Pamplin, William James

After nearly three years of service with the R.C.A.M.C., and seeing battle action in France, Holland and Germany, it was the tragic destiny of Pte. William James Pamplin, young Paris boy, to lose his life from an illness contracted on the ship on which he was returning to Canada and never to reach his home. He was taken from the boat to hospital in Halifax where he underwent a serious operation. Some hope for his recovery was held when he was removed to the Crumlin Hospital, London, but he died there on March 6th, 1946, six weeks after his arrival in Canada. The reunion planned by his family, including his widow, the former Helen Wraight, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Percy Pamplin, did not take place. Instead, with military honors, his funeral was conducted from St. James' Anglican Church, Paris. More than 125 veterans of the First and Second Great Wars attended and members of the Canadian Legion formed a guard of honor. Born in Paris, in 1924, Pte. Pamplin was educated in the local schools and enlisted, September 1, 1942, in the R.C.A.S.C. soon after his Paris High School days were over. Following his training in Canada, he was loaned to the R.C.A.M.C. with which he served in Europe.

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