Made some progress ? with Canning RAF. WW2 POW records have an entry for a Warrant Officer R Canning RAF. His service number is 1238290, prisoner number 27414 and he was held at Stalag Luft L3 in Poland. No guarantee that this is the Canning you are looking for. This may be of help birth of a Robert Canning Q1 1923 at Prescot which at that time was registration district for St Helens. Mothers maiden name Brown. Other siblings possibly May 1913, Margaret D 1915, William F 1921, George 1926, Edward and Herbert 1928 (probably twins) and Margaret A 1929. All these have a father Canning and mother nee Brown 1939 register has George Canning as father and Mary Alice as mother living at 50 Raglan Street, St Helens. Children are William F b 1921, then 2 whose records are officially closed, Margaret Annie b 1929 then 4 other children whose records are officially closed.