FOREIGN LEGION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 99, 7 February 1936, Page 8

FOREIGN LEGION.

ENGLISH YOUTH’S! ADVENTURE. A 19-year-old English boy suffering front curvature of the spine ran away front home after failing in an examination, and for some months lias been serving in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion under the blazing sun of Algiers, North Africa. Recently, in the House of Commons, Sir John Ganzoni ALP. for Ipswich, which is the home of the boy, Arthur Conway, asked a question concerning efforts by the Foreign Office to: secure his discharge from the Legion, and his return to his parents. The boy, who is the only son of Mr S. D. Conway, of Ipswich, ran away last September. Some time before then lie made an attempt to get abroad by offering to serve in a station of the British Association for the Relief of Lepers, but his offer was not accepted. Yet he had apparently hidden from his parents the fact that lie was of an adventurous nature.

“Last September,” his mother said, “Arthur went away on a solo camping holiday. At the same time my husband. myself and our daughter also went on holiday. When we returned home Arthur had disappeared—without leaving a word, fie had failed a few weeks previously in the accountant’s intei mediate examination and that had troubled him greatly. He had been working hard, and worried about his studies. “To our amazement we received, a week later, a letter from Arthur from Marseilles, saying he had been accepted for the French Foreign Legion, and was sailing for Algiers with recruits. He suffered from curvature of tho spine, and four years ago a surgeon said lie should not do strenuous work. “We approached the Foreign Office, which has made representations to the French Government about obtaining his discharge. We have had many lotters from Arthur from Algiers. Ho says lie is treated well. 1 think the glamour of it all has worn oIF a bitnow, but lie makes no complaints.” Sir John Ganzoni said: “I think there is an excellent chance of the bov being able to come back to England.”