Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski VC
HERO OF THE MONTH
My half-century long passion for the Victoria Cross stems from the fact that behind every award of the decoration there is a remarkable story. However, very few VCs from the medal’s long and rich history involve a tale quite as astonishing as that of a Canadian airman serving in Britain during World War Two. Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba Province, Canada, to Polish immigrants on October 14, 1916. He was one of six children and had two brothers and three sisters. Mynarski, who was known to family and friends as ‘Andy’, was educated at King Edward and Isaac Newton Elementary Schools, both in Winnipeg, later graduating from St John's Technical School, also in Winnipeg. At the age of 16, and because his father had died, he started a job as a leather worker – more specifically a chamois cutter for a furrier – to help support his large family.
Close-knit crew
In November 1940, he enlisted in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, a militia unit, but on September 29 the following year he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force having attended its recruitment centre in Winnipeg. After basic training at No.2 Wireless School, Cal…
