Stanley Alfred

Basic Information
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Name: Stanley Alfred Cresswell
Date of Enlistment: 10-5-1942
Regiment: Queen Own Rifles of Canada, R.C.I.C
Date of Birth: 6-18-1923
Date of Death: 6-11-1944
Died During: The Battle for Le Mesnil Patry
Age: 20
Section in Cemetery: III. F. 13.
Parents: Alfred James Cresswell and Sophia Elizabeth Jack
Death Announcement Location: Globe and Mail, Project Picture Me
Uniform:
Battle Dress – anklets
Steel Helmet (With of without net as ordered)
Web Equipment (braces to be worn)
Respirator (slung over right shoulder under waist belt. Mounted personnel will wear respirator at alert)
Water Bottle (on right side)
Haversack (with ground sheet or gas cape as ordered)
Sword under left arm
Gas cape (on shoulder if ordered)
Entrenching tool
G1098 ammunition.

Stanley Alfred Cresswell was born in Toronto, Canada on June 18th, 1923. He finished a year of highschool at Harbord Collegiate, and a year and a half of technical school. He first worked as a bread salesman for Canada Bread Company and was a part of the Yorkville Salvation Army Band. In the same band his parents married in the army barrack no.1 July 9th, 1909. During this time he was enlisted in Toronto, October 5th, 1942. He trained in Peterborough ON, in Camp Borden, when he later was posted in the UK to the Queen's Own Riflemen of Canada . He continued training until June, 1944. He landed on Juno beach during D-Day with the D-Company, and survived. Yet he was later killed a couple days later during the battle for Le Mensil Patry, a few days before his 21st birthday. He was buried nearby and was later located at Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery.

The Battle for Mesnil Patry
The Battle was during the last push of the Allied troops invasion of Normandy, starting on June 11th 1944. This battle was fought by Canadian forces which resulted in a loss to the German forces. 147 Canadians were killed during this battle, including Stanley Cresswell, While the Germans lost 189 men, but fewer tanks. The battle was won by the 12th SS Panzer Division, a notorious group responsible for some of the worst war crimes against Canadian Soldiers. This didn’t befall on Stanley however, as he died in combat, but many of his companions were executed as POWs from June 6th - June 11th. The Canadian’s 1st Hussar Military unit (the ones who fought alongside the Queen’s Own Riflemen) lost 34 shermans and 3 fireflies, while the Queen’s Own Riflemen lost 96 out of the 105 men in action that day. In total, the Battle ended with the Canadians retreating and defending, as many soldiers were injured and died during the battle.