WW II veteran dies days before D-Day 80th anniversary events

Bill Cameron was looking forward to this week for a long time. 

The Second World War veteran was planning to be part of Canada's delegation heading to Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6. 

Last Friday, his daughters Cheryl Powell and Donna Roy helped him get ready and the three had lunch together. 

After months of preparation, including getting medical clearance, everything was set to fly from Vancouver to France on June 1. 

Sadly, Cameron fell ill and died the night before at the age of 100.

"We just couldn't believe it," Roy said in an interview. "His bag was totally packed. We were ready to pick him up." 

Powell said the staff at the care home where he lived had planned a special sendoff, knowing how excited he was for the trip. The last few days have been surreal, she said. 

"He went for the 70th [anniversary], he was there for the 75th, and he so wanted to go to the 80th, knowing that it was his last time to stand on Juno Beach to just honour those other vets," Roy said. 

Cameron's death leaves the Canadian delegation with just 13 veterans, all between the ages of 99 and 104. It seems likely that this will be the last major anniversary event to involve the men who witnessed D-Day.

June 6, 1944, marked the beginning of the bloody 11-week Battle of Normandy and the start of the Allied liberation of France. 

Almost 160,000 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy that day, including around 14,000 Canadians. Cameron was a gunner on board HMCS Kitchener, which helped protect U.S. troops landing at Omaha Beach.

The landing was devastating: 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day and more than 5,000 were wounded.

During the Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle — and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities — killed around 20,000 French civilians.

The exact German casualties aren't known, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. About 22,000 German soldiers are among the many buried around Normandy.

"He really felt that there should be more acknowledgement and education so that we don't ever forget," Powell said.

Powell added that her father had light-hearted stories of his time at war — including when his wife had sent over fruitcake and the sailors on board his ship managed to finish it despite his efforts to hide it.

In his final years Cameron spent a lot of time reading about the war, and about D-Day in particular. 

He was a lifelong learner, his daughters said, and a problem-solver. The veteran was initially looking to train as a denturist, but went on to work for a company that sold adhesives and resins — and he would come home with stories about all the different products and industries he would encounter.

He also loved taking trips in his RV.

"We have an RV, too. And yeah, I know exactly how the thing works just because I was alongside dad," Roy said.

In January the family held "quite the party" for Cameron's 100th birthday. Just a couple of weeks ago he met his youngest great-grandchild, a little girl named Olivia Billy in his honour. 

The family will hold a celebration of his life later in the summer.

On Thursday, Cameron's grandson Craig Powell and his wife, Rachel Soares, will take his place at the Canadian ceremony. His daughters are planning to watch from afar in Surrey, B.C.

"It'll be hard," Powell said. "It won't be easy, but we'll definitely do it to honour dad."