Raymond Gale Fusch was born as Raymond Gale Fuchs on 12 August 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the son of Francis Xavier Fuchs (1890-1968) and Ermilie Fuchs née Pettingale (1891-1976).
According to the American Air Museum in Britain website he was known as Raymond Gale Fusch and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in Canada in 1942. He came to England, serving as a Flight Sergeant in the Royal Air Force's No.133 (Eagle) Squadron. On 29 September 1942 the squadron was transferred to 336 Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force in the United States Army Air Force holding the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. On 1 November 1943 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and on 26 November 1943 he was transferred to the 379th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group in the 9th Air Force, USAAF where in 1944 he was promoted to Captain.
On 23 March 1945 he married Patricia Mary Mora Horsman (1919-2013) in the Chelsea registration district. The register shows him listed as Ray G. Fuchs and that she had previously been married in 1941 to a Ronald C. Howard in the Marylebone registration district. On 1 September 1947 the United States Army Air Force became the United States Air Force and when he retired from this he held the rank of Major. He was awarded four American medals: the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
The 4th Fighter Group Association website confirms that after he left the USAF he became the District Manager of G.R. Staley & Co. in Dallas, Texas, USA and was also the owner operator of Ray G. Fuchs Co.
He died, aged 83 years, on 9 October 1999 in Dallas, Texas and was buried in Section 89, Site 847, in the Dallas - Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan
