Ronald was born on 26 March 1921 to Leonard Schaetzen and Hannah née Lazarus and he had three brothers Reginald, Leslie and Philip. Both Reginald and Leslie served in the RAF. Leslie was a corporal in the RAF when he landed on Omaha beach with the 1st American Army during D-Day. He fought through France, liberating villages and helping to secure and hold airfields for the Allied forces. He later observed the Nuremberg trials and received the Legion d’Honneur in 2016.

Ronald was a Rover Scout with the 2nd Leytonstone Scouts and in 1939 lived with his parents at 67 Burwell Road, Leyton where he is listed as working as a junior draughtsman in steel and metal. His father Leonard was an A.R.P. Warden at Leyton Town Hall.

Ronald was an air gunner on Wellington X3700 which departed from RAF Snaith at 21.40 on an operation to bomb Cologne. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off, and it failed to return to base. Manfred Weichert has kindly found further information in the Cologne archives on the crash site which state: ‘Wellington X3700 was fired upon by the 1st + 2nd / heavy Flak 511 during the attack on Cologne and crashed in the Cologne district of Köln-Kalk in the Wipperfürther Str. The crash is also mentioned in the police report of the city of Cologne of 28.04.1942’.

Pilot, Valden Leonard Bailey, 400687, RAAF
W/Op, A/G, Franklin Burton Grundy, 15126, RCAF
W/Op, A/G, William George Marsh, 1381070
Pilot, Bernard John McGinn, 1375485
Obs, Alfred Wilkinson, 115993

All the crew were killed and are buried at Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.