Speaker series highlights vet

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

When Calgary-based historian and storyteller Shelly McElroy first heard the name William McKnight, she knew little more than most Albertans – that he was a Second World War flying ace and that a Calgary boulevard bore his name.

Five years and hundreds of hours of research later, McElroy is ready to share his remarkable story in her presentation, McKnight: Ace, Warrior, Big Brother, which is coming to The Vault in Strathmore on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. as part of their ongoing Speaker Series. Registration is free by visiting thevaultonline.ca/collections/tickets to register online or in person at The Vault. 

“If you had spoken to me five years ago, I could have told you two things about this guy,” McElroy said. “I knew he was a Second World War flying ace and I knew he didn’t call himself Willie.”

McElroy’s project offers an intimate portrait of McKnight, a young Calgary pilot who became one of Canada’s most celebrated aces before his death in 1941. What began as a casual curiosity evolved into a deep personal mission after McElroy met McKnight’s nephew.

“Because I met him through his family, Bill (McKight) immediately became a person to me not just a hero or a name in a history book,” she said. “They never forgot about him. They always thought about him and missed him.”

Through letters, photographs and family archives seldom seen by historians, McElroy uncovered a more human side of McKnight, a reflective young man whose correspondence reveals both his courage and his doubts.

“He wrote letters to his best friend back home in Calgary that are not typical letters home,” McElroy explained. “He was thoughtful and funny, but once the fighting started, a very different kind of person emerged.”

McElroy’s presentation blends historical detail with emotional depth, reconstructing aerial battles from McKnight’s own combat reports and logbooks while exploring his character beyond the cockpit.

“Only one in a hundred fighter pilots ever became an ace,” she noted. “Most never fired their guns. Bill was up against elite, battle-tested pilots and yet he stood out. He was, by all accounts, a very elite pilot.”

Her research also uncovered local ties that connect McKnight’s legacy directly to Strathmore.

“There’s actually a fascinating Strathmore connection with the squadron he flew with,” she teased. “For history insiders, they might guess it right away but for everyone else, it’s a neat surprise.”

The project eventually expanded into a forthcoming biography, currently with a publisher in England. Though the path to completion was not easy, McElroy said a life-changing event a few years ago caused her to reevaluate her priorities and strengthened her resolve to finish McKnight’s story.

“I realized I would feel badly if I hadn’t done anything with this story,” she said. “That moment made me determined to share it.”

As Remembrance Day approaches, McElroy hopes her presentation helps audiences reflect on sacrifice, service and the meaning of Canadian identity.

“Every day is Remembrance Day for me now,” she said. “I’m not trying to glorify war – I’m trying to tell a very human story about a young man figuring out his life in the middle of global turmoil.”

McElroy believes McKnight’s story is one many Canadians will relate to, a reminder that history is often personal and that heroism can come from ordinary families.

“A lot of people across the Prairies had an ‘Uncle Bill,’” she said. “Maybe by shining a light on this high-profile figure, we can also illuminate the countless lesser-known stories that shaped who we are.”