06-05-2025
A look back on three Scottish brothers who won four Military Crosses between them
Ahead of VE Day this Thursday, we look back at the story of the heroic Scots siblings who fought during one of the darkest times in history.
As the 80th anniversary of VE Day approaches, the remarkable wartime service of four Dundee brothers, three of whom were awarded the Military Cross for gallantry, continues to stand out as one of Scotland's most extraordinary family stories of the Second World War.
In April 1945, the front page of the Broughty Ferry Guide and Carnoustie Gazette carried the striking headline 'West Ferry family's unique record', a tribute to three local brothers who had each been awarded the Military Cross for gallantry.
The article talked about Major Stanley Rae of the Royal Horse Artillery, who had just received the prestigious decoration, joining his brothers Major Ian Rae of the Royal Artillery and Major Bruce Rae of the Gordon Highlanders. Bruce had even been awarded a bar to his MC, signifying a second commendation for bravery in battle.
Now, 80 years after the end of the Second World War in Europe, the extraordinary story of the Rae brothers is once again being shared.
Their bravery has been formally preserved for future generations following the donation of their four Military Crosses to The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum.
The handover took place in December 2019, ahead of the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020.
All four Rae brothers served in the war, three of them returning home decorated for acts of immense courage, and the fourth spending years as a prisoner of war. The sons of Stephen and Agnes Rae of Encliffe, Albany Road, West Ferry, the brothers had grown up in Broughty Ferry.
They each attended Cargilfield Preparatory School and Fettes College in Edinburgh, following a path of academic distinction before taking up arms during one of history's darkest chapters.
Stanley Rae, after joining the Honourable Artillery Company shortly after war broke out, was commissioned as an officer in 1939 and deployed to the front in 1942.
His Military Cross was awarded for bravery near Perugia in 1945 during a decisive Allied push that broke German lines and forced a retreat towards Rome. In just two days, Stanley's guns fired more than 600 rounds. He would finish the war with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Ian Rae, serving in the 76th Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery, known locally as the Dundee Gunners, fought across France, Belgium and Germany.
He earned his Military Cross for 'outstanding leadership and courage' during brutal combat near Venray in the Netherlands in October 1944, as British forces surged towards the German border.
Douglas Rae, the third brother, enlisted with the London Scottish Regiment in 1938, which was affiliated with the 1st Gordon Highlanders.
He was captured at St Valery in 1940, when the 51st Highland Division became separated from the main British Army, and spent five years as a prisoner of war before being released in 1945. He returned home as a captain.
The youngest of the four, Bruce Rae, joined the Gordon Highlanders in a bid to avenge his brother's capture. Just 17 when he left school to work at Brown & Tawse Steel Stockholders in Dundee, Bruce showed exceptional courage on the battlefield.
His first Military Cross was awarded for 'cool and selfless' bravery in North Africa, where he led a daring bayonet charge. A second commendation, the bar to his MC, followed for heroics in North West Europe in 1945.
Derek Patrick, Associate Lecturer in History at St Andrews University, said: 'It's rare enough to win it once but twice is unusual and represents quite extraordinary courage. I've come across families where two sons were decorated for gallantry, it certainly happened, but not something I'd describe as common.'
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In 2020, Stanley Rae's son Ian said he was 'very pleased' the family medals had been entrusted to The McManus. He noted it was a chapter his late father and uncles rarely spoke about.
In an unexpected twist, Mr Rae also learned from The Courier that his father's cousin, Captain William Bruce Rae-Smith, had been awarded both the Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in Western Europe, making the family's record all the more extraordinary.
At the medal handover, Mr Rae stood alongside Carly Cooper, curator at The McManus, and Sinclair Aitken, chairman of Leisure & Culture Dundee, who accepted the decorations on the museum's behalf.
Mr Rae said: 'On behalf of the wider Rae family, we are delighted that the medals are remaining in Dundee just a street away from where the family business of McIntyre and Rae operated from. We also are proud that these medals are coming under the expert care of The McManus staff to enable future generations to learn of the courage and sacrifice of the Rae brothers.'
