WW1 & WW2 family & friends involvement/experiences.

Has anyone seen Love, honour, and obey? A cheap made British movie that always makes me smile.

 

I visited the trenches and museum at Hill 62, near Ypres, Belgium last month. One of the most sobering experiences of my life.

 

Yes, the picture boxes are amazing. They really bring the photographs of the scenes to life.

Some of the grave stones are scary when you see the ages of some of these men (boys), 18, 19, 20 etc......horrific. :frown:

 

That must have been emotional Roy.

 

I went to the US cemetery for the Omaha beach landings in Normandy about 10 years ago. There is a museum over there as well... It was one of the most moving experiences of my life... All brought about by my fascination with factual war books!

 

Just visited my Great-Great Uncle's grave from WW1. A very young lad murdered whilst a POW - a very moving experience, but really glad I've visited.

 

Please post your family & friends stories/experiences as a follow on to the threads by lightning650 etc. I find this fascinating reading. Maybe we could copy and paste them here if nobody objects?

 

I'll start the ball rolling then:

Maternal grandfather signed up as one of Kitcheners first 100,000 troops in WWI and went through all of it in the cavalry. Never discussed it apart from to say that he hated the Belgians more than the Germans but never explained why.

Paternal grandfather was in Egypt when WWII started and stayed there throughout but wife and kids were evacuated down to SA when it startd to look a bit dodgy. Never discussed the war.

Eldest maternal uncle was in the Airborne Infantry in WWII and was wounded at Nijmegen then went back in February 1945 and was killed when they made a last big push into Germany 4 weeks before the war ended. I've been to his grave in Reichswald War Cemetery to take photos for my mother and though Reichswald is where all the RAF aircrew killed over Germany were moved to after the war there's a small section for the Airborne guys who died in Germany.

Younger maternal uncle spent 2 years in Malaya chasing 'insurgents' around the jungle and always says they were some of the best days of his life.

Father was mobilised for Korea but missed all the action because the troops were pulled out just after he arrived. I don't think he ever forgave them for not letting him play in his armoured car.

 

Thanks Andy, interesting stuff. All losses were tragic but to have been killed 4 weeks before the war ended just seems so much worse.

I have tried tracing my Grandfathers military history but not really come up with much. One was in the 8th Army, attached as a Royal engineer. I have some photographs that were taken whilst he was in North Africa on recreational time etc. Again, he never spoke to me about it but my Grandma explained why due to the horrors he witnessed etc. I also have his release papers.
My other Grandad was a tail gunner with the RAF on the bombers. I know little else I am afraid.
My mother tells me I have a great uncle buried in France somewhere who was killed during WW1.
I would love to find out more, does anyone use any of the Ancestry sites ?

 

interesting thread,

the wifes granddad was RAF groundcrew in ww2 and was at the raf base when the dambusters returned from the dam raids (scampton?)

my granddad fought in france in ww2 but never talked about it, but gave me his army fold up knife dated 44

my school exchange student was from munich, his granddad was in the SS-leibstandarte adolf hitler, this is really interesting as he was listed MIA in jan 1945 but was hiding out from the yanks as they where shooting all SS soldiers, he died in the 1970s from cancer, he gave me all his war/post war documents, still got them, I now have many hundreds of WW2 german documents as he got into house clearance as a job in munich and used to send them over for me as I started to collect ww2 paperwork

 

Years ago,I was doing a gig in Nowheretown,Germany,with Scandinavian band and an all-Danish crew.
After set-up,we sat drinking coffee in the adjacent bar,and the Danes got talking to an old German fella at the bar.
After more than a few drinks,the old German guy kept nudging me and jabbering away in German,rolled up his trousers and pointed out ,(horrible),scars all over his legs.
The Danes were translating that he was talking about being stuck on the barbed wire in WW1,wounded etc,etc.
No-one took it too seriously,I bought the old fella a couple of drinks and gave him a hug etc.
Did the show,went back to same bar for a livener,old feller still in there.He's not saying a word,just keeps looking at me.
We leave the bar,I jump in the truck,start to ease out into the road,I hear a voice and look down to see the old German feller crying his eyes out and yelling something at me,his hands clasped together like he was pleading or something
Danish roadie gets in cab,we drive away leaving grandad shouting after truck
I'm laughing as I drive away,but the Dane asks me why.I say did you see the old fella crying etc.
Danish boy then tells me the old guy was shouting:
"Forgive me,Englishman,I didn't know they gassed the Jews..."
I'll never,ever forget that old geezer........

 

WW2……My uncle (mother’s brother) was in the RAF.


After some time being on Halifax and Wellington bombers; sometimes as Sgt Flight Engineer, sometimes as Sgt Navigator; he got seconded to the RCAF 428 (Ghost) Sqdn based at Middleton St George.

On 24[SUP]th[/SUP] July 1944 he was Flight Eng in Lancaster X KB740 on its first operational flight for a raid on Stuttgart.

It collided with another Lancaster X (KB743……remember that number) over France and had to crash land just making it back to Suffolk on 25[SUP]th[/SUP] July 1944.

KB 743 could not continue its operation and landed back at base.

KB 740 was written off.

Having got back to Middleton, he was with a different crew on another Lancaster X……..they took off on 18[SUP]th[/SUP] August 1944 on a massive raid on Bremen where over 2000 tons of bombs were dropped……A bomber above them dropped its bombs which hit the tail of his Lancaster and apart from the rear gunner, they all baled out.

His Lancaster already on its way down was attacked by a German fighter and finished off.

My uncle and his crew were captured 19th Augist 1944…….some of them went to Stalag Luft III (Sagan, Silesia….the Great Escape camp) and my uncle was ultimately sent to Stalag Luft 7 (Bankau, Upper Silesia), where he stayed until the Germans marched them off on the Long / Death March to SL III and followed the prisoners from there after they had already left.

Remember that number? Got it in one……The plane my uncle had to bale out from was KB743…….the one that had knocked them out of the sky earlier in July.

And......it was the only Lancaster to go down in that raid.

 

my great grandfather fought in the boer war and was one of the old contemtables in ww1 with the royal enniskilling regiment he was killed on 26th august 1914 at the battle of le cateau in the retreat from mons,he was with his brother in law running for shelter and never arrived.i have his medals which are my prized possessions.my fathers uncle Robert hanna was a plumber in our business and joined the navy in ww2 he was a plumber on hms hood and lost his life when sunk by the bismark. I was working once in a large country house and talking to the owner about family history,he told me about his uncle who had shell shock from the raf and I told him about my great uncle.......I pulled wood panelling from around an old lead water pipe and written on the inside in pencil was ....R hanna 1921.... the hair on our necks stood up and the house owner said it was like the dead are crying out we are still here.a few years later the owner phoned to tell me he was selling the house,i was straight around and grabbed the wooden cover ,its now varnished and lives above my kitchen door ( a piece of worthless wood that's worth everything to me )

 

I should have added in my original reply that my maternal grandfather was in the Home Guard in WWII and had a nice little hoard of weapons hidden under a false floor in the shed at his allotment and they remained there until he gave up the allotment in 1973/4 when I helped remove everything and throw it in a gravel pit in case plod got moody if he handed them in.

They also billeted 2 Dutch aircrew who'd come over here when Holland was invaded and they stayed until the end of the war then used to come over to visit every couple of years and give gifts to my grandparents as a thank you for looking after them over that period. I think they were heavily involved in the weapons storage and between a little group of them they were going to give it a good go if the Germans ever invaded.