B63677 Lance Corporal Hamilton Arthur McKechnie was born on 3 July 1917 in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Alexander McKechnie and Mary McCann. He had five sisters (although two died young) and two brothers and attended Queen Alexandra Public School.

He left school at age 16 and was working as a solderer for the Toronto Art Lamp Co. in 1940.

He had served in The Queen’s Own Rifles militia since Septe 1936 when he enlisted with the active service Battalion on 12 June 1940 in Toronto.

McKechnie served in Newfoundland with “W” force and trained in Camp Borden and Sussex, New Brunswick before arriving in Scotland with the QOR in July 1941.

He was promoted to Corporal in September 1940 before reverting to Rifleman after being absent without leave. In England, he was appointed Acting Lance Corporal in May 1943 and Lance Corporal in August 1943.

While in England he married Dorothy Kathleen Smithers of Teddington, Middlesex, England on 18 May 1944 – only weeks before D-Day (see photo below.) She would move to Toronto in July 1946 and be living with Hamilton’s mother but seems to have returned to England and remarried by 1947.

Lance Corporal McKechnie landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944 and was killed in action, aged 26. He is buried in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference V. B. 13.