BELGIUM – A Belgian scouting group plans to honour a fallen soldier and former boy scout from Fergus who was killed during World War II.
The group will be honouring Sgt. Alexander Douglas Muir with a scout’s greeting at his grave in Belgium’s Hotton War Cemetery later in 2025.
In an email, Stijn Janssen explained he is part of the Breese Old Scouts and Old Guides L07 made up of 51 active members who are all former scouts and guides between the ages of 24 and 85.
The group occasionally honours former scouts who were killed in war.
“In our search for a link with scouting we found there is a list by Scouts Heritage Service of the second world war roll of honour,” Janssen said. “We were looking for someone to honor who was killed in Belgium and came out with Sgt. Alexander Douglas Muir.”
Muir was born in Fergus and became a flight engineer with the Royal Canadian Air Force following going to the Galt Aircraft School, according to a story from the front page of the Fergus News Record from Sept. 17, 1942.
He had left to go overseas in September 1941 but was killed while on a large bomber during an air raid over Saarbrucken on Sept. 2, 1942.
He was two days short of his 20th birthday.
The article said he had taken part in at least “a dozen of the big raids.”
He was also a member of the first Fergus troop of Boy Scouts.
“Douglas Muir was one of the most active members of the First Fergus Troop of Boy Scouts,” the article said. “He rose to the rank of patrol leader and obtained the necessary badges and passed the tests to become a King’s scout.”
A later Fergus New Record article said his memorial at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Fergus was filled to capacity.
“In front of his grave we will salute him with a scout greeting, we will place flowers and a scouting sign on his grave,” Janssen said. “We have found out which music was played during his memorial service at St. Andre’s (sic) Presbyterian Church held on 20/09/1945. Exactly 80 years later we will play some of these songs live on his grave.”
With 2025 marking 80 years since the end of World War II, Janssen said the group decided to find a day trip and decided on honouring Muir.
According to the Wellington County Museum and Archives Wellington County Remembers database, there are 19 people listed including Muir on the Fergus Cenotaph who were killed in World War II.