What did you do in the war?

[Ron Goldstein]

Conscripted in 1942 (at the age of nineteen) and trained as a wireless-op in Light Ack Ack.
Posted to North Africa in April 1943 and subsequently served in Sicily, Italy, Austria, Germany & Egypt.
In late 1944 Ack Ack was no longer needed in Italy and I was retrained as Tank Crew seeing the closing stages of the war with the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars.
De-mobbed in 1947

(well....you did ask !)

[Arlo]

My great grandfather was a soldier during the early years of the war here in the Philippines.

He surrendered during the Fall of Bataan and was one of the 4000 soldiers who lived after the Death March (he escaped, but I'm not sure how he did it.)

Shortly afterwards, he was a guerilla who fought the Japanese and was rewarded a pension from the Americans after the war. (In our place, people who fought in the war had streets named after them, I'm not even sure why my great-grandpa didn't have one.)

[sapper]

I wish you lot would stop talking about your grandfathers...It makes me feel old.
Sapper

[ADM199]

My Father was conscripted in 1940 after Dunkink aged 27. He was posted to Darley Dale with an R.A.S.C. Coy that was re-forming as the 5th Reserve M.T. Coy. February 1941 Shipped out to the Middle East on the Nova Scotia. Transported Troops during the Syrian Campaign before returning to Egypt. 5th Reserve M.T. Coy. now called 97 Coy R.A.S.C. Transporting Supplies to Tobruk when the large dumps were being created. Next move was troop carrying with the 7th Green Howards; Company Office Knightsbridge.
Taken Prisoner in June 1942 and imprisoned in the Larger Transit Camp at Benghazi. 26th October transported to PG158 Tripoli until 13th November when he boarded the S.S.Scillin en route to Trapani,Sicily. 14th November Scillin was sunk by the P212 off the coast of Tunisia.

[machine shop tom]

My father served in the U.S. Navy, Pacific theater on the Fanshaw Bay, CVE-70. He was in several battles, notably Saipan, the Battle off Samar, and Okinawa.

tom

[stevew]

Dad was evacuated down to Sussex, His dad was in the NFS in London, I have his NFS badge at home.

Mum was born during the war, her dad was in the army, I must try and find out what he did. My nan was in the ATS involved in Ack-Ack. My mums uncle saw service from 1940 until 1945 serving with the RAMC , he was with the 8th Army in Africa and also landed in Normandy on the 6th June, I believe he carries some shrapnel around with him today!

Other than that 2 Great Grandads who served in WW1 in the artillery

[PFC]

My paternal grandfathers relative served in the Red Army and was an infantry officer (dont know the rank). He fought in Berlin in 1945 and was lucky to survive.

[T. A. Gardner]

I had 3 uncles as well as my father who served in WW 2. Two of them were in the US Navy, one in the Pacific one in the Atlantic. I don't have details on their service both were petty officers the one in the Atlantic was a gunner's mate on a 40mm mount. The third uncle served in the US Army landing late in the day on D-Day in France...as he put it "I didn't get my feet wet or shot at or anything." He went on to have a long post war career in the US Army retiring at the rank of Colonel.
My father was pre-war in the 36th Infantry Division, 36th Quartermaster Company, Signals section. He was transfered to HQ 6th Army at the Precidio in San Francisco when the unit deployed for overseas service due to a medical condition that prevented his going with them. He served in the cryptological section until the end of the war being medically discharged as a Captain. Post war he held the same position as a civilian.

[Dieppe]

My father was a schoolkid (born in Jan '33) in Southall, Middlesex but was injured in the Blitz; he walked into a lamp-post whilst watching rescuers at a bombed out house!

Paternal grandfather worked for the Southall council (he'd been badly injured in WW1 and was exempt from war service work).

My maternal grandfather was in the 5th Beds & Herts but discharged due to ill health.
His wife worked in a factory doing 'war work' until she chopped 6 fingers off in an accident.

A great uncle, see signature, was in the 5th Suffolks.

Stan Peppiatt (another uncle) won the MM in North Africa whilst with the Wilstshire Yeomanry.

Another part of the family (the Lee family) had brothers in the RN, RAF, MN, Army and Indian Army (an officer in the Punjab Airborne).

Alex Farmer (my maternal gran's brother) was posted to HMS Hood but went AWOL (he told the arresting PC that 'that ship is going down and I'm not going with it).

Another uncle (shamefully, I can't remember his name) was a RM Commando; will have to phone dad to find out his name!

Jean (my wonderful Better Half) has her paternal grandfather's medals and other bits; he was in the Army Service Corps in North Africa. According to a postcard from his officer he drove something like 3,000 miles during one mission; we haven't got a clue what it was all about.

I think there are more, but I'll have to speak to my old dad to find out who they were.

[ErikH]

Not sure if I posted in this thread yet... hopefully I didn't.

Originally Posted by sapper

I wish you lot would stop talking about your grandfathers...It makes me feel old.
Sapper

Sorry for this, but my Great Grandfather was in the Canadian Forestry Corps and was at the battle of the Ardennes.

My Mothers Father, who was Polish, was said to be a pilot... possibly in the RAF. From my understanding he didn't reveal much about his past to anyone... he also changed his name.