Lest We Forget

Oldest of four siblings, Kenneth William Ney was born September 20, 1923, to parents William and Florence (Krueger) Ney in Sebringville, Perth County, Ontario, a village just west of Stratford. He attended school until he was 16 and, like many farm children during the depression, he went to work to provide support for the needs of his family. His job was as lineman for Bell Telephone.

In late November 1942, Ken enlisted with the Royal Canadian Signals Corps as a Private in London, Ontario, shortly after he had turned 19. His initial training took place in London, then he was later transferred to the Signals Training Centre at the Barriefield Military Camp in Kingston, Ontario.

In March 1943, Private Ney was attached to the 9th Canadian Construction Sec. Royal Canadian Signals Corps, and they embarked to Europe on the ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth. There were over 20,000 soldiers on the ship as she left Halifax harbor to cross the U-boat infested Atlantic Ocean. The crossing took six days.

Ongoing training took place in Southern England until his unit was shipped to France, landing on the Normandy Beaches on June 11, 1944.

Private Ney’s unit was active in the Battle of Normandy, and completed operations in Belgium, Holland, and Germany until the end of the war. At war’s end, he was stationed in Northern Germany when he took leave to marry Kathleen Hickey in England on July 30, 1945. He returned to Germany after a brief four-day honeymoon in London.

On August 29, 1945, Private Ney was admitted to No.12 Canadian General Hospital, Europe (location unknown) with tuberculosis and was subsequently sent home to Canada in September 1945 on the hospital ship The Lady Nelson. He was placed in the Westminster Sanatorium in London, Ontario, where he spent eighteen months recovering from TB.

By the time Ken had recovered, the war was well over, and Ken had served for four years, participating in operations in Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He returned to live with his family in Sebringville, returning to work at Bell Telephone, where he was employed for thirty-five years before retiring in 1982.

He passed on April 20, 2016, in Fergus, Ontario, at the age of 92. Together with his wife, Kathleen, his ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains near Kimberley, British Columbia.

Medals:

France and Germany Medal

1939-1945 Star

Defence Medal, 1939-1945

War Medal, 1939-1945

Canadian Volunteer Service Medal