Frank Saies-jones

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 Frank Saies-jones

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.