Private Andrew John Jerad McNally

Private Andrew John Jerad McNally was a soldier in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (C Company, 7 Platoon). 

McNally was born in Dromore, Northern Ireland to Andrew and Annie (McCormick) McNally. His father was a Sergeant in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and his mother a Catholic, making them an unlikely pair for the time. The family emigrated to Canada, arriving in May 1927 and eventually having 11 children. 

McNally was too young to join the Army, requiring written permission from his father who was a Sergeant. He eventually joined the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which was in need of young volunteers, and passed his training at Fort Benning on March 12, 1943. Shortly thereafter, the Battalion was sent to Shilo Camp in Canada, where he forged a strong friendship with Jim Miklos. Miklos recalled that it was McNally who was responsible for him keeping his faith during the trials of the war. 

McNally had a storied history with the Battalion, jumping into Normandy and sustaining his first injury from shrapnel that killed a nearby Canadian. In the Ardennes offensive that began in December, McNally was shot in the thigh by a sniper on January 27, but he insisted on being back for Operation Varsity, scheduled for late March. This was despite warnings that he was not yet fit enough. Whilst he projected confidence in public, privately McNally had expressed misgivings to Miklos about whether he would make it through the war's final airborne Operation. 

During the jump, McNally and Miklos were separated. Miklos recalled finding his close friend's body an hour later with a cavity in his chest; he held McNally until help arrived but he had unfortunately already passed. Jim Miklos passed away in 2019. 

Private Andrew McNally is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Plot XXII. C. 12.