Sergeant David Lindsay Watson

Survivor of WW2

Date of Death:

Biography General Links Ranks Images Awards Chronology Print

Service Biography

David Lindsay Watson was born at Athelstan, Quebec, on 3 August 1916, the son of Lindsay Donald Watson and Mary Agnes Thompson. A machine operator before the war, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at Montreal on 21 April 1941 as R94346. He trained in radar-related ground duties and served overseas in the United Kingdom, advancing from Aircraftman Second Class through Leading Aircraftman and temporary non-commissioned rank to Sergeant. Watson married Janette Aitken Robertson in Scotland on 6 January 1943. After overseas service with several radar and wing organizations, he returned to Canada in 1945 and was released from the RCAF as a Sergeant on 1 October 1945.

General Information

Conflict:

WW2

Regimental No.:

R94346

Cause of Death (in war):

Survived

Branch:

Air Force

Regiment:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Battalion:

RAF Station Winterton

Company:

Date of Birth :

Place of Birth:

Athelstan, Quebec

Date of Enlistment:

Age at Enlistment:

24 years 8 months

Date of Discharge:

Age at Discharge:

29 years 1 month

Date of Death:

Age at Death:

75 years 4 months

Country Born:

Canada

Trade or Calling:

Machine Operator

Next of Kin:

Lindsay Donald Watson, father, Athelstan, Quebec

Address at Enlistment:

Athelstan, Quebec

Religion:

Presbyterian

Place of Enlistment:

Montreal, Quebec

Was a Prisoner of War:

Height:

5 ft 8.5 in / 174 cm

Weight:

145 lbs / 66 kg

Chest:

34.0 in / 86 cm

Expansion:

3.0 in / 8 cm

Marital Status:

Married

Prior Military Experience:

Saw Service in:

Great Britain

Place of Discharge:

Lachine, Quebec

Discharge Type:

Regular/End of Service

Discharge Notes:

Battle Died/Wounded:

Length of Service:

1624 days in service

Buried at:

Links

Ancestry.com

Images

David Lindsay Watson

Ranks

Conflict	Rank	Regiment	Branch	Unit
WW2	Sergeant	Royal Canadian Air Force	Air Force	RAF Station Winterton
WW2	Sergeant	Royal Canadian Air Force	Air Force	No. 73 Wing
WW2	Temporary Corporal	Royal Canadian Air Force	Air Force
WW2	Leading Aircraftman	Royal Canadian Air Force	Air Force
WW2	Aircraftman Second Class	Royal Canadian Air Force	Air Force

Awards

Conflict	Award	Action	Date of Award	Date of Citation	Source
WW2	Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp

