Ernest John King
Information provided by Philip King, son of Ernest King
Ernest John King was born in 1896 in Tottenham, North London.
In 1914, he enlisted in the 16th Btn. County of London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), ultimately serving with the British Expeditionary Force in Egypt and Palestine in combat with the Turkish Military. Turkey was still part of the Ottoman Empire at that time.
The B.E.F. were desperately short of water and, in attempting to reach the wells at Beersheba, were pinned down by Turkish artillery. At the time, the Australian Light Horse (officially mounted Infantry) were in the immediate area. They were called upon to act as Cavalry and, in several waves, charged the Turkish Artillery emplacements and trenches, subsequently winning the day and saving the B.E.F. – this was the only action Ernest King ever mentioned or discussed with his family. For the rest of his day’s, he maintained the highest regard for Australians, and in particular, the Australian Light Horse.
He was honourably discharged from the London Regiment in March 1919 and, in August of that year, set sail for Canada, where he lived until his death in 1990 in his 95th year.
He was a proud Canadian and, at the start of the Second World War, joined the Royal Canadian Artillery (Res.), helping with the training of young recruits here in Vancouver. In addition, he devoted his Summer vacation time for the next five years in Camp Vernon, again helping with training of young recruits. During this period, he attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the 39th (Res.) Field Regiment- Royal Canadian Artillery. The Certificate of Acknowledgement from George Sixth dated July 1, 1943 and his ‘Swagger Stick’ are still in his family’s possession.
Camp Vernon Okanagan Valley in B.C.
2nd Lieutenant King disliked war intensely, but never hesitated to step forward to defend his country, be it Britain or Canada. In day-to-day life, he was strict but never unfair, and his son couldn’t have asked for a better role model in his own life.