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William Edward Dutfield is one of 23 young men from Richmond who lost their lives in either World War I, World War II, or in the Korean War whose names are inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph.
File photo by Chung Chow
In honour of our soldiers: William Edward Dutfield
Published 11:26 PDT, Thu June 19, 2025
Last Updated: 11:26 PDT, Thu June 19, 2025
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In our previous series, we learned about 56 men who gave their lives during World War I and World War II, whose names had been inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph and were given a poppy street sign.
Following our poppy street signs series, we moved onto the young soldiers whose names were inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph but did not have a road named after them. Those names are compiled of the 23 young men who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, or in the Korean War.
William Edward Dutfield was born on December 8, 1931 in Vancouver, British Columbia to William Arthur and Mabel Thomas Dutfield of Lulu Island. He was also the brother of Miriam Dutfield. Growing up, William served in the 72nd Seaforth Cadets and was a five-sport athlete, playing lacrosse, basketball, baseball, tennis, and he swam.
He would go onto attend Richmond High School where he continued to participate in those sports and was named vice-president of the school council. He graduated from Richmond High in 1949 and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Navy where he would be part of the HMCS Shearwater division.
William had ambitions to be a flier and was accepted the same year he enlisted. While training to be a flier, he would meet and marry his wife Helen Agnes whose maiden name was Bellefontaine, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Tragically, Helen would not get the chance to meet the Dutfields, as William would die in a plane crash on March 3, 1953. The Dutfields were notified of the loss of their son through Helen’s telegram. William’s journey to Halifax was his first time away from Richmond, the cause of the crash was not discovered but was most likely due to a loss of control or mechanical error as it crashed into the ocean.
Responding to the UN Security Council’s callfor the restoration of peace and the withdrawal of invading forces in the Korean War, William Edward Dutfield was among thousands of Canadians who responded with action.
During his time serving, Dutfield was also the recipient of the Good Conduct Badge, awarded to those who exhibited exemplary behaviour, efficiency, and fidelity.
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