Anyone have any war stories?

[Guest the fox]

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[Alf Bentley]

For anyone whose older relations are gone, info sources do sometimes exist. Some records are online (e.g. Ancestry, Fold3). Others are available at the National Archives in Kew. Then, more specific stuff is sometimes available from those keeping regimental records. Family history is an interest of mine, but I've yet to try the regiments. I gather this is hit-and-miss: some regiments have good records, others nothing.

 

My Mum lived through the Sheffield Blitz as a child. She recalled the repeated dashes to air-raid shelters. The local priest would lead communal singing in there, presumably to drown out the noise of bombing while keeping up spirits - he subsequently became an army chaplain and was shot dead parachuting into occupied territory. She said sometimes they didn't have time to make it to the air-raid shelter so were told to lay down on the hall floor covered with cushions to act against falling rubble, but never took a hit. She, her brothers & their mother were then evacuated to Ireland for a year, after an incendiary device fell in the next-door garden during the Blitz. They stayed in 3 different lodgings in Ireland: firstly with my Grandpa's brother, but left after my Grandma fell out with his wife over her extreme Catholicism (ordering her kids to their knees to pray, spraying them with holy water as sinners etc.); secondly, in a flea-infested doss house in Dublin; lastly, and more happily, with cousins on a farm out in County Meath. My Grandpa stayed on in Sheffield to work, but as it happened the worst raids were already over.

 

Most of my family were either too young/old for WW2 or were digging spuds in the west of Ireland. My Dad's eldest brother served in the Royal Artillery, coastal defences & anti-aircraft artillery in Plymouth, then moved on to training the Home Guard in Llandudno, but never served overseas. Their younger brother joined up near the end of WW2 and served with peace-keeping forces in Austria, doing commando training, but seems to have spent most of his time driving the army chaplain around military bases!

 

Two of my great-uncles were in WW1. One was in the Army Service Corps, so probably back from the front line, providing supplies and logistics for the trenches. He was already in the army at the 1911 Census. His brother served in the Machine Gun Corps, so was clearly in the heat of the action. Apparently, he was once wounded - shot in the buttocks! Both survived WW1. As a civilian, the bloke with the wounded buttocks was then a Japanese POW during WW2. He was captured in his new guise as a middle-aged whiskey salesman in Hong Kong. I recently found records showing that he was held captive for 3 years, 9 months. My Mum remembered that he weighed 6 stone when released (having been a big man), but survived and lived to 90. Really wish I'd met him, but he spent his latter decades out in NZ.

 

One of my Irish great-uncles fought against British forces, as a member of the original IRA, during the Irish War of Independence (post-WW1). They reportedly ambushed an armoured car - but after the ceasefire for treaty negotiations, he emigrated to the USA, and the local IRA commander told the family that he was a traitor for leaving....presumably thinking he should have stayed to fight on the anti-treaty side in the Irish civil war post-1922. A great-uncle on my Dad's side also joined the original IRA at that time, but was imprisoned by them for undisclosed disciplinary offences (not sure how that worked?!) and was subsequently refused state pension credits due to his disreputable service. I asked my Dad about him and, ever succinct, he replied: "a well-known drunk", adding "a good builder if he stayed away from the drink". 

 

Ancestors in one of my family lines were all in the Royal Artillery in the 19th Century: great-great-great-grandparents married in Corfu (1840s), the wife having been born in Gibraltar (1820s), but they presumably missed the Crimean War as they were back in Woolwich for the 1851 Census. Must look into what the Royal Artillery was up to in the Med then - naval patrols and shore batteries to protect commercial shipping? A bit earlier would have been interesting, if they were out there - Trafalgar, Napoleon etc

 

[LinekersLugs]

75 years ago 1000’s of brave English boys died to defeat fascism , last night 100’s of cowardly English fascists attack women and children in Portugal our Society is regressing.

 

if my grandfather could see the society he died to keep free I doubt he would have sacrificed his life 

 

[Grebfromgrebland]

Not all brexiteers are racist but all racists are brexiteers. 

[Izzy]

Top of the Amazon music charts. Brought a tear to my eye 

 

 

[Great Boos Up]

As I was brought up a RAF brat I am generally familiar with some military history. A few years ago I came across some documentation and medals in the possession of my mother in law. Her father was one of three brothers; Southrington from Syston. The family didn't really have much information on the brothers and I don't think they really understood. However from what I read and could put together one died at Normandy, the other in Arnhem and my wife's grandfather survived as a prisoner of war in Burma.

 

This is a real saving private Ryan meets the longest day meets bridge over the river Kwai.

 

I did ask more relatives but apparently Mr Southrington was brutally tortured and never spoke of his ordeal when he returned. RIP.