what did your relations do during ww2

[felixthelogchopper]

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My partners grandad flew this bad boy and has a few medals to show for it, one of my grandparents was in communications and the other was in dad's army so not so heroic unfortunately

 

I have a nagging memory that RAF Tempsford was a bit hush hush and connected with SOE. IIRC, they used to fly Lysanders out of part of it.

[normandylumberjack]

Grandad helped in bomb disposal during the blitz, assisting the officer with digging and passing tools, then came to France on D day plus 4, with a scotish reg. (odd as he was Cornish!) anti tank unit using a piat, shot by a sniper in Belgium in December '44 lost a finger and hit in the arse, long spell in a field hospital.

 

My Gran worked in Munitions factory in Bridgend and then Coventry - bombed to hell, and lots of girls injured in accidents. They were brave.

 

Great uncle was, I'm told, a sniper.

[openspaceman]

As someone with quite an interest in Military history, I Just wondered how many of you out there have relations who fought during ww2.

 

I was talking to father in law yesterday about his exploits, at 16 years old his merchant navy ship was bombed by the Italians steaming out of Marseilles, just as Vichy were doing a deal with Germany (he says June 4th 41), many crew swam 1 mile back to shore and some 20 found a fully provisioned abandoned british army base. After recuperating they decided to catch a train to Cherboug and the locals warned them the french police were collaborating with the germans and to get rid of any insignia. They arrived in Cherbourg without being challenged and managed to take a regular ferry to Southampton, yet by then France had been abandoned by the allies.

 

As he was a trained 4.7" gunner (extra shilling a week he says) he was sent to the Falklands to a new ship in a convoy of 20 boats going to Argentina to collect beef. En route, as a passenger, one night they were attacked by 3 U boats operating on the surface and 20 ships were lost. Having slept through the noise the first he realised was meeting men huddled on the deck in blankets after they were rescued.

 

Later in the war my father volunteered, after my mother's brother was killed returning from a raid on Dusseldorf in May 43, he was sent to Burma where he fitted radar to Mosquitoes which effectively won the war on Japanese shipping. He never spoke about it but he was traumatised by what he saw and died aged 84 in a private room after waking the ward with a panic attack that the Japs were coming.

 

His younger brother entered the war on D Day as a sapper in pioneer battalion, suffered shell shock and underwent some nasty treatments, electro convulsive therapy and crude drugs, which probably led to his death from stomach cancer.

 

Their father died in 1948, a chronic invalid from a shattered arm in WW1 with a scot's penchant for booze.

 

I'm so grateful that I have not had to live through what they did.

Edited December 26, 2013 by openspaceman

[gensetsteve]

My Great Uncle from Suffolk flew Lancaster bombers in the war

 

My father in law Jack Pickering flew out of Brisnorton in Oxfordshire and I think Lincolnshire. We have a very good photo of him and about 5 other flight crew if it helps anyone.

[mad matty]

Grand dad was a ARP man for the village, as he had fought in the 1st world war at 15,and my uncle was in the tank regiment in Egypt in the 2nd world war.

[Andrew Reed]

An uncle of mine lost his life here wartime disaster at Salthouse. Another uncle had a spell in Lancasters in the UK then transferred to North Africa. Father was in the Navy and in the early years experienced recovery of his mates bodies from this

and then got himself stuck in Malta as a medic dental assistant while it bombed rather a lot. Another uncle was in the submarine service and survived the war.

[oldwoodcutter]

Mrs oldwoodcutters dad was a driver,drove the colonel around belguim,then right though germany to the end.

My own father would never say to anybody what he did,where he went,or what he'd been through,just used to change the subject.

[scraggs]

My now deceased step dad was a motorcycle despatch rider but was captured a few years into the war and became a pow in austria and then put to work on an austrian farm, was only the last few years of he's life that he would discuss it with us.

[ArthurBottlesworth]

My dad went to join up on the first day of the war

Told reserve occupation

So joined up on second day ( told lies in different town )

Joined RAF

After basic traing went to first squadren which were Sopworth Camels ( I know but its what he told me) and he thought " we're for it now" after 3 weeks replaced by spitfires

He was ground crew On front line squadron

 

After battle of britain sent to Assynyboya (?) in canada for pilot training ( which he failed)

Then back to UK

Back tofront line ground crew

Ended upin essex marshes shooting down doodlebugs

On D day was delivering dakota along s coast, channel was full of ships sothey went for a look, got tofrance, flak came up and they went home and kept quiet,

Squadron got typhoons

After ve day he got his far east kit and was aboutto embalk when atom bomb dropped

He said it was happiest day of his life

 

I've got his last logbook somewhere, previous 4 blown up with his kit

 

Died in 1978 after putting out fire, fire brigade couldn't believe old bloke had put it out,

[silky fox]

My Grandad was a watch maker/repairer and when the war started and when he was called up he worked on Lancaster bombers installing dials and clocks...