Ron Rankin
Ron Rankin | |||||||||||||||||
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 Rankin in 1944 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 November 1914 Majors Creek, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 August 1991 (aged 76) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Australia | ||||||||||||||||
Branch | Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||||||||||||
Service years | 1940–1945 | ||||||||||||||||
Rank | Squadron Leader | ||||||||||||||||
| Service number | 402394 | ||||||||||||||||
Conflicts | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Croix de Guerre (Belgium) | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73.5 kg (162 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Hurlstone Agricultural High School | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Farmer, teacher | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Ronald Rankin, DFC & Bar (3 November 1914 – 7 August 1991) was an Australian fighter ace in the Second World War and a rugby union international of the 1930s.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Born in Majors Creek, a Southern Tablelands village outside Braidwood, Rankin was the second of four children and received his education in Sydney at Hurlstone Agricultural High School.[3]
Rankin, a strong tackling fullback, was appointed Drummoyne captain in his second season of first-grade in 1935. He gained seven Test caps for the Wallabies, first selected as 21-year old for the 1936 tour of New Zealand, where he debuted against the All Blacks at Athletic Park, Wellington. Capped for the final time in 1938, he was later part of the 1939–40 tour of Britain and Ireland, which was abandoned two days after the team arrived due to the war.[3]
During the war, Rankin was attached to the No. 236 Squadron RAF in England, flying Blenheims on missions and reconnaissance. He later flew Beaufighters over north Africa while stationed in Egypt with the No. 227 Squadron. By the time he completed his tour in January 1943, Rankin had shot down at least five enemy aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[4] After returning home, he was honoured by Belgium with the Croix de guerre, then joined the No. 30 Squadron RAAF for bombing and strafing missions over the Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea.[5]
Rankin was a farmer in Braidwood and a Canberra teacher in his post war life.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Rugby International Hero of R.A.A.F." The Daily Mirror. 8 February 1943. p. 2 (War News Edition) – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "ANZAC Day: How sport shaped the lives of our war heroes". The Roar. 24 April 2022.
- 1 2 "Ronald Rankin". classicwallabies.com.au.
- ↑ "Rankin Gains D.F.C. In Egypt". The Daily Mirror. 6 January 1943. p. 1 (War News Edition) – via National Library of Australia.
- 1 2 Moremon, John. Ronald (Ron) Rankin (1914–1991). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
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External links
[edit]- Ron Rankin at ESPNscrum (archived)
- 1914 births
- 1991 deaths
- Australian rugby union players
- Australia international rugby union players
- Rugby union players from New South Wales
- Rugby union fullbacks
- Drummoyne RFC players
- People from the Southern Tablelands
- Military personnel from New South Wales
- Australian World War II flying aces
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
- Australian recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
- Royal Australian Air Force officers
- Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
- People educated at Hurlstone Agricultural High School
- New South Wales rugby union team players
- 20th-century Australian sportsmen