William “Bill” Eric Kent was born on April 6, 1918 to William and Dorthea (Conrad) Kent, near the village of Myrtle, Ontario. His father passed away very suddenly of a heart attack when Kent was just over a year old. After his mother remarried, and following a brief time in Montreal, the family settled in Oshawa.A fter Kent graduated from grade 8, he started helping his step-father in the family blacksmith shop behind their home. As a youngster, he had gained a fascination with cars and learned to drive the family car as soon as he could, often also completing any needed repairs. This early experience led to employment as a chauffeur with the Robson family, owners of the Robson Leather Company of Oshawa.
With World War II underway, General Motors in Oshawa had received a number of government contracts to supply cars and trucks needed for the war effort. Looking for workers in 1940 to help fill this demand, Kent was hired the very day he applied. He also joined the reserve army in June 1940, and was assigned to the 11th (Res) Tank Regiment in Oshawa. His basic training took place between July 1940 and June 1941. He remained with the reserve army until February 8, 1943 when he was called up for active duty. He received additional training to become a Military Police Officer with the Canadian Provost Corps.
Kent was sent first to England where his troop was assigned to move prisoners of war north to Glasgow, where they were put on ships to be transported to Halifax, Nova Scotia. From Halifax, many were sent to Quebec and Ontario, where they were put to work on remote lumber camps. He undertook three of these cross-Atlantic transports.
Following the Normandy Invasion, Kent was sent to France to support the fighting units, spending time also in Belgium and the Netherlands. Following Victory in Europe, Kent remained in Europe to assist with the safe return of troops and equipment home to Canada.
Kent returned to Oshawa and to his job at General Motors, and he and his wife welcomed two children. He was often at his brother’s Newcastle farm. William “Bill” Eric Kent passed away on December 11, 1972 at the young age of 54 from a heart attack.
We are grateful for information supplied to us by Doug McCheyne and the families of these men.
Courtesy of the Orono Weekly Times with special credit to Carol-Ann Oster
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