When he was 16, Conrad's life took an abrupt turn when Rollo died in an accident playing football.
 Conrad left school at this time to study farming in the Evesham Valley, and while there he met a Justice of the Peace from Buffalo Lake Ranch in Saskatchewan, who told him of life on the wild frontier and of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police.
In April 1910, at age 17, Conrad sailed on the Empress of Britain for Quebec and continued west to join the Royal Northwest Mounted Police in Saskatchewan.

After basic training Conrad was posted to Cypress Hills (Canada), a remote and untamed area.
He was later posted to Willow Creek and then Battle Creek, but mid-1912 received word that his mother was dying from cancer.
 He purchased his release and returned to Esher in Surrey to be by her side.
She died the following summer.

During this time Conrad and friends took weekend trips to the Brooklands race track, where he was introduced to motor racing.
Subsequently he purchased a 1909 Mercedes Simplex and developed a taste for fast cars.
When he was 16, Conrad's life took an abrupt turn when Rollo died in an accident playing football.  Conrad left school at this time to study farming in the Evesham Valley, and while there he met a Justice of the Peace from Buffalo Lake Ranch in Saskatchewan, who told him of life on the wild frontier and of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. In April 1910, at age 17, Conrad sailed on the Empress of Britain for Quebec and continued west to join the Royal Northwest Mounted Police in Saskatchewan.
After basic training Conrad was posted to Cypress Hills (Canada), a remote and untamed area. He was later posted to Willow Creek and then Battle Creek, but mid-1912 received word that his mother was dying from cancer.  He purchased his release and returned to Esher in Surrey to be by her side. She died the following summer.
During this time Conrad and friends took weekend trips to the Brooklands race track, where he was introduced to motor racing. Subsequently he purchased a 1909 Mercedes Simplex and developed a taste for fast cars.
Conrad O'Brien-ffrench