| Rank | Sergeant |
| Service # | A/21888 |
| Unit # | Essex Scottish Regiment, R.C.I.C. |
The eldest son of William and Margaret Taylor of 28 Violet St., Chatham, ON. the brother of Jack in the RCAF and Bessie, still at home. The husband of Jane Taylor, of Gateacre, Lancashire, England.
Williams father was a veteran of the Great war, wounded in action. He was also the secretary of the 18th Batt. Veterans association.
William was born and educated in Chatham, attending McKeough public School and the Chatham Collegiate Institute. At the time of his enlistment he was employed at the Chatham Foundry. A member of the first Presbyterian Church in Chatham. William was very involved in the Boy Scouts and athletics rugby, hockey basketball. He played on the Essex Scots hockey team and the Brighton team in England.
William was an early enlistment in the Essex Scottish Regiment, he along with thirty to forty other city and district men in the second week in September 1939 went to Windsor to enlist with the Essex Scottish. He was reported on a weekend furlough in October of 1939, at his parents home in Chatham. CDN 2/10/39 (pg.6)
In May of 1942 it was reported in a letter to his parents that William announced his “forthcoming marriage to Jan Turner, the daughter of the late W. Turner of Wrexham, North Wales, The ceremony was scheduled for early June. CDN 14/05/42
For reasons unknown the wedding did not happen until Saturday 25 July, 1942. LAC Kenneth Cowell of Wallaceburg serving in the RCAF was Groomsman. Their marrage would be very short.
When the Essex Scottish went to England William was a Corporal and over a couple of years he was promoted to the rank of Sargent, he was especially good on a Bren Gun carrier and anti-tank guns.
The evening before the raid on Dieppe he had written a letter to his parents telling them about how hard he was working. There was no mention of the raid – in fact he knew nothing about it. When his unit started off for France, they thought they were just on another manoeuvre.
Reported as a casualty on the Dieppe Raid in the Windsor Star of 16 September, 1942. WS 16/09/42. Sergt. Taylor, the father when interviewed by the CDN 16/09/42 commented “Mrs. Taylor and I received the word a few weeks ago, but we consider our son still has a 50-50 chance. He may be a prisoner of war, or he may be looking for a chance to get back to England”.
Reported as a casualty on the Dieppe Raid in the Windsor Star of 16 September, 1942. WS 16/09/42. It was later confirmed by the Red Cross that he had been killed.
Age: 23, KIA – Date of Death: 19/08/1942, at Dieppe, France.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
| Sources | Found in Chatham Fire Fighters 1944 Field Day Booklet 7 to 12/08/1944, Index of Overseas Deaths., CWGC, IODE(P), VR, DND-RH, CCI-RH, WJ (16/09/42) |
| Supplemental Information | Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: 4. B. 10. Cemetery: CALAIS CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY, LEUBRINGHEN. |
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