KEW, William Ernest

NAME          KEW William Ernest
RANK          Flight Sergeant        103427                                                                                                               UNIT            British Commonwealth Air Training Plan                                                                                          Born             March 3, 1907 - Whitechurch - Township of East Wawanosh - County of Huron                                  Residence    Hamilton - Ontario                                                                                                                                  Died             March 12, 1946          40 years                                                                                                      Cemetery     Wingham Cemetery - Wingham
                     B 1A
Wife              Mrs. Reta Kew of Wingham / Penatang
Mother         Mrs. Rachel Kew of Wingham

William was born in Whitechurch on March 3, 1907. He would have attended Wingham United Church. He played tennis, table tennis, baseball and enjoyed woodworking and cabinet making and doing ornamental metal work along with sheet metal work, working in a machine shop, doing pattern making, working on the forge and as well enjoyed auto mechanics. After receiving his education at Wingham Public School from 1913-20, Wingham Collegiate from 1920-25 and the Stratford Normal School from 1926-27 in the summers he became a teacher in Sault Ste Marie - Ontario from 1927-29, a principal at Victoria Harbour - Ontario from 1929-31, a teacher in Schumaker Public School in Schumaker - Ontario from 1931-33 and a principal in SS. No 1 in Vaughan - Ontario from !933-37. He then attended the Ontario Training College in Hamilton - Ontario for Elementary Manuel Training 1937-38 and again between 1940-41 as a student.

Canada

William went across town on June 24, 1941 and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force in Hamilton and received the rank of Aircraftsman 2. At the time he stood 5' 8" and weighed 138 pounds. He had a medium complexion with brown eyes and black hair. He was then assigned to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto - Ontario where he remained until July 20 and at that time he was posted to the Air Armament School based at Mountainview - Ontario/ While he was here he received the rank of Aircraftsman 1. In the middle of October his next posting sent him to No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School based at Fingal - Ontario.  He received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman while here.                                                                                                                                In the spring of 1942 on May 31 he was posted back to Mountainview - Ontario where he attended a Instructors Course with an average of 70%. He completed the No. 5 Bombing Instructors Course. While here he was a bombing and gunnery instructor of Group "A:. His next posting on July 21 sent him to Hagersville - Ontario to No. 16 Service Flying Training School and here he placed 17 in a class of 27 with an average of 73%. He was posted at Hagersville for the remainder of 1942, for all of 1943 and up until September of 1944.                                        On September 12, 1944 he was sent to the west coast to Vancouver - British Columbia to No. 3 Repatriation Depot. On May 7 X Rays were taken and a large dark shadow was seen in the lower left lymph gland near the ling. He has no cough but he does have very dark moles on his body. Tests were done to rule out tuberculosis, hypernephroma or lymphoblastoma. Ten day later on May 17 E Rays were again taken and now there is a lemon size darkness there and the left lung shows a much smaller dark area and that further investigation is needed. The doctors there suggested in may be early Hodgkin's disease. He was there until September 8 when he was posted to to Sea Island.   On December 8 he was then posted to RCAF Station Sea Island.                                    Flight Sergeant remained posted at RCAF Station Sea Island until January 15, 1945 and at that time was posted back to Ontario to No. 4 Regional Command. Flight Sergeant Kew was discharged from service to the Royal Canadian Air Force on August 20, 1945                                                                                                        Shortly after his discharge he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and admitted to the Christie Street
Hospital where he later died in March of 1946.

At some point in 1947 both his wife Reta and his mother Rachel received the Memorial Cross and during the year his wife received the medals awarded to William and these were the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal.

William is honoured and remembered on the Wingham Cenotaph and on the Memorial Plaques of the Wingham United Church and Wingham Collegiate. He is honoured and remember in the Books of Remembrance located in Ottawa in the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.