Raymond John Ashe was born on 22 May 1923 in Springhill, Cumberland Co. Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Charles and Viola Lorraine Ashe. He had one brother, Irvin and three sisters, Sarah, Lilian and Elanor. He enjoyed baseball, fishing, football, hockey, hunting and skiing.
Between 1940-42 he worked at the Dominion Coal Co. in Springhill as a coal miner until he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Artillery on 6 May 1942, aged 18.
On completing his basic training at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, he left Canada on 25 September 1942, arriving in England on 8 October and was attached to the 2nd Canadian Artillery Reinforcement Unit on 10 October.
Raymond lost his life while travelling to Sicily for Operation Husky in Convoy KMS-18B. His ship was among three ships torpedoed by German U-boats in the Mediterranean Sea near Alger, Algeria. 57 other Canadians also lost their lives in that attack on 4/5 July 1943.
Raymond’s body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on Panel 14 of the Cassino Memorial, Italy.
DONATE TO OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Your donation supports projects like this one, which educate and involve future generations in remembering those who fell in the two world wars. Your support helps us keep their stories alive. Thank you.
