William Frank Kenwood Collection

Item set

Title

Description

In August 1940, on his 18th birthday, William Frank Kenwood joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and after many months of training, began flying Spitfires on sorties from England into enemy territory in Europe. He would usually return at night, guided back by a radio operator at the base. That voice in the darkness soon became the light of Kenwood’s life. He married the operator, Winifred Woods, in England on January 3, 1942. The newlyweds were separated after only six months when Kenwood was transferred to the North African Theatre of operations. Shortly after his transfer, Kenwood’s plane was shot down and he was captured and incarcerated by the Germans. Shipped to Prisoner of War camp Stalag VIIIB, near the Baltic coast, Kenwood would spend the next thirty-two months, taking up the saxophone in the prison band, studying mechanics in a prison class and trying his best to fill the passing time. The British army finally liberated Kenwood and the rest of the camp in 1945. After a brief reunion with his wife in England, the two returned to Kenwood’s home in Westmount, Quebec to finally begin their lives together.

Kenwood would rarely speak in detail about his experiences as a POW. His family would witness a few extremely rare episodes when the mental scars of that time would reveal themselves, but otherwise that chapter of his history was kept secret. However, not long after his death at the age of eighty-two, his children discovered a locked away cache of hundreds of well preserved items relating to this pivotal part of their father’s life. The collection of photos, clippings, drawings, notebooks, documents and letters were donated to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in 2005.

Type

Highlights

Items

Advanced search

Dagger

WWII German Luftwaffe 2nd Model Officers Dagger with Scabbard and Silver Portepee. The nickel crossguard has a Luftwaffe eagle in flight clutching a swastika, extremely similar to the Luftwaffe breast eagle. The nickel pommel is spherical that originally featured a gilded (gold plated) swastika, with the rest of the pommel decorated in an oak leaf design. The ivory coloured celluloid grip has grooves in the grip that are wrapped in twisted silver wire, which follows a spiral pattern around the grip. The standard nickel-plated polished blade, has a steel scabbard covered in a pebbled pattern with small oak leaf and acorn accents featuring two suspension bands with rings. The bands and the scabbard tip are decorated with oak leaf patterns like the pommel. The suspension bands would clip onto the inside of the officer's tunic, suspending the dagger at a 45-degree angle on his right side. The dagger also has a silver coloured portepee attached above the crossguard. A portepee is a decorative, tassel which hangs from the dagger. There was a special "Luftwaffe" way of tying the portepee to the dagger.
Photograph

Original black and white photograph of Frank Kenwood with his fellow prisoners of war taken at Camp Stalag VIII B Germany. The men are seen here in dress uniform posing in front of a wooden building. Frank Kenwood is the first from left seated in the front row.
Identification card

William Frank Kenwood's Prisoner of War Identification and information card (Dulag-Luft Kriegsgefangenenkarte). This brown paper card contains two photographs of Frank Kenwood, front and right side, his right fingerprint, and all his personal information.
Telegram

Canadian National Telegraph from R.C.A.F. Casualties Officer, Ottawa to Frank Kenwood's father, W.G Kenwood. The telegram reads, GA496 28 GB 2 EXTRA=RCAF OTTAWA ONT 16 548P W G KENWOOD, REPORT DELIVERY=318 ELM AVE WESTMOUNT QUE= M9184 PLEASED TO ADVISE YOUR SON FLIGHT LIEUTENANT WILLIAM FRANK KENWOOD PREVIOUSLY PRISONER OF WAR HAS BEEN LIBERATED AND HAS ARRIVED SAFELY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM= RCAF CASUALTIES OFFICER FORM 6122
Newspaper

THE CAMP NEWSPAPER, Berlin, April 30, 1944, Volume No. 194. THE CAMP is a newspaper with written submissions by Prisoners of War. Included is the obituary of Corporal James Stanley, 7319, Stalag working camp No. 1711/L, after a short illness on December 19, 1943. Some of the captions read, "WORLD AND WAR NEWS" "WEEKLY MILITARY SURVEY" "HOME NEWS IN BRIEF" "NEW ZEALAND NEWS" by Chaplain Major F. Hiddlestone, P.o.W. "WE WANT TO KNOW?" Answers to previous questions. "INQUIRIES" "Crossword-Puzzle No. 141 by W. Morrey, PoW. "A PROTEST" By Jack Burgess, PoW. "IOLANTHE The Gilbert and Sullivan Tradition" By Able Seaman Ron Robbins, PoW.
Telegram

Post Office Telegram sent from Frank Kenwood's parents, William and Mary Kenwood to their son, Frank Kenwood. The telegram reads, " WELCOME TO ENGLAND SO HAPPY TO KNOW YOU'RE WELL AND SAFE AWAITING YOUR RETURN ANXIOUSLY LOVE MOM DAD KENWOOD."
Sheet Music book

Saxophone practice book, written in German and belonging to Frank Kenwood. This 9" x 12" 10 page brown craft paper book is filled with saxophone practice exercises used by Frank Kenwood to learn to play the saxophone while he was a POW. The Saxophone Schule was written by Erich Rochow, .
Photograph

Black and white photograph of Flight Lieutenant William Frank Kenwood in his R.C.A.F. desert uniform.
Correspondence

A letter dated 24th September, 1941 from the Caterpillar Club. Off-white plain sheet of paper with the Caterpillar Club letterhead with a green caterpillar at the top centre of the page. It is addressed as follows, "The Adjutant, No. 92 (East India) Squadron, R.A.F. Station, BIGGIN HILL, Westerham, Kent." Dear Sir, Further to our letter of the 12th inst., we now have much pleasure in sending Sgt. W. F. Kenwood's caterpillar pin herewith. We should be grateful if this could be presented to him with our compliments. Yours faithfully, Leslie L. Irvin Honorary Secretary DMS Enc. Pin.
Correspondence

A letter of correspondence addressed to Mrs. W.G. Kenwood, the mother of F/O Frank Kenwood, dated November 10, 1943. The letter is from Mrs. H.P. Plumptre, the Honorary Director of the National Enquiry Bureau at the Canadian Red Cross Society in Ottawa regarding the notification of Frank Kenwood's recent relocation from Stalag VIIIB to Marlag und Milag Nord.
Log Book

William Frank Kenwood's Pilot's log book.
Belt

Heer Army brown leather belt with buckle. Pebbled nickel belt buckle with a relief of the Prussian Emperor's motto "GOTT MIT UNS" and a eagle clutching a swastika symbol. Translated the motto means "God is with us". The back of the buckle is stamped with the manufacturer's initials "RS&S". The leather belt is stamped with "R. Steper & Sohne, LÜDENSCHEID 1937".