Stephen Patrick Kane was born at Portsmouth City, Virginia on January 7, 1926, and grew up in the Cradock neighborhood of Portsmouth. His parents were John Kane (25 Mar 1876 – 19 Jun 1945), who was born in Ireland (Irish Free State) and immigrated to America in 1897; and Margaret (Nee) Kane (1 Nov 1892 – 9 Apr 1955), who was born in Ireland (Irish Free State) and immigrated to America in 1910. His parents became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1910 and married about 1915. His father served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1915–1919 and 1922–1927, and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.

He had at least four siblings: John Jeremiah Kane (20 Sep 1919 – 5 Aug 1989), Roger Michael Kane (8 Sep 1920 – 30 Jun 1972), Philip M. Kane (24 Jul 1927 – 1 Sep 1952), and Nora Peggy Kane (abt Jan 1930 – 1990). By 1920 the family lived at Cradock, Portsmouth, Virginia, near the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and his his father was a mail carrier for the Portsmouth Post Office. In 1940 the family lived at 29 Aylwin Crescent in Portsmouth.

He completed four years of high school, and registered for the draft at Portsmouth, Virginia on his eighteenth birthday, January 7, 1944. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighed 190 pounds, and had blue eyes and brown hair. At that time he worked for the U.S. Government at Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth. He worked as an office clerk and was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Richmond, Virginia, on February 28, 1944.

He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as tail gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Claude E. Gatlin Jr, in the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The Gatlin crew arrived at Station 137 by November 28, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

Sgt Kane and his eight crewmates went missing in action on December 31, 1944, when their aircraft, B-17G 42-97398, went missing during a mission to Hamburg, Germany. After takeoff the aircraft was never seen in formation, and the aircraft and crew were never found. They probably went down in the North Sea.

Sgt Kane and his crewmates are memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery near Madingley, England.

B-17G 42-97398 crew:
• Gatlin Jr, Claude E – 2/Lt – Pilot – MIA
• Uber, Frank J – 2/Lt – Copilot – MIA
• Smathers, Harold E – F/O – Navigator – MIA
• Bybee, Melvin G – Sgt – Togglier – MIA
• King, Robert H – Sgt – Engineer – MIA
• Mitchell, Bruce R – Sgt – Radio Operator – MIA
• Wright, George T – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – MIA
• Zaiger, Roy J – Sgt – Waist Gunner – MIA
• Kane, Stephen P – Sgt – Tail Gunner – MIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com