, Vernon Cecil Horton, served overseas with the Royal Canadian Regiment during the First World War. Several years after returning home, he died in Roachvale on March 31, 1926, from sickness related to his military service.
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| Corporal Floyd Edwin MacKenzie |
Alexander and Mildred’s first child, Edmund Clyde, was born in 1910 but died on September 27, 1915, at five years of age. A daughter, Mildred Elizabeth, joined the family on January 8, 1915, while a second son, Alexander Cecil, arrived on January 10, 1917. Floyd, the youngest of the Mackenzie children, was born in 1921.
Floyd’s father Alexander suffered from asthma and allergy-related respiratory problems throughout his life. The dusty conditions of farming and Nova Scotia’s damp weather significantly impacted his health, prompting doctors to suggest a change in climate. Years earlier, Alexander’s sister Beth had left for the United States, where she worked as a buyer for J. L. Hudson Department Stores. Beth invited Alexander and his young family to reside with her, in hopes that the move would improve Alexander’s health.
During their time in the United States. Beth’s job took the MacKenzie family to Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; and Long Island, New York. Despite the change in environment, Alexander’s health did not improve. Eventually, the family returned to Roachvale, where Alexander resumed operation of the family farm.
Several years after returning to Nova Scotia, a farming accident triggered a series of health issues that led to Alexander’s death. A horse accidentally crushed his foot, the shock of the injury triggering a severe asthma attack. His respiration gradually worsened and he died on April 6, 1938. Alexander’s death certificate attributes the cause of death to lobar pneumonia, with asthma and pulmonary emphysema as contributing factors. He was 69 years old at the time of his passing.
Floyd left school at age 14, having completed Grave VII, and went to work on the family farm. After his father’s passing a few years later, he and his older brother Alexander Cecil assumed operation of the family farm. Floyd worked there for five years prior to his military enlistment.
On July 1, 1940, Floyd attested for service with the Pictou Highlanders at Mulgrave, NS. At the time, the militia unit was stationed the Strait of Canso, where its personnel performed guard duty at two coastal artillery batteries established in Auld’s Cove and Sand Point shortly after the outbreak of war overseas.
Floyd was 19 years old at the time of his enlistment and was just over six feet tall. Despite a lack of previous military experience, he was immediately transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders for infantry training. Initially established as a machine gun unit in 1936 following the amalgamation of militia units from Cumberland, Colchester and Hants Counties, the unit established its headquarters in Amherst after the outbreak of war overseas. The battalion subsequently transitioned to an infantry unit and assigned to the 3rd Canadian Division’s 9th Brigade, where it served alongside the Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Waterloo, ON) and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders (Cornwall, ON).
Floyd spent the remainder of 1940 in Amherst, where he completed infantry training. He received a two-week furlough in mid-January 1941 and several days’ “pre-embarkation leave” in mid-July, returning to the North Novas in time for their overseas departure on July 18, 1941. The unit spent the next three years in the United Kingdom training and performing British “home defence” duty.
Within months of his overseas arrival, Floyd had made an impression on his superior officers. On April 17, 1942, he was promoted to the rank of Acting Lance Corporal. He advanced to Acting Corporal two and a half months later and was “confirmed in the rank of Corporal” in mid-November. Floyd maintained his non-commissioned rank for the duration of his overseas service. The rank brought with it considerable responsibility—Floyd was one of two non-commissioned officers (NCOs) responsible for the operation of a platoon section.
The 3rd Division’s battalions were the last Canadian infantry units to arrive overseas. The 2nd Division provided infantry units for the ill-fated Dieppe Raid (August 1942), where they suffered significant losses. When Allied commanders assembled plans for an invasion of Italy in early 1943, the 2nd Division was still rebuilding its ranks and the newly arrived 3rd Division had the least amount of training. As a result, the 1st Canadian Division was selected to depart for Sicily in early July 1943 as part of the Allied Mediterranean Force.
Following the invading force’s departure for Italy, 2nd and 3rd Division personnel in the UK participated in a series of training exercises in Scotland and England. The focus was on an eventual Allied invasion of Western Europe tentatively planned for 1944. Several exercises were large-scale manoeuvres where units rehearsed amphibious landings.
On June 3, 1944, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders broke camp and travelled to Southampton, where its soldiers boarded a ship. The unit awaited further orders while anchored off nearby Netley. The flotilla of vessels assembled in the inlet moved out open sea at 1400 hours June 5 and “formed up” in preparation for departure for France.