Service Chronology

1916-08-03 — Born.
1941-04-08 — Completed RCAF attestation and medical examination.
1941-04-21 — Enlisted in the RCAF Special Reserve as Aircraftman Second Class, R94346.
1941-05-31 — Struck off strength of No. 4 Manning Depot to RCAF Detachment, McGill University.
1941-06-01 — Taken on strength RCAF Detachment, McGill University.
1941-09-06 — Reclassified/promoted to Leading Aircraftman.
1941-09-18 to 1941-09-29 — Granted leave.
1941-09-30 to 1941-10-04 — Hospitalized for a right corneal ulcer with iritis; ulcer healed and he was discharged to duty.
1941-10-06 — Struck off strength No. 1 'Y' Depot to RAF Trainees Pool.
1941-10-29 — Taken on strength of 3 PRC.
1941-11-06 — Struck off strength of 3 PRC to another RAF organization.
1942-02-18 — Radar-mechanic trade/reclassification entry recorded.
1942-03-04 — Struck off strength of an RAF organization to No. 70 Wing.
1942-05-11 — Attached to RAF Millfield / No. 70 Wing organization.
1942-06-28 — Posted from Wing Headquarters to No. 70 Wing.
1942-07-01 — Temporary corporal appointment recorded.
1942-09-05 to 1942-09-12 — Treated for urethritis and discharged to duty.
1942-11-15 to 1942-11-17 — Treated for scabies and discharged to duty satisfactory.
1943-01-06 — Married Janette Aitken Robertson.
1943-03-06 to 1943-03-27 — Hospitalized for primary syphilis with concurrent scabies; discharged after treatment.
1943-04-01 — Temporary sergeant appointment recorded.
1943-04-08 to 1943-04-14 — Privilege leave recorded.
1943-04-15 to 1943-04-22 — Absent without leave; disciplinary punishment included confined-to-camp and forfeiture of pay.
1943-07-03 to 1943-07-05 — Absent without leave; awarded 10 days confined to camp.
1943-07-29 to 1943-08-17 — Hospitalized with catarrhal jaundice; returned to duty after treatment.
1943-12-31 — Transferred/posting entry from No. 75 Wing to No. 73 Wing recorded.
1944-01-19 — Attached from No. 73 Wing to No. 9 Radio School.
1944-02-10 — Struck off strength of No. 73 Wing to RAF Station Winterton.
1944-07-25 — Taken on strength of No. 78 Wing from RAF Station Winterton.
1944-10-14 — Taken on strength of another wing from No. 78 Wing.
1944-12-01 — Attached to No. 2 Radio School.
1945-06-05 — Struck off strength of No. 73 Wing and taken on strength at RAF Station Winterton.
1945-08 to 1945-09 — Entered repatriation/personnel-depot processing and was granted 30 days disembarkation leave.
1945-08 — Posted through RCAF Station Greenwood and personnel/repatriation organizations after return to Canada.
1945-09-26 — Venereal-disease follow-up documentation recorded prior treated primary chancre/syphilis history and follow-up serology.
1945-10-01 — Released under K.R. (Air) 195(17), on completion of a term of voluntary service during an emergency; transferred to RCAF Reserve General Section, Class E.
1991-12-24 — Died, according to the existing CWVMP record.

Notes

David Lindsay Watson was born at Athelstan, Quebec, on 3 August 1916, son of Lindsay Donald Watson and Mary Agnes Thompson. He attended school in Athelstan and Ormstown and worked as a machine operator in a woodworking factory before enlistment. He spoke English and French and listed baseball and softball among his sports. Pre-enlistment references from local employers described several years of steady employment and practical bush, farm and general work experience. His enlistment medical recorded height 5 ft 8½ in, weight 145 lb, chest 34 in with 3 in expansion, hazel eyes and reddish hair. He married Janette Aitken Robertson in Scotland on 6 January 1943.

[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]

Enlisted April 1941.
Born at Athelstan, Aug. 3, 1916.
BIRTH 3 AUG 1916 • Athelstan, Le Haut-Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada DEATH 24 DEC 1991 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Request confirmation number EA2026_0171748

Additional Service Notes

Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force Special Reserve at Montreal on 21 April 1941 as R94346. He trained in radar-related ground duties and progressed from Aircraftman Second Class to Leading Aircraftman and later temporary corporal and Sergeant. He served overseas in the United Kingdom with RCAF/RAF radar and wing organizations, including No. 70 Wing, No. 75 Wing and No. 73 Wing. His final clearly substantive overseas posting was RAF Station Winterton, where he was taken on strength on 5 June 1945 after being struck off strength of No. 73 Wing. The subsequent August 1945 Greenwood and personnel-depot entries form part of his repatriation/release sequence rather than his principal operational identity. He was released as a Sergeant on 1 October 1945 on completion of his term of voluntary service during the emergency.

Additional Next of Kin Notes

At enlistment Watson's father, Lindsay Donald Watson of Athelstan, Quebec, was named next of kin. His mother was Mary Agnes Thompson Watson. Watson married Janette Aitken Robertson on 6 January 1943 while serving overseas in Scotland. The Record of Service subsequently lists Janette as his wife and casualty contact. The precise handwritten registry-office locality is not sufficiently clear to expand beyond Scotland.

Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-19 02:05:03 by: marc