Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | November 9, 1900 |
Place of Birth | Govan, Lanarkshire |
Country | Scotland |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | John Kilgour, father, 19 Drive Road, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland |
Trade / Calling | Apprentice draftsman |
Religion | Congregationalist |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 156464 |
Service Record | see images below |
Force | Royal Air Force |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Date of Enlistment | November 7, 1917 |
Age at Enlistment | 17 |
Theatre of Service | Great Britain |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | March 5, 1996 |
Age at Death | 95 |
Buried At | Green Acres Funeral Home and Cemetery, Hwy #1 East, at Navin Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Andrew Morrison Kilgour was born on 9 November 1900 in Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland. At the time of his birth Govan was going through a rapid expansion period, from a population of 9 000 in 1864 to 95 000 in 1907. In 1912 Govan became a part of Glasgow. Andrew’s father John Kilgour, a tailor, was from Dundee while his mother Mary Morrison Lutton was from Glasgow. The couple married on 14 June 1898, registered in the District of Govan. Andrew had an older sister, Elizabeth, and four younger sisters, Isabella, Christina, Jessie, and Mary.
Andrew entered Boy Service with the Royal Flying Corps on 7 November 1917, two days before his seventeenth birthday. His occupation was given as apprentice draughtsman and his father John at 19 Drive Road in Govan as next of kin. On 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force and he was transferred to the RAF. On May 21st he was sent to the RAF Training Centre in Cranwell, Lincolnshire in England for three weeks and then on to Longside in Aberdeenshire in mid June. On his birthday, 9 November 1918, he turned 18 and entered Man Service with Trade Classification of Boy Rigger (Airship). On 1 February 1919 he was transferred to the Dispatch Centre at Edinburgh Castle and was then transferred to the RAF Reserve on March 3.
Andrew immigrated to Canada in 1923, arriving in Halifax aboard the Caronia on August 18th. His occupation was given as draughtsman with intended occupation as harvester out of Winnipeg. However Andrew found work as a draughtsman with the Keewatin Lumber Company, taking up residence in Kenora, Ontario. He returned to Scotland in the fall of 1925 for six weeks, arriving back in Canada on the 17th of October aboard the Marburn.
On 16 August 1926 in Kenora, Andrew married Flora Mary Morrison. At the time of his marriage Andrew was working as a draughtsman. Born in Glasgow on 18 October 1901, Flora was the daughter of Roderick Morrison, shipyard labourer, and Flora Paterson. Flora’s parents married on 10 September 1886 in Glasgow and had a number of children by the time of Flora’s birth. Flora arrived in Canada on August 8th, occupation listed as confectioner on the passenger list of the Metagama, destination given as Kenora and fiancĂ© Andrew. Andrew and Flora had three children, sons John (Jack), Roderick, and Donald.
In February 1930 Andrew joined the Kenora Branch of the Canadian Legion, membership card giving discharge date from service as May 1919 in Georgetown, Paisley and rank of Rigger Airship. The 1935 Voters List for Kenora found the family living on 1st Street South with Andrew working as a bookkeeper for the local paper mill. According to Andrew’s obituary, from there the family moved to Nipigon, Ontario and then to nearby Red Rock to further Andrew’s career in the pulp and paper industry. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1942, with Andrew working as an auditor in the office of the Auditor-General of Canada, auditing Commonweath air stations. He was transferred to Ottawa in 1945 and in 1950 the family relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Voters Lists giving Andrew’s occupation as civil servant/auditor and address as George Dauphines Avenue. Retiring in 1966, Andrew and Flora returned to Ottawa for a number of years before moving to Oakbank, Manitoba in May of 1989 to be near their youngest son Don and family. Both individually and as a family the Kilgours made numerous trips to Scotland.
Andrew died on 5 March 1996 at the Saint Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife Flora, sons John (Norma) of Toronto, Ontario, Roderick (Valerie) of Bedford, Nova Scotia, and Donald (Marvis) of Oakbank. He was also survived by twelve grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Andrew was predeceased by his parents and his five sisters. Shortly after his death Flora moved in with Don and Marvis, later passing away on 30 November 1997 at the Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg. Andrew and Flora’s cremains are interred in the Green Acres Funeral Home and Cemetery on the outskirts of Winnipeg.
by Judy Stockham
British Royal Air Force, Airmen’s service records 1912-1939: National Archives, London, England
Information about Andrew and Flora’s later life and resting place as well as the family photographs provided by granddaughter Karen Elaine Kilgour-Klann