{"id":362399,"date":"2021-11-04T17:03:15","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T14:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/"},"modified":"2021-11-04T17:03:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T14:03:15","slug":"how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"#How an RCAF airman&#8217;s watch solved a 50-year mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39e4419329f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39e4419329f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Watch\" >Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Flying_Officer_William_Joseph_Kyle\" >Flying Officer William Joseph Kyle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#C-47_Dakota\" >C-47 Dakota<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Forever_changed\" >Forever changed<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Dear_Mother\" >Dear Mother<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Medals\" >Medals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/#Presumption_of_death\" >Presumption of death<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How an RCAF airman&#8217;s watch solved a 50-year mystery<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            The discovery of F.O. William Joseph Kyle&#8217;s watch led Veterans Affairs Canada\u2014and his family\u2014to where his plane went down during the Second World War\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n                                                                        In November 1990, a hunter found a watch while trekking through the jungle in northwest Burma (now Myanmar). It was weathered, as if it had spent decades in the vegetation. Five years later, the watch was identified by Veterans Affairs Canada as belonging to Flying Officer William Joseph Kyle, an RCAF airman whose plane went missing in June 1945, just two months before the end of the Second World War.<\/p>\n<p>The plane had evidently crashed, killing all six crew members. The remains of the airmen were recovered in 1996, and buried at Taukkyan War Cemetery in Burma.\u00a0Here are the pieces of the puzzle that tell Kyle\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch\"><\/span>Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kyle\u2019s watch, given to his family after the recovery, was donated by his brother George Francis Kyle to the Royal Canadian Legion in Perth, Ont.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229377\" style=\"width: 2227px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229377 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-WATCH-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"The watch face and back from William Kyle's watch. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"2217\" height=\"1359\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The watch face and back from William Kyle\u2019s watch. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Flying_Officer_William_Joseph_Kyle\"><\/span>Flying Officer William Joseph Kyle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kyle was newly engaged when he enlisted in the RCAF in September 1942, just a month shy of his 20th birthday. When his plane crashed, he was 22. Kyle was serving as second pilot in 435 Squadron, supporting the Allied forces fighting to push the Japanese out of Burma and eastern India.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229369\" style=\"width: 2110px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229369 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"William Kyle's portrait from the display at the Perth Legion. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1402\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">William Kyle\u2019s portrait from the display at the Perth Legion. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"C-47_Dakota\"><\/span>C-47 Dakota<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kyle\u2019s plane was a Douglas C-47 Dakota, a military transport aircraft used extensively during the Second World War. With wingspans of more than 95 feet, these twin-engine workhorses were used to move supplies, evacuate the wounded and drop paratroops. The last of Canada\u2019s \u201cDaks,\u201d as they were sometimes called, was retired in 1989.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229376\" style=\"width: 1382px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229376 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-C-47-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"A photograph of William Kyle's Dakota C-47 aircraft that crashed on 21 June 1945. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"1372\" height=\"1071\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photograph of William Kyle\u2019s Dakota C-47 aircraft that crashed on 21 June 1945. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Forever_changed\"><\/span>Forever changed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The watch also led to the recovery of some of the aircraft in 1996. Pieces of the wreckage are on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, in a temporary exhibit called <em>Forever Changed: Stories from the Second World War<\/em>. Among them: a fuel pump, a parachute buckle, radio parts, a propeller blade and an engine-control cover (below).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229375\" style=\"width: 2110px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229375 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-ENGINE-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"An engine control cover from William Kyle's Dakota C-47 aircraft that crashed on 21 June 1945. The condition of the items reflects their 50 years in the jungle of Burma. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1402\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">An engine control cover from William Kyle\u2019s Dakota C-47 aircraft that crashed on 21 June 1945. The condition of the items reflects their 50 years in the jungle of Burma. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dear_Mother\"><\/span>Dear Mother<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kyle\u2019s mother, Edith, died only months before her son\u2019s watch turned up. She\u2019d maintained hope he might be found alive \u201call the way up until she died,\u201d says his great-nephew, Jerrad Kyle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229373\" style=\"width: 2410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229373 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-LETTERS-FROM-WILL-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"A letter sent from William Kyle to his mother on June 2, 1945 (on display at the Perth Legion). (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1602\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A letter sent from William Kyle to his mother on June 2, 1945 (on display at the Perth Legion). (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Medals\"><\/span>Medals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kyle\u2019s family holds onto the medals he was posthumously awarded, along with an RCAF Operational Wings badge, his journal and many cherished photographs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229374\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229374 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-MEDALS-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13.jpg\" alt=\"William Kyle's military medals (on display at the Perth Legion). (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1202\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">William Kyle\u2019s military medals (on display at the Perth Legion). (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Presumption_of_death\"><\/span>Presumption of death<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In Kyle\u2019s hometown of Perth, Ont., his family held onto hope he was alive after receiving <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> in July 1945 (above) that the plane had not been found. But in March 1946, the RCAF wrote to his mother: \u201cIt is with deep regret that in view of the lapse of time and the absence of any further information concerning your son . . . action to presume his death for official purposes will now be taken,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1229371\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1229371 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-LETTER-TO-MOTHER-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13..jpg\" alt=\"A letter informing Will Kyle's mother of his disappearance. (However there was an accidental flip of his first and middle names, calling him &quot;Joe&quot; throughout.) Will's mother was advised to await further information - an agonizing period of anxiety and uncertainty. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2697\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A letter informing Kyle\u2019s mother of his dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>earance. (He was known as \u201cJoe\u201d to his fellow airmen.) Will\u2019s mother was advised to await further information\u2014an agonizing period of anxiety and uncertainty. (Photograph by Shelby Lisk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This annotation appears in print in the November 2021 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine with the headline, \u201cThe watch that solved a 50-year mystery.\u201d Subscribe to the monthly print magazine <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.macleans.ca\/loc\/MME\/head_subscribe\">here<\/a>.<\/em><br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/history\/how-an-rcaf-airmans-watch-solved-a-50-year-mystery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How an RCAF airman&#8217;s watch solved a 50-year mystery&#8221; The discovery of F.O. William Joseph Kyle&#8217;s watch led Veterans Affairs Canada\u2014and his family\u2014to where his plane went down during the Second World War In November 1990, a hunter found a watch while trekking through the jungle in northwest Burma (now Myanmar). It was weathered, as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":362400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/WILLIAM-KYLE-C-47-EL_SHENNAWAY-OCT13.-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67806,71589],"class_list":["post-362399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-editors-picks","tag-world-war-ii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}