Family Military Traditions

[mr self destruct]

I get the impression he did some morally questionable things during D-Day and the following period

Not many prisoners were taken as they had no where to put them or spare men to guard them at D-day, at the time they were trained to do one thing and they did it. Its only as time goes by and with the wisdom of age that gives time for deeper thought and reflection.

True. No-one can pass any sort of judgement until they've been in that situation, but I think it haunted him afterwards. Both what he did and what he saw.

[snapper]

no storys to re tell other than he was injured almost died and when they tried to send him home he refused went back to war only to be injured a second time fatally

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collection...ail/168215

[BBROWN1664]

I did something similar for my grandad who was in the Navy during WW2. If you know his name and DOB you can get his war records from the MOD. From there you can claim copies of his medals ( my dad buried my grandad ones when he was a kid) and see what they really did during the war.

[DryRob]

My grandad was in Korea I think and there was a popular family story about him ending the suffering of more than 300 people when he shot the cook

[nick crisp]

My grandad was in Korea I think and there was a popular family story about him ending the suffering of more than 300 people when he shot the cook

:rollin

[VNA]

My Great Grand Father got killed in the battle of Arras, no doubt along with 10,000's of others.  Needless bloody slaughter.

I visited the grave a few years back, I'm guessing the first from my family to do so.  Though I've no idea, as thanks to the Great War I've distant family in Canada of whom I know nothing of.

Can believe all this talk recently of celebrating The Great War.

I was quite taken with some of the things that Harry Patch said,

War is organised murder and nothing else....politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organising nothing better than legalised mass murder.      Harry Patch.

Sharp till the day he died I think.

[Skippernick]

My grandad was in Korea I think and there was a popular family story about him ending the suffering of more than 300 people when he shot the cook

:rollin

[fazersharp]

I am reminded of that ring of red around the m25 --- that was never going to work and if it did it would never be seen from a helicopter high enough to get it all in.
Now if the same was done at a Race track with organised ride ins from all over like the Brackly air ambulance I think that would be a great success and being the great war anniversary this year also I think would work.
And then the picture from the helicopter could be sold to all of those taking part

[caretaker]

my mum was german and had to join the hitler youth! after the war her dad burnt the uniform and armbands etc.

[Skippernick]

my mum was german and had to join the hitler youth! after the war her dad burnt the uniform and armbands etc.

wow that one is different. A story from the other side as well.

[VNA]

Now if the same was done at a Race track with organised ride ins from all over like the Brackly air ambulance I think that would be a great success and being the great war anniversary this year also I think would work.

I hate all that poppy pish. 

It's getting ridiculous now, to the extent that people are told, no ordered to wear a poppy. 
Over my dead body will I wear Lady Bloody Haig's poppy.

Not for me.

[Skippernick]

Well it takes all sorts

[mtread]

I'm with VNA on this. A horrible part of our history. I can't believe they are issuing a £2 coin with Kitchener's poster that led so many to their death.
Nothing to celebrate. Lions led by donkeys.

[Gnasher]

Over my dead body will I wear Lady Bloody Haig's poppy.

Not for me.

While I agree with no one should be made to wear a poppy your referenece to "Lady Haig" is not quite right, it had nothing to do with her what so ever see below taken off the Poppy Factory web site

The origins of the Remembrance poppy lie with two women:

Moina Bell Michael, an American teacher, was so moved by Colonel John McRae’s poem “In Flanders Field” that she bought poppies with money collected from her colleagues and sold them to raise funds for U.S ex-Servicemen.

Madame Guerin, a Frenchwoman, took up the idea and in 1921 made and sold millions of poppies throughout the US to raise funds for the rehabilitation of areas in France devastated by the First World War. She persuaded Earl Haig to adopt the poppy for the British Legion and sent French women to London to sell them.

In 1922 Earl Haig accepted Major Howson's offer to supply poppies. The rest as they say, is history-

Personally I wear my Poppy with pride like you my family paid the ultimate price so far I've identified 11 of my family who were killed during WW1 spread across France and Belgium two on the first day of the Somme.  I was shocked when I got into the research just how many of my family were evolved and this is very, very common it is said "every" family lost someone.  An example a very good friend has an extremely rare name in the UK their family originate from Guernsey and there are only 35 registered with their name living in the country "today".  They accompanied me to Passchendaele while I was researching my family as you probably know that is the site of one of the worst WW1 battles and is now the location for Britain's largest military cemetery "Tyne Cote". 

