Rank: Warrant Officer Class I
William George King was born in Arcola, SK on April 29th, 1916. After World War I, the family moved to homestead in the Teepee Creek area. His father ran the Teepee Creek Post Office and the family took an active role in the church and community. His sister Rae would become the mayor of Hythe. Will’s occupation prior to enlisting was a Grain Elevator Operator in Sexsmith. He originally applied to join the Army in October of 1937 but there were no vacancies at that time. Will joined the air force as a rear gunner on March 15th, 1941. On November 25th, 1942 he was promoted to Flight Sergeant. He was in England on active service when he was killed in an air crash. He is buried in England. A chair was bought in memory of Will and given to the Teepee Creek church. It sat in the church for over 30 years until it was stolen and never recovered. He was 27 when he was killed on January 31st, 1944 at 5:30 pm on Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire, England. The crew was on a cross-country navigation exercise when they appear to have become lost. When the aircraft descended through the clouds for the crew to get a fix on their position, they struck high ground. He was a Warrant Officer Class 1 and a member of the 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF Bomber Command, R/93560. He is buried in Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery (Sec. C, Row K, Grave 6). There was a memorial erected to the six Canadians that were killed in the same crash as William King. It was dedicated 62 years after the crash occurred. A large crater marked the spot where the Halifax bomber went down. The 1.2 metre stone plinth was designed by artist John Webber and was organized by Paul Reilly and his father John, whose best friend Felix Byrne was the only Scot on the plane. The memorial has a brass plaque bearing the names of those lost and their ranks.
- Wagon Trails Grown Over, 1980, p. 914 & 1149
- Edmonton Journal, February 1st, 2006, E10