Phillips, Frank

Frank Phillips was born January 7, 1926 in Toronto, in the Dufferin-Eglinton neighbourhood. Frank’s father was a postman who had served with Canada’s 3rd Regiment in the Great War: he was taken prisoner at Ypres and spent three years in a German prison camp. Frank attended York Memorial Collegiate in Toronto, and that is where he spent most of the war years – he was just 13 when the war began.  His older brother Harvey was a bugler in the militia in the 1930s, and when the war came he moved into the regular forces. Harvey was part of Z Force, the Canadian troops sent to Iceland early in the war, and he later went to England, where he took part in the infamous Dieppe raid as a member of the Royal Regiment of Canada. Harvey was killed on that fateful day: the family learned at first that he was missing, only later learning that he had not made it.  Even with that news, Frank chose to volunteer when he turned 18, opting to join the navy.  Training began at the CNE grounds in Toronto, where Frank’s photographic skills came to light. As a result of this he was sent to Port Arthur with the contingent to pick up the newly built ship – HMCS Fort Frances – and they brought it through the Great Lakes. With his technical skills in mind, Frank was assigned to care of sensitive ship’s stores like explosives and light bulbs. When it was time for action stations Frank helped to operate the depth charges in the ongoing war against Germany’s U-boats, and he also would maintain the ship’s searchlights. And he dealt with all the rigours of the war at sea: the storms, the tedium, the subpar food, the cold, the hammocks – not to mention the occasional U-boat threat.  There were positives too:  the friendships, the excitement and the rum ration – even though Frank was underage! HMCS Fort Frances operated mainly in the Triangle Run from Halifax to St. John’s to Boston and New York, and Frank was able to visit those ports-of-call. The war in the Atlantic came to an end in May 1945, and Frank and his crew were asked if they wanted to volunteer to go to the Pacific War:  Frank said yes, but the American atomic bombs obviated that possibility.  Frank was discharged and he headed back to Toronto, taking work with the TTC. He married Jean and the two of them began their family, finding their way in postwar Canada. Frank Phillips was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Orillia, Ontario in April 2026.