Kingsland, Howard

Howard Kingsland was born October 4, 1921 in Montreal, Quebec, the son of a Great War veteran.  He grew up in the city’s north end, and he recalls that while the Great Depression was difficult, the family was able to make ends meet.  Howards completed high school and went to work for the CNR, and he was working in an office when the war began.  Howard made the decision to join the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, when he was 21.  He had earlier tried to join the army, but he had been rejected because of a heart condition.  The navy decided that Howard would be classified as a “writer”, meaning that he had been selected for administrative duties and office work, likely because of his experience and medical record.  His service started in Montreal, though he was later transferred to Toronto and HMCS Griffon in Port Arthur.  He would rise to the rank of petty officer during his three years of service.  The end of the war saw Howard in Victoria, but his stay there was brief as the war in the Pacific came to and end.  He was shipped back to Montreal and demobilized, electing to go to McGill University, where he studied commerce and used his veterans’ benefits.  After McGill Howard earned his CA, and by the mid-50s he had made the transition to Toronto, where he married and had his own family.  Howard Kingsland was interviewed by Crestwood students at the Sunnybrook Veterans Wing in Toronto in December 2023.