Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Douglas J. Raymond Diary, 4-24 June 1944. Accession 50043. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mary Raymond, Rockville, Virginia, 1 July 2011.

Biographical Information

Douglas Joseph Raymond was born on 30 January 1921 in Ottawa, Canada, the son of Marie (Maggie) Raymond and Reid Raymond. The family later moved to Rosemont-LaPetite-Patrie, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec. During World War II, Douglas and his brother, Russell (full name Paul Joseph Russell Raymond), both served in the Royal Canadian Navy. Russell was killed on 7 May 1944 when his ship, the HMCS Valleyfield, was torpedoed by a German U-boat while on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. Douglas Raymond was still reeling from his death when his own ship (HMCS Saskatchewan) was involved, in a support role, in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. After the war, Raymond spent a year living in isolation, in a cabin in Arundel, Quebec, processing his brother's death and his own war experiences. Afterwards, he attended McGill University in Montreal. In the late 1950s, he moved to Staunton, Virginia, for work with American Safety Razor. During that time Raymond decided to stay in the United States, and became an American citizen. He later relocated to Chester, Virginia, where he met Mary Keifer (1943- ). The couple married (the second marriage for both), and Raymond helped Mary raise her son, Chris. He retired in 1992. Douglas J. Raymond died on 4 June 1994 in New Kent County, Virginia.

Scope and Content

Diary, 4-24 June 1944, kept by Douglas J. Raymond (1921-1994) of Rosemont-LaPetite-Patrie, Quebec, Canada, while serving aboard an unnamed Royal Canadian Navy destroyer off the coast of France at the time of the D-Day invasion. The narrative runs from 4 June, when Raymond's ship is at work "cleaning out German subs" in the English Channel; to bombardment of German positions along the French coast and protecting Allied invaders from enemy aircraft and submarines on 6 June; continued action in the Channel until docking in Plymouth, England, on 11 June for refueling and repairs; taking part in a "surprise attack" in the Channel, about 100 miles from the invasion site, 23 June; to the final entry, "still battling subs. (Im [sic] fed up)," on 24 June.