Rifleman William Ashwood McBurney (7046106) served in 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles during the Second World War. He was the son of Joseph McBurney and Annie McBurney of Banbridge, Co. Down.
He died on 9th July 1944 aged 23 years old. At the time, 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles was in the Battle of Normandy. The Airborne Battalion had landed on D-Day, 6th June 1944.
William Ashwood McBurney’s grave is in Section IIIA, Row J, Grave 1 of Ranville War Cemetery, Ranville, Normandy, France. His name is on the Gilford War Memorial, Gilford, Co. Down, and the Banbridge War Memorial, Banbridge, Co. Down. His headstone in France bears the inscription:
For of such is the kingdom of heaven.