Military administrator.
Born at Kingston, Ontario on 23 March 1904, one of three sons to Major Charles Turner (1869-1928) and Ida May McKee (1875-1955), he received education locally and, at the age of 13, saw home front activity during the First World War with the Army Service Corps at Kingston from June through September of 1918 before being discharged due to his young age.
He attended three years at Kingston Collegiate Institute and began work as a clerk and teller at the Bank of Montreal (1920-1922), followed with accountancy/auditing work with Larmonth & Cunningham (1922-1925) and as a Director and Secretary-Treasurer of Rideau Garage Limited (1926-1927). He joined the 1st Field Brigade of the Canadian Artillery in 1923 then, in March 1927, he enlisted with the permanent force of the the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), with early service including work as Pilot Officer of Air Member for Supply and as Equipment Officer at Ottawa. His promotions in rank include Flight Lieutenant (January 1933), Squadron Leader (September 1939), Temporary Wing Commander (November 1940), Acting Group Captain (January 1942), and Temporary Group Captain (June 1944).
In 1934, he was posted to No. 4 Squadron at Vancouver, British Columbia and twice attended a Royal Air Force College in Britain, first taking a three-month explosives course (1934) and undergoing a special staff upgrading (1939). Starting in April 1940, he was Deputy Director of Equipment Maintenance, based out of the RCAF Headquarters at Ottawa, and worked as Director of Aircraft Procurement (1943), with responsibility including the No. 2 Air Training Command, for six months prior to being named Commanding Officer (1943-1944) of the Equipment Depot No. 7 in Winnipeg.
On 26 February 1927, he married Catherine Grace Henrietta May Hayward (?-?) at Ottawa. They had no children. His medals included the War Medal 1939-1945, Defence Medal, and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal & Bar.
He committed suicide at the Commanding Officers Quarters Building No. 1 within the Equipment Depot on 5 September 1944 and was buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery at Kingston, Ontario.
1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Leaves for England,” Ottawa Journal, 5 May 1934, page 30.
“Announce transfers of Air Force Officers,” Ottawa Journal, 8 September 1934, page 23.
“R.C.A.F. Equipment Director inspects,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 November 1940, page 11.
“Charles B. Turner,” Ottawa Journal, 22 January 1942, page 12.
“R.C.A.F. Official,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 October 1942, page 13.
“Group Capt. C.B. Turner,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 June 1943, page 8.
“Air Official finishes tour,” Winnipeg Tribune, 2 November 1943, page 9.
“Canadian takes over at Equipment Depot,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 June 1943, page 13.
“GC. C.B. Turner, No. 7 Equipment Depot O.C., dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 September 1944, page 13.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 6 September 1944, page 2.
“Group Capt. Turner rites in Ottawa,” Winnipeg Tribune, 7 September 1944, page 2.
“Mrs. Charles Turner,” Ottawa Journal, 15 June 1955, page 14.
Second World War Service Files - War Dead, Library and Archives Canada.
Cataraqui Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
We thank Annie Lewis for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 5 November 2023
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