183 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca LEWIS, William Lailey Seraphin “Bill” WWII Bill was born and raised on the family farm in the Roseneath Community, southwest of Minnedosa, Manitoba. He received his education at the Roseneath School and took agriculture and mechanic courses in Minnedosa. Bill joined the Royal Canadian Air Force on August 12, 1941, at Winnipeg Recruiting Centre, and took his basic training in Brandon and Winnipeg. He was posted to the RCAF Technical School in St. Thomas, Ontario where he graduated as an aeroengine mechanic. Following a short period of service on air bases in Canada, Bill was posted to the United Kingdom. He sailed from Halifax in December 1942 on the Queen Elizabeth, converted luxury liner to troopship, landing at Greenwhich, Scotland. The Queen Elizabeth carried as many as 17,000 troop and made the voyage to the United Kingdom solo with no convoy, taking a zig-zagging course across the vast Atlantic at speeds which helped her to evade enemy U-boat activity. After disembarking at Greenwhich, Bill travelled by train to Blackpool, England and from there he was posted for duty at the RCAF Station at Topcliffe, Yorkshire, in #6 RCAF Bomber Command. He was attached to #424 Squadron, “A” Flight. In May 1943, RCAF Squadrons #420, 424, and 425 were dispatched to the Middle East theatre of war. Equipped with desert gear, they travelled by train back to Scotland and embarked on the troopship Duchess of York, in a convoy of 36 ships. Safely escaping much enemy sub activity in the Mediterranean Sea, the Duchess of York reached her destination and docked at Algiers, North Africa. About fifteen minutes after disembarkation, the port of Algiers was subject to aerial bombardment by the German Luftwaffe. From Algiers, Bill drove a truck to Tunis, Tunisia, a trip of about 500 miles. Some airmen went by truck, others by train. In Tunisia, near a place in the desert called Kairoan, about 60 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, a tent town was set up and aerial operations got underway employing two motored Wellington bomber aircraft in bombing missions over Sicily in preparation for the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy. Many hours were spent by the ground crews playing poker as they waited for their buddies to return from airstrikes. Upon their return, the aircraft were immediately serviced, repaired, when necessary, and made ready for the next mission. As the war progressed, Sicily, and subsequently the boot of Italy, were successfully invaded by Allied forces. The three RCAF Squadrons, having completed their assignment, were returned to the United Kingdom about November 1943. Back in northern England, service crews serviced the huge four-engine Halifax bombers and, in 1944, the massive Lancasters. Both could carry an 8,000 lb. bomb load. Bill was repatriated back to Canada in September 1945. Following his discharge from the RCAF, he returned to the farm, buying, and settling in his home community of Roseneath. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, War Medal 1939-1945, and Defence Medal. In 1949, Bill was married to Jean Stewart of Minnedosa. They farmed for almost 25 years and raised a family of five children. There are eleven grandchildren. Bill was very active in The Royal Canadian Legion, School Boards, U.G.G., Seed Growers Association, and sports. He was a member of the Young People’s club, and St. Saviour’s Anglican Church. Bill passed away after a short illness on February 8, 1972, at the age of 54. Burial took place in the family plot in Minnedosa Cemetery.
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