Biography: Ruskin Service Rice (1916–1942)

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Ruskin Service Rice was born on October 14, 1916, in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada, as the fifth child to Reverend Horace G. Rice and Ada
Russell Rice.1 He was raised in a family deeply rooted in faith, interests in
Canadian politics, and community service. Rice grew up in Edmonton,
where he worked as a farmhand and later made his home, before
Figure 1. Flight Sergeant Ruskin Service Rice. Canadian
Virtual War Memorial. Veterans Affairs Canada, last modified
enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World
January 29, 2024.
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadia
n-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1533118
War.2 The enlistment date is unknown, but it likely occurred before February 15, 1940.
3
Following enlistment, he was trained under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, first at
No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School in Jarvis, Ontario.4 His surviving correspondence from this
period reflects both his devotion to family and
his adaptability amid the demanding routines of
military life.
RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162
Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft.
Upon completion of his training, Flight
Sergeant Rice (Service No. R76534) was posted
to No. 202 Squadron, Royal Air Force (motto:
Semper Vigilate: “Ever Watchful”), an operational reconnaissance unit flying Consolidated Catalina aircraft.5 On September 10, 1942, while serving on active operations, Rice was killed in
action when his squadron’s Catalina failed to return from a mission. Six Royal Air Force crew
members, including Sergeants R. Ainsworth, T. Kirkham, W. Law, J. M. Sloan, Flight Sergeant J.
W. Pilling, and Pilot Officer J. G. Pope, also lost their lives in the incident; two additional non-
Canadian crewmen were listed as missing, presumed killed.6
Flight Sergeant Ruskin Service Rice’s death is recorded in the Second World War Service
Files: War Dead, 1939–1947 (RG 24, Volume 28511), which are held at Library and Archives
Canada.7 He was 25 years old at
the time of his death.
Remembered in official records
and family correspondence,
Rice’s letters from training offer
a poignant glimpse into the
emotional life of a young
airman whose commitment to
family, faith, and duty endured
until his final mission.8
Figure 3. “Record No. 29972,” Library and Archives Canada / Recherche dans la collection (LAC). Accessed
October 29, 2025. https://recherche-collection-search.bac-
lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=kia&idnumber=29972&q_type_1=q&q_1=r76534&ecopy=44486_83024005550_055
8-00290
The following essay describes his early involvement. As a soldier, he recorded, in letters
he wrote home to his mother and father upon first entering the RCAF, the only letters transcribed
to date.

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Ruskin Service Rice was born on October 14, 1916, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as the fifth child to Reverend Horace G. Rice and Ada Russell Rice.1 He was raised in a family deeply rooted in faith, interests in Canadian politics, and community service. Rice grew up in Edmonton, where he worked as a farmhand and later made his home, before Figure 1. Flight Sergeant Ruskin Service Rice. Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Veterans Affairs Canada, last modified enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World January 29, 2024. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadia n-virtual-war-memorial/detail/1533118 War.2 The enlistment date is unknown, but it likely occurred before February 15, 1940. 3 Following enlistment, he was trained under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, first at No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School in Jarvis, Ontario.4 His surviving correspondence from this period reflects both his devotion to family and his adaptability amid the demanding routines of military life. RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162 Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft. Upon completion of his training, Flight Sergeant Rice (Service No. R76534) was posted to No. 202 Squadron, Royal Air Force (motto: Semper Vigilate: “Ever Watchful”), an operational reconnaissance unit flying Consolidated Catalina aircraft.5 On September 10, 1942, while serving on active operations, Rice was killed in action when his squadron’s Catalina failed to return from a mission. Six Royal Air Force crew members, including Sergeants R. Ainsworth, T. Kirkham, W. Law, J. M. Sloan, Flight Sergeant J. W. Pilling, and Pilot Officer J. G. Pope, also lost their lives in the incident; two additional non- Canadian crewmen were listed as missing, presumed killed.6 Flight Sergeant Ruskin Service Rice’s death is recorded in the Second World War Service Files: War Dead, 1939–1947 (RG 24, Volume 28511), which are held at Library and Archives Canada.7 He was 25 years old at the time of his death. Remembered in official records and family correspondence, Rice’s letters from training offer a poignant glimpse into the emotional life of a young airman whose commitment to family, faith, and duty endured until his final mission.8 Figure 3. “Record No. 29972,” Library and Archives Canada / Recherche dans la collection (LAC). Accessed October 29, 2025. https://recherche-collection-search.bac- lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=kia&idnumber=29972&q_type_1=q&q_1=r76534&ecopy=44486_83024005550_055 8-00290 The following essay describes his early involvement. As a soldier, he recorded, in letters he wrote home to his mother and father upon first entering the RCAF, the only letters transcribed to date.

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