What did you do in the war?

[dbf]

Originally Posted by sapper

Tomorrow is the 64th anniversary of D DAY...And you still make me feel old! by talking about your grandfathers
Sapper

Sapper,

I did mention Dad, is that not a wee bit better?

dbf

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Ken, please do carry on, sounds fascinating.

[von Poop]

Any pre-WW2 service in your family then Brian?

And Ken, not boring at all, great stuff.

Cheers,
Adam..

[dbf]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

DBF
No wonder you have an interest in WW2, its plastered all over your family's history.

GH,

It is a wonder I and my kids are here at all, what with my family having so many opportunities to get killed and kill each other!

I have a lot to be thankful for and feel a great debt to those who suffered, fought and died in both World Wars. Essentially but for WWII and my father's wish to revisit his old haunts, he would never have met my mother in Germany ...

dbf

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Originally Posted by sapper

Tomorrow is the 64th anniversary of D DAY...And you still make me feel old! by talking about your grandfathers
Sapper

Brian you are as old as you want to be!!

[Niccar]

I saw an old pre-war film starring the actor Victor Mac lagan possibly called the North West Passage firing a Vickers Machine gun from the hip the date was 1942
So at the ripe old age of 17 years I decided that was going to be my way of entering the war against the Third Reich for destroying our home with the bombing of the East End of London so after manufacturing another birthday ( like many thousands of others) I asked and was put into the Middlesex Regiment where I quickly learned that it was virtually impossible to fire the gun from the hip nevertheless they transferred me to there sister Regiment the 1st Battalion The Princess Louise Kensington Regt
So in 1943 landed in Africa and joined the 78th Battleaxe Division although hostilities
By then had ended in North Africa then the invasion of Sicily and Sunny Italy where all their battles are well documented (written with tongue in cheek bit true)

Regards to all niccar

[PsyWar.Org]

Paternal Grandfather was a Despatch Rider in the Royal Artillery. Don't know too much more but believe he served in NW Europe. His two brothers were both in the Royal Fusiliers in WWI and were both killed in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, within a couple of weeks of each other.

Maternal Grandfather was in the Royal Engineers. BEF, Dunkirk, North Africa (1st Army) then Italy and Greece. His brother was RN on the Russian Convoys.

Maternal Grandmother war work making fuses in a bomb factory.

[dbf]

"His two brothers were both in the Royal Fusiliers in WWI and were both killed in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, within a couple of weeks of each other."

Hi Lee,
Went to the Fusiliers Museum last week - http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-mus...tml#post139166

dbf

[PsyWar.Org]

Originally Posted by dbf

"His two brothers were both in the Royal Fusiliers in WWI and were both killed in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, within a couple of weeks of each other."

Hi Lee,
Went to the Fusiliers Museum last week - http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-mus...tml#post139166

dbf

dbf, just been checking out your thread about the museum. That'll be a definite place to visit on my next trip home.

The elder brother was 22nd Battalion and was killed on 27th July 1916, aged 20, buried in Delville Wood Cemetery. 22nd Battalion was formed at White City, London in 1915. My family is all from Greenford, a few miles away. Funny thing is I used to work in White City for many years and I believe the building I worked in was built on top of their old camp.

His younger brother died 15 August 1916, aged 19, probably as the result of shelling. He has no known grave but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

[dbf]

Lee,
I'll try to copy the book I bought and place it up too. In essence there isn't much more on display for WWI and WWII than what I put up there. It is a small reg. museum.

Husband's family experienced similar situation, 2 brothers, RFA, died 3 days apart in May 1915, one DOW in Boulogne, the other KIA in Ypres. One small grace is that they both have graves. 2 months later their brother landed at Gallipoli. Weakened, he died of TB in 1929. All 3 sons pre-deceased their parents.

dbf