Canadian sailor John Ambrose Kell (seated, left) and his friends Bill Orchard (seated, right) and Ezra Parkhouse (standing) all served in British warships.

During the war, Britain's Royal Navy, with the approval of the dominion governments, attracted thousands of Canadian and Newfoundland recruits to serve in a wide variety of roles and in all theatres of war. Born in Cookstown, Ontario, Kell enlisted in the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) in March 1917, and served as a gunner in a Royal Navy minesweeper in British waters. This photograph was taken at Plymouth, one of Britain's principal naval bases.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20090048-022_1