Place Alphonse Noël stands as a poignant memorial to one of D-Day’s most intense and tragic engagements—the Battle of Tailleville. Located near the Cassigneul farm in Normandy, the site marks the ground where Canadian soldiers of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment fought fiercely on 6 June 1944.

After landing at St. Aubin-sur-Mer, the North Shores pushed inland toward Tailleville, believed to be directing artillery fire onto the beach. C Company led the charge under heavy fire, and early patrols reported the village clear. But the Germans had used tunnels to evade detection and prepared a deadly trap.

On the second clearing mission, Major John Archibald MacNaughton—revered for his leadership and already wounded that day—led A Company into Tailleville. At a farm entrance, a German machine gun opened fire, killing MacNaughton, Pte Harold Daley, and Pte Arthur Strang, and wounding others.

Amid the chaos, Alphonse Noël was ordered to provide cover with his Bren Gun. His actions helped save wounded comrades, though he was gravely injured by a sniper and grenade. Reinforcements from the Fort Garry Horse and another C Company platoon eventually overpowered the defenders, securing Tailleville by 21:00. The village was revealed to be the HQ of the German 736th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, and its capture ended the devastating shelling of the beach.

To honor the heroism shown, Félix Cassigneul—then Mayor of Tailleville and son of a local resident—initiated a memorial at the very spot where the battle’s fiercest moments occurred. In June 2004, on D-Day’s 60th anniversary, a memorial plaque was unveiled and the area was named Place Alphonse Noël.

Alphonse Noël, then 82 years old, attended the ceremony with his family and fellow veteran Arthur Haché. The memorial stands not only in his name, but in remembrance of the courage, sacrifice, and liberation brought by the North Shore Regiment that day.