Three Lea brothers served with the RCAF during the Second World War

Three brothers from Smiley, Sask., served their country with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

Harlan Olaf Lea was born June 29, 1918, in Minnesota, and moved with his parents to Smiley as a young boy. After attending the University of Saskatchewan for a year, he enlisted with the RCAF and served in England for three years as a radar mechanic. He died June 24, 2009.

His brother, Merrell Arden Lea, was born July 8, 1921, in Minnesota. Like Harlan, he came to Smiley with his family as a child and joined the RCAF, serving in various parts of Canada. He was en route to the Pacific when Japan’s surrender ended the war. A member of the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Stoney Creek, Ont., he died Aug. 1, 1981.

Their younger brother, Eugene Norman Lea, was born Sept. 13, 1923, also in Minnesota, and raised in Smiley. He served overseas with the RCAF in England, Holland and Belgium, and later became a member of the Kindersley Legion. He died April 12, 1991.

This Remembrance Day, their service and sacrifice continue to be remembered by the community and their family.