Kith and Kin Remembered #WhoWillYouRemember

Lest We Forget  

Kith and Kin Remembered 

       My dad was a born storyteller. Some of his stories I took with a grain of salt, except those that were also confirmed by my grandmother. My grandmother confirmed this story, so I feel safe confiding in you. My dad was always fascinated by war and the strategies of war. This began at early age when my dad met relatives at the Timothy Eaton estate in Owen Sound when a young child.

     What relatives did my dad meet you ask? The two flying aces of World War 1, Billy Bishop and Henry John Burden who he met at the family party. You see Billy Bishop is related to me sort of; let me explain, he was married to my dad’s cousin (you figure out how many removed) Margaret Eaton Burden. Therefore so is her brother, Henry John Burden. Their grandfather was Timothy Eaton,( yes, those well known Eaton's in Canada, related to Timothy Eaton the department head king) . My great-great-great grandfather was Timothy’s brother. Have I confused you yet? 

       When young, my dad went to picnics and summer retreats at the Eaton’s estate in Owen Sound, This particular summer he met the two flying aces. Billy Bishop's home was in England at the time, but he had come home to Canada and met with relatives at this party. 
       Now to a young boy so interested in military history, just being introduced to them made him think he was in seventh heaven, but when they found the boy so knowledgeable about military history they were happy to talk to him of their service as flying aces. My dad thought the two men intelligent articulate and was thrilled that he was related to the pair( if only one distantly and one by marriage).  They were kind to the young boy and his older brother who craved male attention since their parent’s divorce. Dad and his older brother Gordon spent that day just enjoying the stories and soaking in all the information they imparted. This time they spent with him had an impact on my Dad, he wanted to join the air force when he got older or at least some part of the military.  It made his interest in military history come alive even more so and you’d often find the boy with his nose in his book, when he wasn’t hunting and fishing. It may have also made his older brother, Gordon join the war effort as a soldier as soon as the Second World War began. Uncle Gordon became a leader and worked behind the lines in special forces efforts in the Second World War. It didn't hurt that my Uncle Gordon had a genetic ability that assisted him. He had an eidetic memory meaning that he saw something and he could remember it all in vivid images.I'm sure that was difficult for him after the war and part of the reason he never spoke of what he did during the war. As I told you reader once before Uncle Gordon was believed killed at one point and his family grieved for him for months only to have a miracle happen finding out he was severally injured but alive. While my father tried to sneak off to war at thirteen years old but my grandmother retrieved him in Halifax before he boarded a troop ship that later was torpedoed. (see http://sheilaghlee.blogspot.ca/2011/11/three-word-wednesday-second-world-war.html)

     So on this Remembrance Day one hundred years after the start of World War 1, I remember the men who give their lives for their countries,and also the flying aces, Billy Bishop and Henry John Burden and my Uncle Gordon who served in Special Forces, and who were lucky enough to survive the war. Thank you all for you service.

My Uncle Gordon and some friends

      

     And thank you to my father who told me about all the military battles and made me see the sacrifices that these men had made for our country. He made me see that period of time through his eyes, those living through those turbulent times and how hard it truly it was.

NB: Billy Bishop officially credited with 72 victories thus making him Canada’s First World War flying ace the top Canadian ace of the war.  Billy Bishop was a touted as a Canadian hero and used as a morale booster to the Canadian people. Ordered to return to England and organize our flyers by June nineteenth, nineteen seventeen he couldn’t resist one last chance to take out more enemy planes flying behind enemy lines he took down five planes in fifteen minutes.   On August 5th, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and was given the post of "Officer Commanding-designate of the Canadian Air Force Section of the General Staff, Headquarters Overseas Military Forces of Canada." During the Second World War, Billy Bishop became instrumental in instructing and setting up pilot training for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Billy Bishop received the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order with Bar, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, 1914–1915 Star, and British War Medal 1914–1920. Margaret’s brother and Billy’s brother-in-law also a flying ace had 16 victories and received a Distinguished Service Order award and a Distinguished Flying Cross award. (source wikipedia)

To read more of Billy Bishop got to http://www.billybishop.net

    

                                    

 We remember and we honour our beloved soldiers. Thank you