Lunn, Rae

Rae Lunn was born March 29, 1920, on a farm outside of Edmonton, Alberta.  He grew up during the difficult years of the Great Depression; he remembers that his family was fairly self-sufficient, but he wanted to help, so he left school early to work at another farm.  War clouds were forming in Europe during this time, but Rae at this time was busy, back at school at Northern Alberta Tech, where he was learning mechanics.  He did decide to enlist, choosing the RCAF, where he went into the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.  He headed to St. Thomas, where he was trained as a mechanic and destined for air crew.  When the time to go overseas came, Rae left via New York City, bound for Scotland.  They arrived in Greenock, which happened to be the hometown of Rae’s mother, and then headed to Bournemouth and ultimately to Yorkshire, where Rae served as a ground crew mechanic in Number 6 Bomber Command, stationed in Leeming.  While overseas, Rae had the chance to take leave a few times, often going to Glasgow to experience the dance halls and pubs; he also remembers visiting London and the south when they had to retrieve aircraft that had been damaged on missions.  By 1945 the war was nearing its end, and Rae was busy preparing the Lancasters for their missions to Berlin, as well as loading food and supplies for the beleaguered Dutch, as part of Operation Manna.  He was asked to volunteer for the Pacific, but as he had a girlfriend waiting back home, he declined and awaited the troop ship and his October 1945 return.  He married a few days later, and he and his wife settled into their new routine, enjoying the rhythms of postwar Canadian life.  Rae Lunn was interviewed by Scott Masters via zoom during the pandemic summer of 2020; we thank Legion Branch # 71 for their assistance.