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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Donald John MacDonald

In memory of:

Leading Aircraftman Donald John MacDonald

September 24, 1944

Military Service


Service Number:

R/176956

Age:

35

Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Citation(s):

Defence medal, War medal 1939-1945 and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp.

Additional Information


Born:

May 16, 1909
Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Son of Archibald M. and Alexis (nee MacLean) MacDonald, of Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He joined the Air Force in September 1942 and was an air plane mechanic stationed at Moncton, New Brunswick, until he had an opportunity to fly on an overseas mission in August of 1944. The Dakota carrying he and 19 other passengers and 3 British crew, went missing on 24 September 1944.

Commemorated on Page 371 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:
Grave Reference:

Coll. grave 20. A. 1-9.

Location:

Rheinberg is 24 kilometres north of Krefeld and 13 kilometres south of Wesel, in the locality of Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal. The cemetery is 3 kilometres south of the centre of the town of Rheinberg on the road to Kamp Lintfort. From the motorway 57, turn off at Rheinberg and at the T junction follow the 510 in the direction Kamp Lintfort. The cemetery is a short way along this road on the right.

The site of Rheinberg War Cemetery was chosen in April 1946 by the Army Graves Service for the assembly of Commonwealth graves recovered from numerous German cemeteries in the area. The majority of those now buried in the cemetery were airmen, whose graves were brought in from Dusseldorf, Krefeld, Munchen-Gladbach, Essen, Aachen and Dortmund; 450 graves were from Cologne alone. The men of the other fighting services buried here mostly lost their lives during the battle of the Rhineland, or in the advance from the Rhine to the Elbe.

There are now 3,326 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Rheinberg War Cemetery. 156 of the burials are unidentified. There are also nine war graves of other nationalities, most of them Polish.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Photo 1 of Donald J. MacDonald
  • Photo 2 of Donald J. MacDonald
  • Photo 3 of Donald J. MacDonald
  • Photo of DONALD JOHN MACDONALD– From the research work done by Margaret Rose Gaunt and submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Biography– From the research work done by Margaret Rose Gaunt and submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Document– From the research work done by Margaret Rose Gaunt and submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Document– The book of Charles Lamb essays, once in the possession of Donald John McDonald
  • Photo of DONALD JOHN MACDONALD– The inscription with leading aircraftman DJ Macdonald's identifying RCAF service number
  • Document– Inscription in the book of essays by Charles Lamb
  • Cemetery– Entrance - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Cemetery– Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Cemetery– Cross of Sacrifice - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Grave Marker– Grave marker - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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