11-01-14, 08:25 PM
There have been many rumours of what my step-grandfather did during the last war. He was born a Scot, and worked on the estate of some laird or other before WW2 broke out. His military service is little known by anyone it seems however. Stories of him fighting in the Pacific theatre, and a story about him "accidentally" parachuting (?) alone onto some Japanese-held island, which he then is supposed to have single-handedly "captured". All rumour, and no doubt the reality is somewhat less spectacular. However, it's certainly true that my grandmother threatened to kill him herself when, after the war, he sold all his medals!
So I wondered if anyone else on FOC-U had stories from their elders of the war, and if they ever talked about these things, as so many did not apparently. It is sad to note that there are, of course, fewer and fewer survivors from this terrible conflict around today - what a relief that many chose to tell their tales for books and TV before passing away. Perhaps you even know of your ancestor's exploits in conflicts pre dating WW2?
And on the subject, does anyone know where you would begin if you wished to try to uncover archives that might shed a little more light on what such relatives did? Alas, I don't even know what regiment my step-grandfather served in. All I have is his name, which is a fairly common name and so could easily be confused with others. And I would also like to find out more about other relatives, now passed away, who may or may not have had military roots. My extended family is now small and widespread, and have little knowledge of these things it seems.
So I wondered if anyone else on FOC-U had stories from their elders of the war, and if they ever talked about these things, as so many did not apparently. It is sad to note that there are, of course, fewer and fewer survivors from this terrible conflict around today - what a relief that many chose to tell their tales for books and TV before passing away. Perhaps you even know of your ancestor's exploits in conflicts pre dating WW2?
And on the subject, does anyone know where you would begin if you wished to try to uncover archives that might shed a little more light on what such relatives did? Alas, I don't even know what regiment my step-grandfather served in. All I have is his name, which is a fairly common name and so could easily be confused with others. And I would also like to find out more about other relatives, now passed away, who may or may not have had military roots. My extended family is now small and widespread, and have little knowledge of these things it seems.