Remembering World War II

Name: Cameron Turnbull Byrnes Rank: Private Service Number: 34789333 Service: 3051st Engineer Combat Battalion, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Army Awards: Purple Heart Date of Birth: July 8, 1920 Place of Birth: Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts Date of Enlistment: July 7, 1943 Place of Enlistment: Camp Blanding, Florida Address at Enlistment: Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama Age at Enlistment: 22 Marital Status: Married Date of Death: June 23, 1944 Age at Death: 23 Cemetery: Royal Palm South Cemetery, St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida Cameron Turnbull Byrnes was the son of George Goodrich Byrnes (1884-1964), and Eva Catherine (Macdonald) Byrnes (1886-1979), and the brother of Catherine Nancy Byrnes, George Goodrich Byrnes (1916-1992), and Gordon MacDonald Byrnes (1919-2001). His mother was born in Truro, Colchester County, Nova Scotia. Both of Cameron’s brothers served in WWII and survived the war. George served with the US Army Air Force and was interned as a POW in Germany, while Gordon served in the US Navy. Cameron married Jacksonville, Florida native Mabel Eloise Jerkins (1924-2018) in Duval, Florida on June 9, 1943. Eloise served as a welder with the Women’s Army Corps. During WWII, she was stationed at the US Army airfield in Topeka, Kansas. Private Cameron Turnbull was killed in action in France on June 23, 1944. He served with the 3051st Engineer Combat Battalion of the US Army. Cameron was initially buried in Sainte Mère Église in Normandy, France. His family chose to repatriate his remains rather than having him buried in an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery overseas, and he is interred at Royal Palm South Cemetery in St-Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida.

Cameron Turnbull Byrnes

Sources: Airborne Sainte Mère Église Museum findagrave Honorstate.org – Cameron T. Byrnes Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Florida, Friday, February 9, 1945 The Tampa Times, St. Petersburg, Florida, Saturday, June 5, 1948