Raoul was born in Antwerp. In 1940, when he was 17, he was evacuated to England on HMS Venomous, one of the last ships to leave Boulogne, under fire from the Panzers on shore. Not long afterward, when Churchill formed the Commandos, Raoul was one of the early volunteers. He served in Number 10 Commando, in North Africa, Italy, Yugoslavia, France and Holland.

Wounded by a sniper at Walcheren in 1944, he was given leave and was briefly reunited with his parents in recently liberated Antwerp. He liked to joke that he should never have celebrated his 21st birthday, but he beat the odds, and celebrated his 93rd.

While training in Eastbourne, Raoul met a Wren from London named Sheila. In 1949, they married and settled in Vancouver (with interludes in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary), and were an inseparable and wonderfully happy couple for 67 years.

The war ended Raoul's formal (Jesuit) education, but that was not evident at all. He had a far ranging knowledge of languages, history, geography, and more. He was a thoughtful, interesting, kind and gentle man.

Always proud of his Flemish roots, his green beret, and above all his family, Raoul had a long, happy and healthy life, passing away peacefully with family by his side.

Raoul leaves behind his wife Sheila, his sons Andrew and Nicholas, and his grandchildren Kenton, Victoria, Nicole and Alexander.