Canadian born Andrew Mynarski was the first of three Canadian airmen to receive the VC for feats of aerial valour during World War Two
The son of Polish/Canadian parents Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on October 14, 1916. His father passed away when he was just 16 years old and to help support his mother and five siblings he began work as a chamois cutter and furrier. However, at the onset of World War Two Mynarski enrolled in the military, initially serving with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 1940 before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on September 29, 1941.
Following initial recruit training he began to learn the skills involved in becoming a Wireless Air Gunner (WAG) at No 2 Wireless School in Calgary in March 1942 before transferring to No 3 Bombing and Gunnery School in Manitoba.
