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Honouring the Heroes We Lost: Private Andrew John Jerad McNally of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

 Honouring the Heroes We Lost: Private Andrew John Jerad McNally of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.


Andrew "Andy" John Jerad McNally, of Edmonton, Alberta immigrated to Canada when he was 2 years old from his birth town of Randalstown Northern Ireland. 

Andy, the eldest of 11 children had aspirations of becoming a machinist. These dreams would be put on hold with the outbreak of World War II.

"In October 1941 at the age of 17 years old Andy joined the 2nd Battalion of the Edmonton Fusiliers, a reserve unit of the Canadian Army. 

He was a high school student in the 10th grade when he dropped out of school and entered active military service on January 16, 1942. 

Andy was only 17, although his military records list an incorrect birthdate putting him at age 18 at the time. Following basic training Andy took driver's training at Red Deer, then transferred to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. 

Following advanced training at Currie Barracks in Calgary he joined the battalion in January 1943 and qualified as a paratrooper on March 14th. Andy received his parachutist training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Shiloh, Manitoba." - Find a Grave Database 

"Private McNally was assigned as a Bren gunner to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion's C Company. Andy and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion sailed aboard the Queen Elizabeth to the UK in late July, disembarking on July 28th. 

The battalion was attached to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, British 6th Airborne Division. Stationed at Carter Barracks in Bulford, England they continued training for the next year in preparation for airborne operations."

"In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Private Andy McNally and the rest of C Company became the first Canadians on the ground in France on D-Day, parachuting in ahead of the rest of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and the 3rd Parachute Brigade during Operation Tonga."

"On Christmas Day the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion headed for Belgium to take part in the Battle of the Bulge, the only Canadian fighting unit on the ground to do so. 

At around 0500 hrs on the morning of January 27, 1945 in the Ardennes Andy was wounded in action for the second time and evacuated to the 84th British General Hospital. 

After several weeks of recovery on February 19 he rejoined the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion which was now fighting in the Netherlands." - Find a Grave Database

On March 24, 1945 the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion took part in Operation Varsity. 

Private McNally was fatally wounded during this operation. Andy was 20 years old.

Private Andrew John Jerad McNally lies in rest at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial in Groesbeek, Berg en Dal Municipality, Gelderland, Netherlands. Lest We Forget.

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