Nelson Rae
Born
Nelson Stuart Rae

(1914-12-03)December 3, 1914
New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 1945(1945-01-12) (aged 30)
Occupation(s)Stage, voice actor

Nelson Stuart Rae (December 3, 1914 – January 12, 1945) was an American radio and stage actor who was killed in combat in World War II.

Life

Nelson Rae was born in New Jersey on December 3, 1914, to Mr and Mrs. William F. Rae. He lived in Brielle, New Jersey and was the third of four brothers, all of whom served in World War II.[1][2][3][4] He began his acting career as a member of the St. Louis Municipal Opera Company.[5] In 1940 he landed a role as a member of the original cast of the Broadway musical Pal Joey, which opened in December of that year and starred Gene Kelly.[6]

In March 1941 Rae was drafted into the military and replaced in the cast of Pal Joey by Norman Van Emburgh.[2][3][7] He was assigned to the 518th Military Police Battalion stationed at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York, where he was in charge of soldier's entertainment.[8]

Rae deployed to Europe as a member of the 2d Division Counter Intelligence Corps.[9] The 2nd Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment was activated in August 1944 in France and attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.[10] Rae died of wounds on January 12, 1945.[9] In January 1945 Rae's family received notice that he had been killed in action in Belgium.[3] At the time of his death Rae held the rank of technical sergeant. He was buried in Mendham, New Jersey.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Rae's obituary in January 1945 lists his age at death as twenty-seven, which would make his birth date in 1917 or 1918. But Rae's military enlistment records list his birth as 1915. Census records from 1920 and 1930 at Ancestry.com list a "Nelson Rae" from Hudson, New Jersey born in 1915 whose father is William Rae, the same name as Rae's father listed in his obituary.
  2. 1 2 3 "U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946: Nelson S Rae". Ancestry.com. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ex-Actor Killed In Action." New York Times ); November 10, 1941; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times pg. 3. Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis. June 16, 2007.
  4. ↑ Article lists Brielle as home and William Rae as father."Monmouth County Army Casualties" (PDF). Red Bank Register. Red Bank, New Jersey. March 29, 1945. p. 2. Vol. LXVII., No. 40. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Benefit Concert Is Held."|work=New York Times. Oct 31, 1941; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times pg. 16. Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis. June 16, 2007.
  6. ↑ "The Play.", New York Times); December 26, 1940; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times, pg. 22. Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis. June 16, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Burr Production Here On April 10." New York Times); March 3, 1941; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851–2003) pg. 11. Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis. June 16, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Gala Attendance For Horse Show." New York Times); November 10, 1941; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times pg. 11. Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis. June 16, 2007.
  9. 1 2 NCO's the MI Tradition Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. p. 12. Fort Huachuca, Arizona homepage.
  10. ↑ Division Special Troops Battalion. 2nd Infantry Division Unit.
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