How many British WW2 Veterans are still around ?

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by 51highland, Oct 11, 2007.

  1. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    On the subject of "oldies" who are still active I was delighted to read that David Arkush was at the recent AJEX Service & Parade.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7KSPy89Uok


    David was a POW of the Japanese for approx 3 years and is over a 100 years old !

    As my old Sgt.Major used to say, "Well dome that there man !"

    Ron
     
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  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I met a Former Royal Engineer yesterday who served in the Chindits during WW2. He spent his war blowing stuff up :)
     
  3. Ronny

    Ronny Junior Member

    My good friend Jeff Haward MM 1/7th Middlesex Regt. was in October in the Netherlands for the commemoration of the liberation of the town Vught. He is 95! He has been thru Dunkirk,Africa,Italy,France,Belgium,The Netherlands & Germany. What a great guy. I meet him every year at the War & Peace show.
     
  4. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Went to see Wilf Shaw in Oldham on Tuesday. Still looking good for 94, going on 95 :)
    Wilf.JPG
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Met a 99 year old vet the other night - Sadly he could only remember that he served in the Army for all of the war. No idea on his unit or where he went :(
     
  6. thelma

    thelma New Member

    my dad is 91. he was in the durham light infantry and went to normandy in june 1944 D6. Most of his friends were killed. He named my brother Travis in honour of a aMjor Travis in the DLLI. I dont know which battallions


    He is Roland Crossley from LEICESTER . Private 14412527
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Had a string of WW2 vets before Christmas inc a RE on Gold Beach that got shot by a sniper DDay +10. He finished the war in Egypt as a RSM. A REME Sergeant and a LCPL in the 1/6 South Staffs that fought at Caen and through Europe to the end of the war.

    One of the most remarkable people I met last month was a German Jewish lady who told me how she fled to England with her Jewish husband in the late 30's leaving family behind to be gassed in the camps. They were both teachers in Germany before the war and she took a cleaning job in London, her husband joined the Army and was only allowed in the Pioneer Corps initially but ended up in the Royal Engineers and fought in France with the BEF in a AMPC unit and witnessed the Lancastria go down and returned to France in 1944 and fought all the way through to Germany. At the end of the war he went back to being a teacher but they stayed in England - The headmaster of the school was his Company Commander in the Royal Engineers and they stayed firm friends from being in the Royal Engineers through teaching and retirement until he died.

    Tonight I met a sailor who was a Engineer in the Merchant Navy, my father was a Engineer in the MN as well so we had a wee bit to chat about.
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Have been contacted by a 92 year old sapper Veteran who has seen a photo of his platoon in 1945 on the forum .
    He's been able to get a copy of it even though I don't know which picture he refers to.

    If anyone knows what photo/thread is being refered to let me know.
    It's regarding a platoon photo 1945 84 Field Coy,RE.
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I've just checked the war diary and there's no photo's in it. If you get me his address Owen I'll send him a copy of the diary for free.

    A
     
  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I'll check with him that he's ok with that & get back to you.
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Ps if it's any help to narrow it down forum member 'MarcD' may have started it or posted in it.
     
  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  13. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    I speak usually every monday by telephone, to an old friend of many years, Cyril, another WW2 Veteran of the 43rd Wessex.

    Cyril received a letter last week from the MOD stating that his application form for the French Legion of Honour has been forwarded to the French MOD and apologies for the long delay in replying which was due to the large volume of applicants being processed.

    There was over 2800 Normany Veterans that have replied to the correspondence.

    So the answer to the question is that there are still very many around.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  14. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Tom,

    Wilf Shaw, the Veteran I see quite often applied for the French Legion of Honour medal too about 6 months ago. He only received a reply a couple of weeks ago-as you say, they have had a long delay due to the number of Veterans still alive. Good news :)

    Lesley
     
  15. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    Greetings today on the 9x th birthday of my father's comrade Mervyn Davies who served with the 2nd Battalion, London Irish Rifles (2 LIR) from June 1943 to April 1945 and was OC E Coy 2 LIR from 1943 to 1945 including the battalion's time in the Liri Valley and at Monte Spaduro, where he was wounded. For his actions at Spaduro, Mervyn was awarded the Military Cross.

    I had the privilege of meeting Sir Mervyn Davies recently and he told me that he was "very proud to command a bunch of Irishmen. It was a unit with a very fine morale. They were keen to fight and, of course, this was a characteristic of the entire (78th) Division.”

    Perhaps a slight understatement..

    best
     

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  16. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    My dad is still around, he will be 90 this year, he was in the RASC Air Dispatch at the end of the war, He took part in Operation Manna, dropping food to the Dutch, before that he was in the Home Guard on a Z rocket site near Southampton . Dad left the army in the late 1950s . photo of him in the late 40s in HongKong on the far right. Sgt D.H.Brooker.
    My mum was in a ATS Sig unit. sadly now not with us.
    Keith
     

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  17. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    I am currently in touch with Tom Renouf, author of 'Black Watch'.

    Tom is 91 years of age and fought with the 1st Bn Tyneside Scottish, 70th Infantry Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Division (including the battle of Rauray) and on their disbandment, the 5th Bn Black Watch, 153rd Infantry Brigade, 51st (Highland) Division; both battalions of the Black Watch. I believe that he is the last surviving member of the 5th Bn Black Watch.

    Forum member sebfrench76 started a thread recently about a possible unidentied non CGWC grave at Mauny and this has led to the possible identification of a soldier of the 5th Bn Black Watch killed in the battle of Mauny who is not on the battalions Roll of Honour and who Tom Renouf has been trying to find a grave for for 70 years. The soldier in question fought at El Alamein and all 51st HD battles subsequently up until his death on 29 August 1944. See link: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/56371-mauny-cemeterynormandie/?hl=mauny

    I will be helping Tom with his continuing research on this matter and will post updates on the linked thread.

    Best,

    Steve.
     
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  18. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I met a member of 42 Commando today that fought Burma - Top bloke. I'm hoping his nephew (22 years service in tanks) gets in touch via email as I've offered him a complete set of the war diaries so he can go through it with him.
     
  19. Bernard85

    Bernard85 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    good day smudger jnr,our man in berlin.13.1/2015.12:38pm.re:how many ww2 veterans are still around,i cannot say how many,but i am still here.have a great day regards bernard85 :smash:
     
  20. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I was reading quickly through this post Andy, and hoped for one minute that you had missed the 1 from the unit!!! Nevermind. :)
     

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