Around 0800 hours June 6, 1944, the first wave of British, American and Commonwealth units came ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Infantry battalions from the 3rd Canadian Division’s 7th and 8th Brigades landed on Juno Beach, where they established a beach-head. The North Novas began their trek ashore to a beach near Bernières-sur-Mer, slightly east of Juno Beach, at 1140 hours, one hour later than planned. The only casualties occurred when a mortar carrier struck a mine after landing on the beach, wounding several crew members.
As the beach was crowded with landing craft, it took more than two hours for all North Nova soldiers to come ashore. The 8th Brigade, which was part of the first wave landings, ran into stiffer resistance in Bernières-sur-Mer than anticipated. As a result, the North Novas were unable to proceed through the town to their designated assembly point near Bény-sur-Mer, approximately six kilometers inland. In response, the North Nova’s Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant-Colonel Donald F. Forbes, decided to gather his men in a nearby field.
At 1605 hours, the unit was finally ready to “move off,” reaching at a designated assembly area 40 minutes later. Its war diary noted, “We had just arrived in this…[location] when we came under shell and mortar fire, resulting in five casualties, two killed and three wounded.” At 1820 hours, the battalion finally moved off toward its objective—Carpiquet airfield, on the western city of Caen, approximately 20 kilometers inland from the beach where they landed.
Leading the vanguard’s advance was the “recce” troop of the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers), its tanks forming a screen in front of the advance force. Behind the tanks were two personnel carriers transporting two C Company platoons, a Machine Gun platoon, one troop of M-10 mobile anti-tank guns, two pioneer assault sections, and four detachments of the unit’s anti-tank guns.
Behind the vanguard, A Company’s men moved inland aboard the tanks of 27th CAR’s A Squadron on the right side of the advance, while the 27th CAR’s B Squadron transported B Company’s soldiers on the left flank. D Company, riding aboard the 27th CAR’s C Squadron’s tanks, brought up the rear.
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| Source: Will R. Bird, No Retreating Footsteps: The Story of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders |
The vanguard encountered no serious resistance until it reached the outskirts of Villons-les-Buissons, approximately 11 kilometers inland. As evening was approaching, military commanders realized that the unit would not reach its objective before dark. In response, they ordered the vanguard to dig in for the night. The unit’s war diary reported a total of four “other ranks” (OR) killed and another six wounded during the North Nova’s first day in Normandy.
At 0300 hours June 7, 27th CAR’s tanks dispersed an attempted German counter-attack. Shortly afterward, enemy mortar and machine gun fire was heard to the rear of the unit, as German forces attempting to cut around behind the NNSH’s position encountered the 8th Brigade’s Régiment de la Chaudières. Significant losses forced the enemy force to withdraw.
At 0740 hours, the North Novas moved off in the same order, following the main road from Villons-les-Buissons to Carpiquet. The unit’s war diary noted that the area “was full of [German] snipers and machine guns.” To the right of Villons-les-Buissons, an 88-mm gun opened fire on the lead tanks but was quickly silenced. By 0930 hours, the vanguard had cleared enemy forces from the village and moved on to Buron, where a second 88-mm gun was captured.
By 1150 hours, the vanguard had passed through Buron and proceed onward toward Authie. D Company was assigned the task of “mopping up” remaining enemy forces in the Buron area, while A and B Companies pressed forward behind the leading force. When D Company personnel reached the outskirts of Buron, they immediately encountered heavy mortar shelling, in addition to sniper and machine gun fire from pockets of German soldiers hidden in the village.
Meanwhile, the vanguard reached Authie, where it encountered three German machine gun posts. “Hectic fighting” ensued as enemy mortar and artillery fire struck their location from both flanks, as well as from positions beyond the village. Officers commanding the vanguard immediately radioed for tank and artillery support. Unfortunately, Allied artillery guns were out of range and could not respond to the request.
As a troop of 27th CAR support tanks arrived, several German 88-mm guns opened fire on the armoured vehicles. Meanwhile, realizing that further advance was not possible, the vanguard’s soldiers attempted to dig in and establish a firm base. Allied units on both flanks—the 3rd British Division to the left and the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade on the right—had not kept pace with the North Novas’ rapid advance, placing the soldiers in a perilous situation. In fact, the unit had advanced further inland on June 7 than any other Allied unit, leaving both flanks exposed to German infantry and armoured counter-attack.
In response, vanguard personnel on each flank were ordered to join C Company in forming a “fortress.” A Company dug in on the right, just north of Authie. B Company, however, had not kept pace with the vanguard. It received instructions to dig on on the left flank as soon as it reached the area. Meanwhile, the remainder of the battalion held its position in the rear.
