Yarington, Alvin Edward (Ted)

Alvin Edward (Ted) Yarington, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Yarington, 54 Lyons Ave., had one ambition - flying. From the time he was very small, he would look up at passing planes and announce his determination to become a pilot. Never did he lose sight of his goal and not even a broken back and poor health interfered with the realization of his dreams. As soon as he was of age, he enlisted in the R.C.A.F., and was sent to Galt to train in ground crew. One weekend while home on leave he was tobogganing on some nearby hills. There was a spill and the young airman suffered a broken back. Four months were spent by him lying in a cast in hospital and then he began to wear a type of back brace. Undaunted, and still determined, he tried to re-enlist at Hamilton. Failing, he applied to a London recruiting centre. There he was accepted and trained as an air-gunner at Brandon, Dauphin and Toronto and was finally "winged" at Mont Joli, Que. He was sent overseas in September, 1943. However, by the time he had been there two weeks his complete record reached his officers and he was hospitalized in Inverness, Scotland, for X-rays. With rare strength of will and a singleness of purpose, he somehow persuaded those in authority that he could fly, and his operational flights began. On May 13, 1944, at the age of 21, P/O Yarington took the place of a mid-upper gunner who had been stricken with appendicitis and the plane did not return from operations. Three days before that final flight he received his commission. Born in St. George, Ont., he had lived in Brantford since his 10th year and had attended Victoria School and the Collegiate

Institute. He was active in the Y.M.C.A. and Boy Scout activities and was a member of the Brant Avenue United Church. He was at the Williams Tool Corporation of Canada, Ltd., before his enlistment.

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