Station to Station with Joe Pavia

What began as just a quick trip to the Kitchener Public Library turned into a five year, independent research project about the former owners of the house my family and I lived in.

When my wife and I purchased our 1930s home, we discovered that 16 different families had lived in the house between 1932 and 1997.

The first question we had: what’s wrong with the place?

Well, nothing! 

The families that lived here moved in an out for different reasons and in differing circumstances. Through my research I uncovered many great stories and some amazing photos of five of the 16 former owners.

This blog focuses on John and Florence Allan. They moved to Kitchener in the early 1920s after Jack, as he was referred to, accepted the job of managing the new Capitol Theatre.  In 1932  he added the Lyric Theatre to his duties.  

Bill Thurlow, Flight Sergeant and Warrant Officer Second Class in the Royal Canadian Air Force died in July of 1942 along with six others members of the 405 Squadron when the Halifax Bomber they were on crashed after returning from a night time bombing mission in Germany.

There are slightly different versions about what led to that crash. Two of them were recorded in the history books while a third came from a gentleman named George Hexter whose brother Bob was on the crew that died.

Continue reading “Bill Thurlow, Flight Sergeant and Warrant Officer Second Class” →