As the North Novas attempted to establish a firm defensive formation, nine German tanks and two German infantry companies attacked from the direction of Saint-Contest and Cussy. Their action effectively eliminated any possibility of retreat. In response, North Nova officers in charge of the vanguard decided to “fight it out in front of Authie.” The unit’s June 7 war diary entry reported, “Nothing further was heard from this small formation and no one escaped to tell the story of their gallant action.”
Shortly after the first German counter-attack, additional enemy tanks launched a second assault from the area beyond Authie. All available 27th CAR tanks quickly moved forward from positions south of Buron and a major armoured battle ensued. A total of 27 Canadian and 40 German tanks were destroyed before enemy forces withdrew.
Unfortunately, B Company only managed to reach a location south of Buron and was unable to assist their besieged comrades at Authie. By 1630 hours, Headquarters deemed it impossible for the rest of the battalion to push forward and issued orders to “bring the forward troops back” and form a fortress south of Buron.
The Buron area itself soon came under heavy German artillery and mortar fire. Enemy tanks broke through on the flanks, making the location untenable. In response, the remnants of B Company withdrew to previously dug slit trenches to the rear of D Company. The battalion “went to ground and prepared to hold on to the last.”
As the German tanks approached Buron on the flank, the remaining 27th CAR tanks and available self-propelled guns opened fire from a wooded area near Villons-les-Boissons. Supporting machine gun and rifle fire from positions north of Buron also targeted the approaching enemy armour. German guns immediately neutralized the fire from Buron, allowing enemy soldiers to penetrate D Company’s forward slit trenches.
Unable to rise and engage and the attacking enemy, two D Company platoons surrendered after expending their ammunition. When a heavy Allied counter-barrage forced the attackers to the ground, two sections of one D Company platoon managed to escape to the rear.
By that time, D Company reported that enemy forces had overrun its forward positions and requested immediate support. A rapid counter-attack force was assembled and fierce fighting followed under a heavy Allied artillery concentration. With support from a dozen remaining 27th CAR tanks, North Nova soldiers pushed forward under cover of an artillery barrage and drove enemy forces back toward Authie.
The North Novas managed to recapture Buron, but lacked sufficient manpower to consolidate and hold the position as darkness set in. What remained of the unit and 27th CAR received permission to withdraw to high ground in a wooded area near Villons-les-Buissons, where the 9th Brigade’s Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Highlanders were also encamped.
Meanwhile, A Company near Authie found itself surrounded by German infantry and tanks and was unable to withdraw to safety. After holding out for several hours against a much larger enemy force, its remaining soldiers surrendered at 1700 hours June 7. Some vanguard personnel managed to slip into the surrounding wheat fields during the late afternoon and evening hours and retreated to Villons-les-Buissons, where they joined their North Nova comrades in the wooded area.
No counter-attack developed during the night as the North Novas and 27th CAR prepared to re-occupy Buron after daybreak. Military commanders subsequently cancelled the orders as the remainder of the 9th Brigade moved forward and occupied the town of Villons-Les-Buissons to the right of the wooded area.
The North Novas’ June 7 war diary entry recorded the day’s losses as known at that time—one officer and 10 “other ranks” (OR) killed; three officers and 27 OR wounded; and a shocking nine officers and 195 OR missing. Over the next several days, additional information allowed officials to account for many of the missing. In the final tally, 16 officers and non-commissioned officers and 37 OR were killed on June 7, 1944, while 20 officers and NCOs and 88 OR were wounded. Corporal Floyd MacKenzie was among the North Nova soldiers killed during the day’s tumultuous combat.
Approximately 84 soldiers were officially listed as “missing.” While the majority were later accounted for as prisoners of war, 12 of the missing North Novas were part of a group of 18 men executed by German SS at Abbaye d’Ardennes on June 7 and 8, 1944. Their remains were not discovered until after Allied forces secured the area weeks later and local civilians returned to their homes.
On June 16, 1944, Mildred MacKenzie received a telegram from Canadian military authorities, informing her that her son “Corporal Floyd Edwin MacKenzie has been officially reported killed in action 7th June 1944.” Floyd was initially buried in a temporary cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. On April 27, 1945, his remains were re-interred in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian Cemetery, Beny-sur-Mer, France.
In her later years, Mildred MacKenzie relocated to Little Harbour Road, New Glasgow, Pictou County, where her son Alexander Cecil resided. She passed away in Aberdeen Hospital, New New Glasgow, on March 28, 1963, as 72 years of age.
Photograph of Corporal Floyd Edwin MacKenzie courtesy of his nephew Brian MacKenzie, Peterborough, ON.
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