MacLeod, Raymond Hugh

To enlist with the Royal Canadian Air Force on April 29, 1942, Raymond MacLeod of Lot 33, Concession 4, left his job as an elementary school teacher and assistant principal. He became a Radar Mechanic for 46 months, 23 of those stationed in the United Kingdom. A document he received after his discharge in 1946 described him as: “one of those who, in the hour of England’s greatest need, came forward voluntarily to man the vital radar upon which the air defense of Great Britain so signally depended. By their selfless and devoted services these men not only had an indispensable share in the defense of this country but also contributed in great part to the development of this new branch of science, to the general benefit of the Allied cause.” It was signed by Great Britain’s Secretary of State for Air. Another document declared him to be “an outstanding man,” with “good mechanical knowledge and excellent learning ability. His plans for university education are commendable.” After university, he taught secondary school in Seaforth, Tillsonburg and London.