As you can guess while there they looked up their own name and sure enough the name was there!  On returning I helped them research the person and sure enough it was their great grandfather they had no idea as no one ever spoke about him.................and that is the whole point!

For me it's not about the war it's about the millions who died in it, for most with no more than a name on a block of stone.  As time passes and records become available we can now see the truth behind most of what happened which time and time again has proved not to be what popular history was telling us.  Many aspects of it weren't even known e.g. the underground war fought in tunnels, the utter disgrace of shooting shattered men/boys or children as young as 12 who were not returned to their parents after lying about their age to join, the list goes on and on.

To me the above is why it's important not to forget, these people deserve their story being told. That said I do think there is a ever growing commercial element taking over which must be controlled to ensure the money goes to Royal British Legion to help ex service man and woman then I'm all for it!

Bring on the Ring of Red 

[lew600fazer]

My Grandfather was in the 36th division (Ulster) battle of the Somme seldom did he ever speak about it. My Dad was North Atlantic Convoys, merchant navy, sunk once but again seldom talked about it.
Me 45 years Merchant Navy, Iran Iraq war hit by rockets strait of Hermouz, 3 dead onboard, trust me I was no hero absolutely terrified 50,000 ton tanker carrying petroleum products, diffo squeaky bum time.

[Skippernick]

My Grandfather was in the 36th division (Ulster) battle of the Somme seldom did he ever speak about it. My Dad was North Atlantic Convoys, merchant navy, sunk once but again seldom talked about it.
Me 45 years Merchant Navy, Iran Iraq war hit by rockets strait of Hermouz, 3 dead onboard, trust me I was no hero absolutely terrified 50,000 ton tanker carrying petroleum products, diffo squeaky bum time.

I would have had a squeaky bum standing on the land near you with that lot. :lol

[maddog04]

Dad was RAF in Egypt, staff driver with a sten gun, many a time driving along the straight road alongside the Suez canal he'd say the bus drivers would play chicken with him by driving straight down the middle, a few bursts off the sten made them see sense

another time he said he got a puncture and swerved and hit the only tree on the road, it saved him from going in the canal. He'd pick up an officer and be told to drive to the desert where someone at a certain point would flash a torch and he'd be told to "hang a right here" probably LRDG/SAS missions
Ended up a docker and told me stories of a docker who was ex POW in a Jap camp and he was so traumatised that he hated anything Japanese even cars. If a Jap boat docked then he'd want to kill the crew, now known as PTSD

granddad was in the Merch and got torpedoed twice on the Arctic runs, still got his medals

both gone now but I'd love to be able to sit and chew the cud with them now I'm older

[fazersharp]

Me 45 years Merchant Navy, Iran Iraq war hit by rockets strait of Hermouz,  50,000 ton tanker carrying petroleum products

And now you get your kicks from a Fazer ------ where else !!

[maddog04]

we even have a song dedicated to our fallen............its called scouser tommy


Let me tell you the story of a poor boy
Who was sent far away from his home
To fight for his king and his country
And also the old folks back home

So they put him in a Highland division
Sent him off to a far foreign land
Where the flies swarm around in their thousands
And there's nothing to see but the sands

Now the battle started next morning
Under an Arabian sun
I remember the poor Scouser Tommy
Who was shot by an old Nazi gun

As he lay on the battle field dying (dying dying)
With the blood gushing out of his head (of his head)
As he lay on the battle field dying (dying dying)
These were the last words he said...

Oh...I am a Liverpudlian
I come from the Spion Kop
I like to sing, I like to shout
I go there quite a lot (every week)

We support the team that's dressed in red
A team that we all know
A team that we call Liverpool
And to glory we will go

We've won the League, we've won the Cup
We've been to Europe too
We played the Toffees for a laugh
And we left them feeling blue - Five Nil !

One two
One two three
One two three four
Five nil !

Rush scored one
Rush scored two
Rush scored three
And Rush scored four!

look on youtube for it, was at Villa one year and it was getting belted out, one copper turned to his mate and said (does his best brummy accent!!)

" yow know what Bwian, that's the best song oive ever erd" :lol

[VNA]

Not bad.