what did your relations do during ww2

[felixthelogchopper]

My great grandfather died a few years back , I was always told he was a conscientious objector and was in the merchant navy in the Atlantic.

He lived on the edge of Salisbury plain so at Christmas or holidays I would go out and pick up bullets and ect from the exercises and bring them back and he would go berserk! I always thought not to kindly to him for doing this but after he died they found his journals and he had pretty much been blackmailed as he was an orphan and a head school teacher who could speak a few languages in to joining SOE and had fought along side and trained partisans in the Balkans and other places, in his journal there was an unreal experience that the other operative he was with had been badly injured and they missed the submarine picking them up so they had to spend a month in hiding waiting for the next sub, and he described never being so relieved in all his life finally getting on it.

His whole life story is pretty amazing but that part of his life he never told any of his friends or family when the war had finished and preferred to be labeled a conchy than ever talk about what he did.

 

Have you read much about that part of the war, Matty? It's a fascinating tale with some serious treachery and intrigue as well as outstanding courage. Sounds like he was quite a bloke.

[Taupotreeman]

My maternal grandfather was a royal marine on HMS Birmingham. My paternal grandfather was invalided out of the First World War due to mustard gas poisoning so never made it to the second. Found out a couple of years ago that my German aunty's family helped smuggle German citizens from east to west under The Russian/communist occupation.

 

 

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[MattyF]

Read a bit mate I would like to find out more I know my second cousin is doing a lot of research in to it but I very rarely see him.

[Brooklandsbob]

My Dad was in RASC North Africa then Palestine. My Uncle Rupert was in the Royal Berkshire Regiment and went from North Africa to Sicily and was awarded the MC during the Anzio landings when his battalion were virtually wiped out at Carroceto, they were reduced to just 40 men in total. My Uncle Arthur ran radio intercepts for Bletchley Park from Chicksands, then Wick and later in the Middle East. We didn't discover this until quite recently and when we checked there he was on the Bletchley Park role of honour.

My uncle frank Joined late in the war due to his age and served in the Middle East and ended up in Palestine in 48 and was blown up by an Israeli car bomb. Luckily he survived and is still alive and kicking. My Mum worked in London during the blitz and My Gran made tailplanes for Mosquitos at Walter Lawrence's factory in Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire.

[Stubby]

My granddad ( my Dads Dad ) saw action in both wars . When he was alive he would not speak of it at all . My Dad was on an aircraft carrier for a bit . He is 88 now .

[Dan Earp]

Great grandad was a pilot, unsure as he passed many moons ago. Uncle member of SBS again has passed on, dads side was one in artillery, infantry and a tankie (desertrats) mams real dad was in the navy (officer ranking?) and hit a mine. Not really spoken of. Then a couple more but im waiting for the arrival of my family tree which my uncle spent year drawing up

[Brian S]

Dad was in Harry Tates Navy, CPO Stoker

 

Royal Naval Patrol Service

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRxVUDqhR4w]Harry Tates Navy - YouTube[/ame]

 

Spent a lot of time around Scotland, the Western Approaches, Malta, D Day he was in the Channel

 

Only used to tell me the funny stories, like being chased by the picket in Valletta after a sherbert or two, and just making the launch before the picket caught them

[felixthelogchopper]

Read a bit mate I would like to find out more I know my second cousin is doing a lot of research in to it but I very rarely see him.

 

Sounds like he would have had some connection with the MacLean (check spelling) mission. There is a fair amount of writing on the subject. It was a very political area of the war with 2 factions of the resistance in the Balkans, the Communists under Tito and the Royalists/ Cetniks under Mihailovic with the Communists eventually winning the support. There were also issues with SOE operatives 'going native'.I seem to remember a few famous names being involved, including the writer Evelyn (or was it Auberon?) Waugh. I do have a couple of books on the subject but unfortunately they are still in boxes from the move.

[NFG]

Hi,

 

Interesting thread topic,

 

My father was in the artillery, 3rd Wessex Light Medium (if I recall) fought at El-Alamein, Monte Cassino & a lot of Europe, my mother was too young.

 

My grandmother was in the Womens Royal Auxiliary Balloon Corps (what a grand tittle!), also manned an anti aircraft gun at the end of the street.

 

N

[Brooklandsbob]

I should also mention that I had an uncle on the other side who I'm also very proud of. He was an engineer in the Wehrmacht and was captured just after the D day landings he eventually ended up in the UK and his research into metallurgy earned this country millions of pounds and provided employment for many. Like my other relations he fought for the country he loved and came to love the country he fought against. When you come down to it's the politicians that start wars but get others to fight it for them.