Joining the Army

Francis just turned 15 when WWII started in Sept 1939 and watched as some of the older boys went off to join. Francis stayed working on the farms until he turned 16 and got a job driving a truck for a local transport company delivering products between Brandon and Boissevain MB, when he was 17 he tried to join the army but was of course turned down because he was too young. Once he turned 18 within 2 days he was at the recruiters offices in Deloraine MB - they enlisted him but discharged him 2 weeks later due to being underage - He was turned down because he was an American the second time in the fall of 42 but this didn't stop Francis because he came back with his fathers birth information as a Canadian and to this day Francis is not sure how it happened that he was accepted but this time they signed him up and he was off to Winnipeg Jan 8 1943 Enlisted #10 DD Winnipeg and in April he was transferred to #22 CAEBTC North Bay ON and trained there until he was transferred to Shilo MB in Aug 1943. He trained as an anti tank gunner and in Jan 1944 he joined the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and went to England March 7 1944