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CHARLES VAN WYCK LAUGHTON (1919 - 2004)
Charles was the eldest son of George Van Wyck Laughton, brother of Paul
MacDonell Laughton (the originator of the Family Tree Project) and the father of
Richard Van Wyck Laughton (the creator of this web site). Charles Van Wyck
("Van") was married to Maureen Montgomery Laughton (nee Kennedy) of
the Kennedy/Stephenson line.
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Charles Van Wyck Laughton was born on November 27, 1919 at the
Womenıs College Hospital in Toronto to Mary Elizabeth Laughton (MacDonell)
and George Van Wyck Laughton. |
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Van grew up in North Toronto and later graduated from
Pickering College in Newmarket. |
Charles Van Wyck 1942
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With the start of World War II, Van joined the Navy, attended
COTC (Canadian Officer Training Course), and graduated as a Lieutenant. During
the war, he sailed the North Atlantic on HMCS Arnprior, the Agassiz and
the Cobalt 1. As reported "On Active Service" in the clippings from
father George Van Wyck Laughton, on April 11, 1942. The quotation in the
paper read as follows:
Elder son of Mr. and Mrs. G. V. Laughton, Su-Lt. Van
Laughton R.C.N.V.R. has arrived at Halifax to complete his course. Van
left the University of Toronto a little over a month ago to join the navy and
took preliminary training at H.M.C.S. York. A graduate of Pickering
College, he had been on tutorial staff there before going to university. |
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Flower
Class Corvettes
HMCS Arnprior |
The war time ships (Corvettes) of Lt. C. V. Laughton R.C.N.
HMCS
Arnprior K494
HMCS
Agassiz K129
HMCS
Cobalt K124
Taken from:
Ships of the Canadian
Navy
Link
to the HMCS Chebogue Rescue in WWII (Arnprior Tale)
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Post War Picture of CVL |
After the war Van married Maureen
Kennedy then settled in Halifax, while he attended Dalhousie Law School. He
helped raise his family in Exeter and later in Grand Bend. Van practised law
for many years in both those communities. He was also an active member of the
Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Canadian Navy Association. |
Charles Van
Wyck Laughton passed away on August 30, 2004 at Parkwood Hospital in London,
Ontario. He is buried in Exeter Public
Cemetery, in the same plot as Maureen and his
parents George and Beth.
In 2004 I returned to the Exeter area to take photographs of the family home
at 404 Edward Street where we grew up prior to moving to Grand Bend. The
Grand Bend cottage (converted to our home) was subsequently destroyed by arson
in June of 1967. That is another story in itself!
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