My Grandfather immigrated to the US in early 1900s from London where he was superfluous to needs for the family business of running a gambling hall. Anyway...he gets here, goes through WWI hearing all about his English brothers fighting in the trenches and then signs up and heads to France where he arrives on Armistice Day -- very similar to G2's story. So, the family story was that he signed up on Armistice Day.