Medals belonging to Vancouver-born naval hero back in family hands
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 01:23:01 +0000
Two memorial crosses linked to a Vancouver-born Second World War hero, naval Lieut. David Allison Killam, are back in family hands after being spotted for sale on eBay.
The small crosses — that are copies of memorial crosses issued to Killam’s widow and mother after he drowned on July 2, 1944 — were spotted by Ontario-based Dave Thomson. Thomson spends his spare time reuniting families with military medals, work for which he has received a commendation from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Thomson has helped return the medals of over 1,000 Canadian veterans to families or communities.
Lieut. David Allison Killam.
On Tuesday, Postmedia News reported the medals were for sale, and soon after the Killam family were notified.
Maud Killam, who is the daughter of David Killam’s brother Ralph, said her family grew up with David as “an icon of the family.”
“He was a household character in our lives,” she said.
The family has purchased the medals from the Ontario-based dealer, but are at a loss to explain how they got there.
Maud Killam said it was “not our family behaviour” to let anything of historical interest go. The original memorial crosses and his other medals are kept by David Killam’s grandson.
David Killam was born in Vancouver on Nov. 8, 1917 to Lawrence and Edith Killam of Shaughnessy — one of six children — and was married to Elizabeth Killam when he died.
According to a press clipping that came with the medals, Killam received the Distinguished Service Cross in early June 1940 for his actions during the evacuation of British forces from the shores Dunkirk, France.
“He won his DSC in Dunkirk for his valour in attempting three times to land a tiny power boat on the fire-swept beach to take off British officers,” the report states. “His boat was finally overturned by near direct shell hits. Twice he swam back to the destroyer for another small boat, but the third time there were none left.”
Four years later, almost to the day, Killam was back off the coast of France, but this time further south near Le Havre as part of the D-Day invasion force commanding a torpedo boat.
The press report states, “In the early darkness of D-Day the flotilla of four torpedo boats spotted a pack of German R-boats heading toward the convoy route off Le Havre and quickly gave chase, driving them away after 20 minutes exchange of gunfire. The following night the experience was repeated except that on this occasion it was destroyers that were met and chased away.”
For this, Killam and his crew were congratulated by Rear Admiral Philip Vian, commander of British naval forces.
A month later, and again off the coast of Le Havre, Killam’s torpedo boat struck a mine and sank. All 17 crew were blown off the ship and six were eventually rescued.
Killam survived the explosion, and was heard shouting to rescuers in the misty conditions, “carry on, don’t worry about me.” He was 26 and had a nine-month-old son at his time of death. Elizabeth later remarried.
Killam, who served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, was only able to get back to Vancouver once during his time at war, in January 1943.
Mount Killam on Gambier Island in Howe Sound is named after him.