Sunday, March 01, 2009

65 years after dying in the service of our country, questions are answered.


This is how the story starts, well, my part in it. In 1993 while visiting the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany I took this picture. When I got them developed and saw it, I wondered why I took it?



















In 1997 I decided to try to find his family. It wasn't so easy back then I did not get my first computer until 1998 and not very many people were even on the net then. So I wrote a column for the Star, I was writing about 1 a month back then.












After finding out E.K. Wilson was from Oshawa, I contacted the Oshawa paper who did this story. I then got a phone call telling me his Great Nephew wanted to talk to me! I sent him the photo of his Uncle's grave.















Shane, the Nephew sent me these copies of the newspaper articles from the time and a lovely letter. They had no idea where he was buried and had never seen his grave.














A few months ago, I blogged, in brief, this story. I tagged the post with E.K. Wilson's name. Enter the story, Susan Campbell. She left me a comment asking me to contact her. She and her partner, Joan Baron, (her father Walter Henry Powell was at No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School with Susan's father in law, Cameron Clare Campbell and Dr. James McPhee;) were building a web site and she gave me the link. Kenneth Wilson was a handsome young man as you can see by this photo from the site. He has such kind eyes. It brings a lump to my throat to look at this picture.











On the site is this picture of the graves in Reichwald Cemetery. I did not realize that on either side of Ken's grave were the rest of the crew who did not survive that night in 1944.

http://www.thewhpfamily.com/mcphee/page1.html

*EDIT* the link is fixed, please take a look!

This is the link to Dr. McPhee's story and the website created by Joan Baron. The amazing story of Dr. Jim McPhee who survived, was taken prisoner and made it home at the war's end. The site is a wonderful tribute to these men and will stand as a remarkable testament to their service and sacrifices. It also gives Shane, the Great-Nephew, the opportunity to talk to survivors who knew and served with his Uncle.











Shane, Ken's Great-Nephew, proudly keeps his memory alive.








When I try to tell people this story and how amazing it is, all of us, finding each other, I cannot help but have to fight off tears. I am proud to be a small part of this story. Just the story of Kenneth Wilson alone is enough to make me cry but the whole thing, well, I'm tearing up now!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating stuff Pat!!
Good for you for pursuing this...I'm proud of you and I know your dad would be too!!!

Pat Toal said...

Ok, now I'm all teary again... thanks. I do think of Dad every time I think of this story.