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William Beresford Arnold
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Born at Kingston, Ontario on 15 May 1913, a son of Florent Georges Arnold and Edna Gunn Thompson, both parents were deceased by the time he graduated grade 12 at the Regina Collegiate Institute, in 1931. On 15 June 1940, he married Catherine Mary Crothers (?-?) of Kingston in Winnipeg. They were living in the Nelson Apartments on Broadway, and he was working as a clerk accountant at the Canadian Wheat Board when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on 13 May 1942.
He qualified as a Navigator and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and commissioned Pilot Officer on 25 June 1943. At the time, he made it known that he was disappointed to not be selected for Pilot. His parents did not want him to serve as aircrew. He proceeded overseas on 16 July 1943 and was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer on 25 December 1943. He joined 357 (Special Duties) Squadron at Jassore, India, on 1 October 1944.
Dakota aircraft KK180 was on detachment in China when, on 20 May 1945, it crashed while ferrying supplies between Changting and Chihkiang. Flying in bad weather, the crew could not locate their destination airfield. Low on fuel, the pilot made a forced landing in a paddy field, near Yuping, 230 miles northeast of Hong Kong. On landing, the aircraft hit a bank of earth and Arnold and the pilot were killed. They were buried at the site of the crash and subsequently moved to the Anglo-American Cemetery in Kunming, China.
He is now buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery in Hong Kong. In 1995, the Province of Manitoba named Arnold Island in Molson Lake in his honour.
This page was prepared by Robert Nash.
Page revised: 24 May 2024
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