My grandfather, Ellsworth Scoville, was too young to join the war effort1 but he decided to try anyway. He went to the Canadian Navy and told them that he had experience in the Merchant Marines. They asked what his rank was and he responded, “just an ordinary sailor”.
It’s been a running joke in our family to answer, “just an ordinary sailor” whenever you don’t know the correct answer but are faux pretending that you know what you’re talking about.
They let him in anyway and he was awarded four medals for his service2
- During the Second World War[↩]
- I’ve shared a photo of them before.[↩]