Ernest King 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.

The job of a motor mechanic was to repair vehicles and machinery on the battlefield. Imagine how creative those mechanics had to be, to keep trucks, jeeps and tanks working, and repairing them at the front, during and after an enemy attack. During his time in Italy, and North Africa especially, Don would see some very heavy fighting, up close.

Sergeant Edison Alexander Smith was rated as superior and he gave his reasons for joining as, “to help with the war.” The desire to be a helper went with him all the way to his death.

On November 15, 2018, a WWII-crash site research team in Germany reached out to the Edmonton Journal to find the families of Halifax Mk.II bomber of 10 Squadron Royal Air Force, after having recently found their crash site.

Assigned to the Armour Corps, he received basic training in Brampton, became a tank driver at Camp Borden and shipped overseas to Thursley Commons in the UK in 1943.

Having arrived in Canada from England, Ted's uncles were in the First World War, as were most of the fathers of Ted's friends; so it seemed natural for Ted and his own boyhood friends to volunteer in the Second World War as members of the Canadian Armed Forces, along with his own dad who, as a father of six at the time, volunteered for duty.

After attacking a U-boat in the North Sea, his plane was reported missing and his body was never recovered.

At the Camp in Woodstock, she earned a Class-A Mechanic certificate. Also, as a member of the motor pool, she was a Driving Instructor and a Driver for the ‘Brass’. Ken served as a Trainer in the Tank Corps and, toward the end of the war, was training to be a Paratrooper.

Herman left the safety of Canada in September 1942 and set off to do his duty on foreign soil. His thoughts on that long journey, and the difficult months and days that followed it, were surely of the small Quebec town where his loved ones waited for his return.