What did your relatives do in WWII?

[david weston 10]

The difference between the 1st and the 17th is just 16 days, not 'long before', and regardless, both dictatorships had earlier planned and agreed on carving up Poland between them under the Nazi-Soviet Pact, so that doesn't answer the question; they were both EQUALLY guilty.

[iamwoody 19]

Reading this thread I was surprised by how many men in Sheffield were in protected jobs in the steel industry. The way history is presented to us is that women took all the factory jobs to free up men for the armed forces.

 

It seems the story of protected jobs is untold.

 

too right it is they're having a statue made for the women of steel , its like you said all the men had gone to war ! NOT . my father was in a reserved occupation as a steel worker at Edgar Allans on the cliffe and was also in the home guard helping man a gun emplacement on parkwood springs as part of his duties no mention of a statue for these blokes !

[harvey19 541]

My father was a Captain with the R A O C he and his brother were at Dunkirk, got home safely. My mother was a Sister with the Q A R A N C, I recently had all their medals mounted. Sad part of all, is, military these days are encouraged to speak about what they see and hear, my parents didn't, like most of that generation, so I know little of what they did. The older I get the more I want to know........

 

You can obtain a persons service records from the armys historical records dept.. at Glasgow. Price £30.

You can also obtain a copy of the units war diary from the National Archives.

[bridget143 10]

Telegraphy, tank commander, Indain army Major, evacuee... lots of different things

[sand_dollars 10]

Ian,

 

of course we are interested!!!!

 

It's all part of our heritage, the people who sacrificed their youth...

 

http://www.hms.vengeance.btinternet.co.uk/remembrance.htm

 

we have a lot to be grateful for, toward those of our parents' and grandparents' generations, who made the sacrifices during conflicts and wars, including the 1st and 2nd WW's the conflicts in the middle east and korea etc, during the fifties and early sixties. As well as the Falklands, and the gulf-wars.. (and to a lesser extent, the spanish civil war)

 

I try to make a point of attending the Remembrance Day ceremonies by the City Hall, when I can make it (work, and health permitting) to pay my respects to the "fallen".

 

"For our tomorrows, they gave their today"

PT

 

Very good quote

Edited March 29, 2012 by sand_dollars

[harvey19 541]

Reading this thread I was surprised by how many men in Sheffield were in protected jobs in the steel industry. The way history is presented to us is that women took all the factory jobs to free up men for the armed forces.

 

It seems the story of protected jobs is untold.

 

I think it was 1941 or 1942 the government decided that if a soldier was no longer fit for active service but had a trade which was in short supply they could be discharged to use their trade in civvy street to enhance the war effort.

[denlin 12]

My Uncle Cliff was in Navy and was out in Middle East where the temperatures were scorching and he hadn't seen snow for 4 years when he got back here it had just gone - bet he wouldn't be glad to see it now if he were still here bless him :hihi:

[Amyvictoria 10]

On my paternal side both Grandparents were too young to serve in WW2. However, my Paternal Grandmother was born in Aden (Yeman) as her family were a military family stationed there at the time. I do not know what her father’s role was during WW1 or WW2.

 

On the Maternal side my Grandmother was a teenager during the WW2. She lived near Barnsley and talked about watching the bombs falling on Sheffield. My Grandmother seems to have spent most of the war going to dances to dance with foreign soldiers stationed here. Apparently, there was a very special Canadian but we do not know why they ended their relationship. Her father was a miner and so in a reserved occupation.

 

My Grandfather was in the RAF and stationed in Harare in Zimbabwe fixing aeroplanes. There were a lot to fix as this is one of the places that pilots were trained. It does not seem like he was in any danger but did not see his family for about 7 years as it was too far to travel on leave. He sent most of his pay home to his mother and sister as his father had died years before. When he talks about his war years he always talks about the Jewish families in Harare that took him and other Jewish service men in on a Friday night so they could have a proper Sabbath meal. My Grandfather says that the first time he ate bacon was when he joined up. At the time you ate what you were given as there wasn’t anything else.

 

He met my Grandmother after the war. Before the war my grandfather managed a carpet several carpet shops but he did not have job after the war and set up his own market stall. His Uncle served in the army in WW1 and was posted to Ireland. We have not been able to find out much about his service.

[robbert69 10]

My mum found some of her dads documents relating to his service with the army during the war including his diary. It is really interesting, its got his application form, his discharge papers and a letter confirming a service medal.

It got me interested in what other forum members' relatives did during the war.

 

My mums dad was in the army before the war started. He joined up in 1936 and was stationed in India when war broke out. He served in the Burma campaign and in Singapore though thankfully he wasn't captured when Singapore fell. He was demobbed in 1948 after helping to rebuild Germany and serving in Berlin during the Berlin airlift. He died when I was only 3, my only memory of him is of him bouncing me on his knee. I really wish he'd have lived longer so that I could have asked him more.

 

He had two half brothers who were also in the army. One of them was killed on D-Day and the other missed D-Day because he was in hospital suffering from pneumonia.

 

My dads dad was too old to serve during the war though he did join the ARP. He went out during every night of the Sheffield blitz in the Darnall and Attercliffe areas. These were 2 of the most bombed areas of the city so it was a very dangerous job. He worked as a taxi driver during the day and went out at night as an ARP, something I can't imagine doing. He did serve during WWI though and was wounded in the battle of the somme. He died when my dad was just 13, so obviously I never knew him. I really wish I did though.

 

It makes me feel really humble to think that my grandads were involved in such a thing as the two world wars and I really wish that I knew them. But I make up for it every year on rememberance day.

 

thumbs up to a true Sheffielder.. my granddad was in the engineers and a cook on me mams side me dads dad was in the d day landing he so lots of is close mates get killed there

allot of my family members got killed in the second world war it Nealy wipe the family name out in england but the numbers are increasing again slowly

one more thing we never starved chrisms time me grate granddad did have a small farm in Attercliffe so we always got meet on the table

Edited April 1, 2012 by robbert69

[AndreaS74 0]

On 20/03/2012 at 14:22, stevenorfolk said:

My Uncle Charles was a sailor on HMS Barham he was 21 yrs old when he died in 1941, his ship was hit by 3 torpedoes from a German U boat.

As the ship rolled over to port, her magazines exploded and the ship quickly sank, the total loss of life was 862 crewmen.

My great uncle Frank was on the Barham. He was 22 when he died.

[mikeG 16]

My Uncle was a rear gunner in a Sunderland Flying Boat protecting Atlantic convoys. He managed 3 years without any mishaps.

[lobster 54]

On 11/02/2012 at 11:38, Nagel said:

Reading this thread I was surprised by how many men in Sheffield were in protected jobs in the steel industry. The way history is presented to us is that women took all the factory jobs to free up men for the armed forces.

 

It seems the story of protected jobs is untold.

To go back even further,  that is why the " Sheffield Pals " were different from other Pals battalions in WW1. They were more clerical workers and university based . Many specialist steel workers and machinists could not be replaced by women

My grandfather although in the T A before WW1 was a specialist  knife maker and not allowed to go , My father was a Sgt in the Airborne Artillery and fought in Burma