Frank Johns was born in St Ives, Cornwall, but emigrated to Canada to find work a few years before World War One broke out.
He was a carpenter by trade. Like many other young working men, he left Cornwall in the hope of finding a better paid job overseas. There were many advertisements luring Cornishmen abroad at the time.
When War broke out Frank, like many others, signed up thinking it would be over by Christmas – and then he would be home again in Cornwall.
Frank’s family – cousins who now live in Praze, near Camborne – knew little of his story. We have started to piece it together in Heart of Conflict.