The son of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Ransom, Glen Irwin Ransom was born in Nanton and attended school there prior to joining the RCAF during August 1941. He was introduced to the air force at 3 Manning Depot in Edmonton and then posted to 4 Initial Training School in Edmonton following which he was selected for pilot training.

Glen trained on Tiger Moths at 18 Elementary Flying Training School at Boundary Bay, BC and then earned his wings flying Cessna Cranes at 15 Service Flying Training School at Claresholm, Alberta, just forty Kilometres south of his home town. During a training flight while based at Claresholm, Glen saw one of his former school friends bringing in the milk cows. He decided to help. With the motors cut, he glided silently at low level towards the cows. Then Glen opened up his motors with a roar. Away went the cows and the saddle-horse started to buck and nearly lost its rider.

During August 1942, Glen travelled overseas. He attended 3 Advanced Flying Unit flying Oxfords and then 29 Operational Training Unit where he became part of a crew and trained on an actual warplane, the Wellington, and was assessed as 'above average' as a bomber pilot. Then, at 1660 Heavy Conversion Unit, Glen and his crew learned to do their work on Lancasters.

During an operation to Bochum on 29 September, Glen's Lancaster was twice attacked by enemy night-fighters. Both were shot down by Glen's air gunners, F/S Alfred Millard and F/S D.L.T. Welensky. Rear gunner Millard was awarded an 'immediate' Distinguished Flying Medal.

On 30 November, Glen was transferred to 83 Squadron based at Wyton, as part of the elite Pathfinder Force. He completed seven operations with 83 Squadron, including four to Berlin, the most dangerous of Bomber Command's targets at the time.

At 4:03 in the afternoon of 20 January 1944, P/O Ransom and his crew took off on their eighth operation with 83 Squadron, their fifth to Berlin. They were flying Lancaster ED974. The markings on the fuselage were 'OL-Y'. His crew included Sgt. Garnet S.A. MacKinnon (flight engineer), F/S Cyril Fred Plumb (navigator), F.S. Arthur William Coote (wireless operator), Frederick Thomas West (bomb aimer), Sgt. Paul Vernon De Villiers (mid-upper gunner), and F/S Alfred Edwin Millard DFM (rear gunner).

In the target area, conditions were exceptionally favourable for the night-fighters, since a layer of cloud at 12,000 feet, illuminated by searchlights, provided a background against which the bombers could be silhouetted. About 25 miles from Berlin, near the town of Dreetz and while at about 20,000 feet, Glen's Lancaster was attacked by an Me110, twin-engined fighter flown by Hptm. Werner Hoffmann. Shortly after the attack, Hoffmann and his crew abandoned their night-fighter, so it seems likely that they were struck by fire from one of Glen's air-gunners.

Glen ordered his crew to abandon the Lancaster but only Sgt. MacKinnon, the flight engineer who sat next to Glen in the cockpit, managed to escape from the aircraft. According to his brother, Glen shouted, "Jump 'Mac', I'm right behind you." As 'Mac' jumped he saw the aircraft lurch -likely as Glen let go of the controls and was trapped inside as it spun out of control.