Page 4 - William Johnston

The information on this page was supplied by Mary Lynne Knill and Ian
Johnston both from Canada.

Their late Father, Flying Officer W.C Bill Johnston was a 576
Squadron Bomb Aimer stationed at Fiskerton until the end of
hostilities.
Bill was born in the small rural town of Dutton Ontario, July 18,
1922, around the time of The Great Depression. The middle child of
Mary and Jack Johnston, he had an older sister, Alice and a younger
brother, Robert. The family had a well-loved dog named Duke, who
figured famously in all the letters written back and forth when the
two brothers were overseas.
Like most boys his age, Bill loved sport. Hockey, baseball, and
sprinting were his competitive interests. His love of being outdoors
led him as a teenager to hunting and fishing, and he enjoyed these
pursuits throughout his adult life. He flourished at school, and
found success in academics at the local Dutton High School.

After high school graduation, there was no money for University, so
Bill sought work in a larger urban setting with more opportunities.
By October of 1941, he was working as a payroll clerk for Carroll-
Sharp Construction Limited, Contractors, and living in Welland,
Ontario. The company bid for jobs in various municipalities and
townships around south western Ontario. Their work included large
scale projects like supplying oil lines to Atlas Steel, and
underground infrastructure extensions.
During this time, Bill learned from his landlord, Mr Bowley, the
skills of a woodworking shop equipped with wood-turning lathe, power
drill, saws, hammers and “all sorts of tools imaginable”. This was the
beginning of a lifetime pleasure in working with wood.

On December 7 , 1941, the world was rocked by the Japanese attack
th
on Pearl Harbour. Bill decided then that it was time to sign up for
duty, and committed himself to serving in the European war theatre.

Bill was accepted into RCAF training at Rivers Manitoba. He graduated
as Flying Officer on May 13, 1943, being awarded the Air Bomber badge
for ranking first in his class. He went overseas in July having been
granted a Commission.

Post war William attended the University of Western Ontario and
then started a successful construction company in London, Ontario.