Canadian Virtual War Memorial

James Beresford

In memory of:

4th Engineer James Beresford

December 10, 1941

Military Service

Age:

Force:

Merchant Navy

Unit:

Canadian Merchant Navy

Division:

S.S. Nereus (Montreal, Québec) (163243)

Additional Information

Born:

November 6, 1919
Pointe-St-Charles, Montreal, Quebec

Son of Walter Boyd Beresford and Margaret Bunting McKillop, of Arvida, Quebec. Brother of Lance Sergeant William Beresford, E-21962 who served with the Royal Canadian Artillery, and who died on June 8, 1944 in Normandy, France.

On December 10, 1941, the Nereus, which left St Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, with ore, was sailing alone when it disappeared at sea. No German submarine claimed to have sunk her. Her wreckage has never been found. Sometimes coal boats accidentally caught fire from coal residue accumulated in the hold.

Commemorated on Page 94 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HALIFAX MEMORIAL
Nova Scotia, Canada

Grave Reference:

Panel 17.

Location:

The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives. This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs. The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea. The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:

1914-1939
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.

On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.

Digital Collection

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Details

Memorial – Remembering brothers lost … Brothers In Arms Memorial, Zonnebeke, BE … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022
Details

Sculpture – An aluminium sculpture and granite base were erected at 2890 Davis Place, Jonquière, Quebec. This memorial consists of two parts, a granite base erected by local citizens in June 1952 to the local war dead of the Second World War, and, an aluminium sculpture wheel unveiled by Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 209 (Arvida) in June 1969. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [base] A NOS MORTS GLORIEUX DE LA GUERRE 1939-45 TO OUR GLORIOUS DEAD WORLD WAR 1939-45 RENALD ALLAIRE JAMES BERESFORD HARRY GORDON BLACK WILLIAM BERESFORD JEAN-CHARLES MERCIER ERNEST VEILLEUX LOUIS-PHILIPPE VEILLEUX POUR PERPÉTUELLE MÉMOIRE LES CITOYENS JUIN 1952 IN PERPETUAL MEMORY THE CITIZENS JUNE 1952 JE ME SOUVIENS [plaque/plaque] UN HOMMAGE DE LA LEGION ROYALE CANADIENNE FILIALE 209 - ARVIDA JUIN 1969 http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/nic-inm/sm-rm/mdsr-rdr-eng.asp?PID=4086

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Date modified:: 2024-01-29