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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Harold Wilmer Kerby

In memory of:

Wing Commander Harold Wilmer Kerby

July 30, 1943

Military Service

Service Number:

C/472

Age:

26

Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Division:

432 Sqdn.

Additional Information

Son of Royden Donaldson Kerby and Edna Dora Kerby, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; husband of Dorothy Winifred Kerby, of Lorne Park, Ontario. B.A. (Hons.) University of Toronto.

Commemorated on Page 177 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

HAMBURG CEMETERY
Germany

Grave Reference:

10A. J. 14.

Location:

Ohlsdorf is a village on the river Alster, about 9 km north east of the city of Hamburg on the eastern side of the city airport. Approaching from Hannover or Kiel leave the Autoroute A7 at the junction with the 432 following signposts for the Airport (Flughaven). After 2 km turn right onto Swebenweg which later merges with Krohnstieg and passes under the airport runway. After 4 km turn right onto 433 Chaussee. After 2 km turn left onto Erdkampsweg following signs for Barmbek. Continue along this road for 1.7 Km then turn right immediately before a prominent railway bridge, onto a road calledI M Grunen Grund. After a further 600 metres turn left into Alsterdorfer, the HAMBURG CEMETERY is located in this street at the junction with Fuhlsbuttlerstrasse. The Commission plot is signposted in the HAMBURG CEMETERY and is located 300 metres from the Chapel. Visitors should note that this cemetery is restricted to normal opening hours.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Photo of Harold Kerby– From: University of Toronto Memorial Book Second World War 1939-1945. The book was published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, University of Toronto. Submitted with permission, by Operation Picture Me.

    Details

    Photo of Harold Kerby
    Photo of Harold Kerby – From: University of Toronto Memorial Book Second World War 1939-1945. The book was published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, University of Toronto. Submitted with permission, by Operation Picture Me.
  • Memorial– Wing Commander Harold Wilmer Kerby is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Wing Commander Harold Wilmer Kerby is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Wing Commander Harold Wilmer Kerby is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Wing Commander Harold Wilmer Kerby is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Photo of HAROLD WILMER KERBY– PL-19092 UK-4233 31/05/43 432 SQN Wing Commander Harold Kerby, of Toronto, commander of 432 RCAF bomber squadron overseas.

    Details

    Photo of HAROLD WILMER KERBY
    Photo of HAROLD WILMER KERBY – PL-19092 UK-4233 31/05/43 432 SQN Wing Commander Harold Kerby, of Toronto, commander of 432 RCAF bomber squadron overseas.
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star December 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star December 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star August 1941. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star August 1941. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star May 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star May 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star May 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star May 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star August 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star August 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star November 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star November 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star February 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star February 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star May 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star May 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star September 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Star September 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram December 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram December 1940. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram July 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram July 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram February 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram February 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram September 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram September 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – From the Toronto Telegram 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo– Photograph of Kerby from Torontonensis, University of Toronto yearbook, 1938

    Details

    Photo
    Photo – Photograph of Kerby from Torontonensis, University of Toronto yearbook, 1938
  • Photo– Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow school athletes. The "T" means that the athletes played on an intercollegiate team. Kerby is shown in back row, fourth from photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.

    Details

    Photo
    Photo – Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow school athletes. The "T" means that the athletes played on an intercollegiate team. Kerby is shown in back row, fourth from photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.
  • Photo– Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow members of the swimming team. Kerby is shown in front row, photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.

    Details

    Photo
    Photo – Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow members of the swimming team. Kerby is shown in front row, photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.
  • Photo– Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow members of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Kerby is shown in second row, fourth from photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.

    Details

    Photo
    Photo – Group photograph showing Kerby with fellow members of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Kerby is shown in second row, fourth from photo left. From Torontonensis yearbook 1938.
  • Newspaper Clipping– From the Toronto Star for 22 July 1943, page 2.

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – From the Toronto Star for 22 July 1943, page 2.
  • Newspaper clipping– Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me.

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me.
  • Group photo– The W/Cdr W. Kerby crew of 432 Squadron This crew consisted of: W/Cdr W. Kerby RCAF, Sgt J. Smith RCAFPOW, P/O V. Jewell RCAF, F/O J. Bennett RCAF, and P/O P. Murphy RCAF. Four were killed and one POW when Wellington X LN-294 coded QO-E was shot down by a Nightfighter while on an attack at Hamburg on the night of July 29/30, 1943.

