William James Kempling (February 5, 1921 – May 20, 1996) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. Born in Grimsby, Ontario, he represented the electoral districts of

Halton—Wentworth Halton—Wentworth was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Halton and Wentworth ridings. It cons ...

in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 1972 to 1979, and

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

from 1979 to 1993. He was a member of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

. Kempling is perhaps best known for being a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

stationed in Burma. He was a Flight Lieutenant with the R.A.F. and his plane was shot down over the jungles of Burma while on a mission. Surviving the crash, he was subsequently taken prisoner by the Japanese Army and interned in a P.O.W. camp until he was able to escape and make his way through the jungle where he was rescued by a patrol of Ghurka Soldiers that brought him safely out of the jungle to Allied territory.

Electoral record

External links

* 1921 births 1996 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs People from Grimsby, Ontario Canadian military personnel of World War II Canadian expatriates in Myanmar {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MP-stub