Private Kenneth C Hewitt

Private Kenneth Charles Hewitt served with 3 PARA.

He was the son of Charles and Anne.

His friend Malcolm recounts his memories Kenny:

"I met Kenny for the first time when we were at the Grange County Secondary School in Runcorn.

We just seemed to be kindred spirits from the start and remained firm friends. We spent most of our social time together from then on. We both joined 306 Squadron Air Training Corps and I’m sure this is where  Kenny got his idea of joining the Paras from. We spent a number of annual camps together. The squardron would spend a week each year at a different RAF camp where we would fly in powered aircraft and gliders. We would also spend time on the riffle range firing anything from Bren guns to Lee Enfield 303 riffles. I rose to the rank of flight sergeant and Kenny was one of my Sergeants

If I’m correct in thinking Kenny joined the Paras when he was 17 Years of age, and if he had managed to finish his last week he would have completed 7 Years service. 

The last time I saw Kenny alive was when he dropped me of at home at about 11:00pm on the Friday evening before his death. He then drove back to Aldershot and was due to be back on parade the following Tuesday morning. He was sadly found dead in bed on the Wednesday morning by one of his comrades. Kenny was due to be discharged that coming Friday.

It was such a dreadful time, he was his mother and fathers only child and they never recovered from his death. His mother had employed a painter and decorator to get everywhere ready for Kenny’s home coming.

Kenny was a great character, if he set his mind on doing something then he would do it no matter what the cost, 

I remember the time he managed to knock his front teeth out, we were into motorcycles and he had a BSA Bantam, he was coming up one of the roads in Runcorn and it was dark and raining he threw his head forward to try and get his coat hood over his head, Which he managed to do but then he couldn’t see where he was going and before he stopped he ran into the back of a Morris Minor car, flew over the roof and took out 4 front teeth on the cars wing mirror. 

When he came home on leave he would call at my house before going home. He would walk down the path with that great big grin that he always wore.

His funeral was a non military one, but his comrades In uniform carried him into St  Andrews Church. One of his comrades unfortunately was so distressed that he was relieved of that duty.His comrades went to see Kenny prior to his funeral and they place a red beret onto his hands before the coffin was closed.

As regards to being in 3 Para he changed from being a young teenager into a man over the course of 2 Years, frightened of nothing.He was truly a great lad and more like a brother to me."

Pte ‘Kenny’ Hewitt died suddenly, aged 23 years, at Aldershot on 25 July 1973.