In Memory of
Earnshaw Kenneth John, KJ
Private, A/379
Royal Canadian Regiment
who died 22 age
01th August 1943
AGIRA WAR CEMETERY, SICILY
Born 10 Gen 1921, Heaslip, Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada
Enlistment: 21 September 1939 in London, Ontario.
Son of Joshua and Catherine Earnshaw, of Haileybury, Ontario.
Kenneth was the youngest of the other two brothers, Ronald and Herman which was with Ken when he died.
The story is Ken was shot by a sniper and loaded onto an ambulance or medic vehicle which was then blown up by the German's.
On his grave is this inscription, "Dear Ken, Rest in peace from the roar of battle. Love, Aunt Mary."
When Ken was young his parents were killed in an accident and he was raised by his aunt Mary.
Below Kenneth is the guy in the middle (fourth from the left) and his brother Herman on the far right.
According to the war diary the following happened:"At 14.00 hrs the Anti Tank gun was spotted by one of the enemy tanks in Regalbuto. The tank came out from behind a building an fired three rounds at the A/T gun so quickly that the crew didn't have the chance to open fire. Private Earnshaw was killed and Corporal Binder, Lieutenant Shuter, Lance Corporal Stroh and Private Tschirhart were wounded."
Kenneth was initially buried near Regalbuto and later reburied at Agira.
Kenneth followed a course in May 1943 with the 1st Anti Tank Regiment of the RCA.
Kenneth lived in Toronto with his aunt who was his foster mother. His mother died when he was young. His father lived in Utterson, Ontario, but he didn't have any contact with him. He had two brothers who both served in the Armed Forces, Herman with the RCR and Elwood with the Northern Air Force. He also had two sisters, Thelma who served overseas with the Womens Auxiliary Corps and Kathleen who was a housewife.
Kenneth enlisted when he was 18 years old on 21 September 1939 in London, Ontario. He was part of the Expeditionary Force in June 1940 when the RCR were sent to France from 13-17 June 1940.
Information courtesy of the 