TWISS, Ellen Jewel
Age at Death: 32
Rank Section Officer
Unit Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division
Service Number V30402
Place of Burial Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver BC
Date of Birth 1914.03.04
Place of Birth Vancouver BC
Enlistment March 3, 1942, Vancouver BC
Date of Death 1947.02.07
Daughter of William James Twiss and Sadie Jewel Twiss, of Vancouver
Ellen’s mother was a well-known singer in her native England, and Ellen was also involved in music, receiving a degree from the Toronto Conservatory of Music and working as a music teacher up until her enlistment. Her Personal History Report goes out of its way to note her reputable background, even noting that “her associates [are] drawn from a desirable class of Anglo Saxon people.” She worked for the RCAF as a stenographer, bookkeeper and driver, consistently receiving glowing reviews from her commanding officers and eventually being promoted to Corporal.
Beginning in November of 1943, she was seen repeatedly by doctors for hypertension. It was noted that she was a heavy smoker, and that her strong work ethic was aggravating her condition. She was discharged on medical grounds in February 1944. Three years later, she died of congestive heart failure due to malignant hypertension.
