Joining the Grey Funnel Line: The Story of a Canadian Boy Who Entered the Royal Navy in World War II at the Age of Fifteen - Paperback

by Saies-Jones Frank Saies-Jones (Author), Frank Saies-Jones (Author)

This is a true story of a young boy with a burning desire to join the Royal Navy, and who had made plans to enter the training ship HMS Conway as a Naval Cadet at the age of fifteen. Reluctant to allow their son to travel to Britain after the outbreak of World War II, his parents wanted him to continue his education in Canada and enter the Canadian Navy on attaining the age of seventeen. When this was not possible, they reluctantly allowed him to leave home and pursue his original dream. What follows after he left home in early 1941 and the unorthodox manner in which he joined 'The Grey Funnel Line' makes interesting reading.

Author Biography

: Frank Saies-Jones entered the Royal Navy in 1941 as a Boy Seaman and was discharged as an Able Seaman in 1948. Returning to Canada, he made his home in Toronto, Ontario. During the Korean War, he enlisted in the Canadian Army but was medically released six months later while stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, USA. During the next 13 years he served in the Canadian Militia, and in 1969 was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant on the Cadet Instructors List of the Naval Reserve. He retired from the Armed Forces in 1985 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.