309 from leicester to nanaimo: veteran frank graves reflects on a life of service and resilience Article by Kim Rogers, Executive Member, Branch #256 Nanaimo NANAIMO, B.C. —When Frank Graves looks back on his childhood in Leicester, England, one memory rises above all others: the endless skies filled with Royal Air Force bombers heading out on raids during the Second World War. Born on May 21, 1936, Graves grew up in the uncertainty of wartime Britain. From the family garden, he would watch the RAF thunder overhead. “Sometimes more than a hundred bombers would go over at once,” he recalls. “I’d count them going out and then count them coming back. That was the worst.” By the age of eight, his fascination with the military had become personal. Near his home, Canadian soldiers stationed in Leicester would often gather to play soccer. He knew them only by their nicknames — “Knobby,” “Taffy,” and “Chalky” — but their warmth and stories left a lasting impression. They spoke of British Columbia as a land of beauty: trees, rivers, canoeing, and fishing. For young Frank, those tales planted a dream. “That’s when I decided,” he says. “One day, I’d go to Canada.” At fourteen, determined to pursue that dream, Graves visited Canada House in London to begin his research. He discovered Nanaimo — the very town his soldier friends had come from — and set his heart on it. Working odd jobs to save for the journey and keeping his plan quiet so his parents would not talk him out of it, he eventually boarded a ship to start a new life. When he arrived in Nanaimo, one of the first things he saw was a notice board advertising jobs in farming. He signed on. The work was grueling — long days of heavy agricultural labour — but he persevered, sticking it out for two years. At the same time, he pursued his education, enrolling at Parksville Secondary School. It was there that fate intervened. A Canadian Army recruiting team gave a presentation that reignited his military ambition. Graves applied on the spot. His path began at Jericho Beach in Vancouver, where he underwent medical and IQ testing. From there, he was sent east to Calgary, to the storied Currie Barracks, where he formally began his training. Just six months after joining up, Graves was shipped overseas. His first posting was in Germany, part of Canada’s NATO commitment during the Cold War. Later came a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus, a mission he remembers for its grueling heat. “It was 110 degrees, and we were always on patrol, carrying heavy gear,” he recalls. “But I learned good order and discipline there.” He also served in the Canadian Arctic, working with the early warning system during the height of the Cold War. Later in his career, he enrolled in six months of airborne training. His first jump was over Brandon, Manitoba. “Yes, I was scared,” he admits, “But you had to conquer your fear.” He relayed a funny yet embarrassing story about needing desperately to urinate just before a jump. He said he had to let it all go over Saskatchewan after his “Geronimo.” Over the course of 14 years of service, Graves rose to the rank of sergeant. When he left the military, however, the adjustment was difficult. “I felt like a fish out of water,” he admits. A good worker, he still struggled in civilian jobs — fired from three positions because he grew frustrated with co-workers’ complaints and lack of discipline. “I was too vocal,” he says. “The Army had taught me differently.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==