Winston Churchill on the Boat!

My GrandPal told me that his father got the job of protecting Winston Churchill because he was in the Navy for Great Britain. Aside from keeping Churchill safe, he had many jobs to do. He didn't just travel from Britain to Canada; he also traveled to Australia and almost all around the world. During World War II, his uniform had to be meticulously ironed all the time, the pants had to be pressed, and the shoes had to be shined. Even after leaving the Navy, his dad still did all his own ironing and kept his shoes shiny. It was something they learned to be very proud of.

My GrandPal's father didn’t share too many stories about his experience, but he was always very proud of his crewmates and understood the importance of protecting Churchill's ship. He didn't talk a lot about the dangers he faced from the Nazis, but they knew there were dangers because of the role he was taking part in. Since the enemy wanted to harm Winston Churchill, everyone on the ship had specific roles to prepare for missions. During storms or rough weather, they all had assigned stations.

Life on the ship was like going to school; they had tasks to do every day to make sure everything was in tip-top shape. It wasn't fun like a cruise ship—they were working all the time, cleaning the ship and making sure the guns were ready. The ship had four-inch, six-inch, and eight-inch guns, and they had to make sure they were all ready to go at any time.

My GrandPal thinks they would celebrate successful missions quite often by going into town from a port, stretching their legs, and having dinner. His father received three medals in the war, and the experience had a huge influence on him, making him very respectful and disciplined. He actually joined the Navy before he was supposed to; he was 17 and lied about his age because you had to be 18 to sign up.

My GrandPal isn’t exactly sure how his father coped with the stress, but he thinks that not seeing any action or drama like bombs or U-boats shooting at them made it less stressful than it could have been. His father had a huge respect for Winston Churchill as a leader. While he was in the war, he wasn’t married yet and didn't meet my GrandPal's mother until after the war. They married in 1948, and then had children in 1949.

The discipline his father learned in the Navy spilled over into their family life. My GrandPal thinks his father would have liked to meet Winston Churchill, but it was more about doing their duty and protecting each other. They probably trained daily on what to do if something happened. My GrandPal is really glad he has never been called to go to war, but he has a very healthy respect for those veterans who did serve. He appreciates the freedom and safety they secured, which is unlike some other countries in the world. He feels fortunate to live in a country where people can go to school and live freely.