Ronald Alfred Searle was born in
Southampton, England, to Ruby and Theodore Searle on July 19, 1919. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a purser with the
White Star Line and a seaman with the
Royal Navy during
World War I. The family relocated to
Toronto, where the family had relatives.
Military career After joining the Toronto Scottish militia in the mid-1930s, Searle later signed up with the
Toronto Scottish Regiment immediately upon Canada declaring war against
Nazi Germany in September 1939. During
World War II, Searle landed twice in France, once at
Brest and once at
Normandy. He was later wounded at
Falaise in
Ardennes when he took three machine gun bullets to his leg. On December 10, 1949, he married his wife, Mollie, and together they raised one son, Mark William Searle. The Searles were married for 50 years until Mollie Searle's death in 1999. ==Political career==