Baxter, Ray

Ray Baxter was born September 23, 1948 in Yorkshire, in the U.K.  He spent his early years in the village of Barkisland, moving to Manchester when he was a teenager. Coming out of high school Ray attended one of the army apprentice schools, where he learned a trade. Ray trained to be a vehicle mechanic once he went into the forces in 1964, where he was selected for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).  He spent part of his service in Germany in the 1960s, serving as part of the UK’s NATO detachment.  He was there when the Prague Spring took place in 1968, and his unit went on maneuvers in an effort to mount a show of strength.  In 1969-70 he spent a further year overseas, this time at the British base in Bahrain, after which he returned to the UK, followed by another stint in Germany.  Hong Kong would be the next destination, and Ray’s role there was quite different. China in that era was undergoing the Cultural Revolution, and the influence of Mao’s Red Guards was spilling into the onetime British colony. Ray’s unit was charged with the task of countering that influence; they did largely through goodwill gestures, helping villagers with infrastructure projects and through other positive gestures like showing movies to the locals.  Ray was in Hong Kong until 1975, during which time he met his wife.  They returned to the UK together, and in 1987 they made the decision to emigrate to Canada, settling in Toronto before relocating to Ajax.  Ray has become actively involved in Ajax Legion Branch 322, and that is where he was interviewed by Scott Masters in August 2025.