Bow, John

John Bow served in the Royal Canadian Service Corps during the Second World War.   Born in Windsor in 1926, he turned 18 in 1944, as the war was getting into its final year, and it turned out that he was unable to go overseas.  John had two older siblings, an older brother who joined the RCAF right as the war began, and a sister who did war work on the home front.  John’s brother saw overseas service in England, where he was a plotter, playing an important role during the various air campaigns of the war.  John wanted to be there too, but his attempted enlistment at 17 was thwarted, so he waited until his birthday, joining up in London, Ontario.  He was sent to Ipperwash and onto Woodstock, where the Service Corps took advantage of his mechanical expertise, training him in all things automotive and placing him in the RCEME, where he stayed until well after the war.  After the war, John was active in the Royal Canadian Legion, where he has promoted remembrance over the years.

John was interviewed for this project in January 2019 by Scott Masters and Eric Brunt, courtesy of RCL Branch 258 and Veterans Service Officer Bryan Bennett.