Early Life and Army Service
Frank Rennie was born on 9 August 1918 in Christchurch, New Zealand. At age 13 he suffered a Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis of the hip, which resulted in him spending nearly twenty months in hospital. Rennie later wrote in his autobiography that after spending so long bedridden believing he would be crippled, he felt compelled to 'prove to myself that I could do anything most others could do' and viewed the Army as a way of achieving this. He subsequently joined the Canterbury Regiment of the Territorial Force at age 16, before transferring to the Regular Force in late 1936. After completing basic training at Trentham Military Camp Rennie was first posted to the RNZA, but did not enjoy it and was 'first in the queue' to transfer to the Permanent Staff Instructors. At the completion of the training course Rennie was promoted to Lance Corporal, temporary Sergeant.
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