    Details

    Group photo
    Group photo – The W/Cdr W. Kerby crew of 432 Squadron This crew consisted of: W/Cdr W. Kerby RCAF, Sgt J. Smith RCAFPOW, P/O V. Jewell RCAF, F/O J. Bennett RCAF, and P/O P. Murphy RCAF. Four were killed and one POW when Wellington X LN-294 coded QO-E was shot down by a Nightfighter while on an attack at Hamburg on the night of July 29/30, 1943.
  • Newspaper clipping– In memory of the men and women memorialized on the pages of the Winnipeg Evening Tribune. Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me.

    Details

    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – In memory of the men and women memorialized on the pages of the Winnipeg Evening Tribune. Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me.
  • Memorial– The Soldiers' Tower was built by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in 1924 as a memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. The names of those who died in that conflict are carved on the Memorial Screen at photo left. After the Second World War, more names were carved in the Memorial Arch at the Tower's base. In total, almost 1,200 names are inscribed. A Memorial Room inside the Tower contains mementoes and artifacts, and a 51-bell carillon serves as the audio element of the living memorial to the alumni, students, faculty and staff who died in the World Wars. The Soldiers' Tower is the site of an annual Service of Remembrance. Photo: Kathy Parks, Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – The Soldiers' Tower was built by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in 1924 as a memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. The names of those who died in that conflict are carved on the Memorial Screen at photo left. After the Second World War, more names were carved in the Memorial Arch at the Tower's base. In total, almost 1,200 names are inscribed. A Memorial Room inside the Tower contains mementoes and artifacts, and a 51-bell carillon serves as the audio element of the living memorial to the alumni, students, faculty and staff who died in the World Wars. The Soldiers' Tower is the site of an annual Service of Remembrance. Photo: Kathy Parks, Alumni Relations.
  • Memorial Arch West– The names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the archway beneath the Soldiers' Tower in 1949. The name of "W/C H.W. KERBY R.C.A.F" is among the names inscribed.

    Details

    Memorial Arch West
    Memorial Arch West – The names of those who died in the Second World War were added to the archway beneath the Soldiers' Tower in 1949. The name of "W/C H.W. KERBY R.C.A.F" is among the names inscribed.
  • Memorial Room– Soldiers' Tower, University of Toronto. Photo: David Pike, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial Room
    Memorial Room – Soldiers' Tower, University of Toronto. Photo: David Pike, courtesy of Alumni Relations.
  • Memorial Book– University of Toronto Memorial Book, Second World War 1939-1945. Edited by H. E. Brown, published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, 1993. Entry on page 35 reads: "W/C Harold Wilmer KERBY 432 Sqn RCAF. Trinity College, BA 1938. Killed in an air operation over Hamburg, Germany, 30 July 1943. Buried in the Ohisdorf [sic, should be Ohlsdorf] Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany."

    Details

    Memorial Book
    Memorial Book – University of Toronto Memorial Book, Second World War 1939-1945. Edited by H. E. Brown, published by the Soldiers' Tower Committee, 1993. Entry on page 35 reads: "W/C Harold Wilmer KERBY 432 Sqn RCAF. Trinity College, BA 1938. Killed in an air operation over Hamburg, Germany, 30 July 1943. Buried in the Ohisdorf [sic, should be Ohlsdorf] Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany."
  • Memorial Stele– This stone stele is located in the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. "AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE. TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THIS COLLEGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO GREAT WARS." The name of "H.W. KERBY" is among those inscribed.

    Details

    Memorial Stele
    Memorial Stele – This stone stele is located in the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. "AS DYING AND BEHOLD WE LIVE. TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THIS COLLEGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO GREAT WARS." The name of "H.W. KERBY" is among those inscribed.
  • Memorial Scroll– This framed illuminated scroll, written in calligraphy, is entitled "Men and Women of Trinity College on Active Service. Met'Agona Stephanos". It hangs in the hallway outside the narthex of the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. Small symbols beside the names indicate men and women who are fallen, decorated, and prisoner of war. The list of names includes: '38 Kerby, H.W. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

    Details

    Memorial Scroll
    Memorial Scroll – This framed illuminated scroll, written in calligraphy, is entitled "Men and Women of Trinity College on Active Service. Met'Agona Stephanos". It hangs in the hallway outside the narthex of the chapel at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. Small symbols beside the names indicate men and women who are fallen, decorated, and prisoner of war. The list of names includes: '38 Kerby, H.W. Photo: Cody Gagnon, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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