My grandparents were young enough that they never had to fight in WW2 but it would be incredibly interesting to have a grandparent like that who had. On my dad's side they were both born in the late 30s so would have been young children during WW2. However, my grandfather on my mom's side was born in the late 20s, so he would have been a late teen during WW2. I guess he was 16 or 17 by the end of the war, so he just narrowly avoided it. I believe both my maternal grandparents ran away from China to Vietnam during WW2 and later ran from Vietnam to come to Canada during the Vietnam war when my mom and her uncles were teenagers in the late 60s and 70s. Neither my mom or my grandparents ever talk about much that happened before coming to Canada though.
My great uncle was a POW in WW2. He died in the Palawan Massacre. Two great books detailing the brutality of it by survivors, "Last Man Out" and "As Good As Dead". Another great POW tale is "Unbreakable". Reading books like these ought to be a high school requirement. People these days have absolutely zero idea what their ancestors went through so they can complain about everything!
My Grandad was a Signalman on the battle cruiser HMS Repulse. He survived the sinking of the ship in December 1941 and then survived Japanese POW camps from 1942 till 1945. In the camps many were tortured and killed. Also many women were killed and new born children were burnt to death. When the camps were liberated, many men weighed only 5 stone from starvation. Ray Stubbs in his book says, "Forgive but never forget." At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
My Grandfather fought in the Battle of Meteren on the night of July 19th 1918. Such was the ferocity that the warriors surrendered. Pop being only 5'4" fought on bayoneting a big German soldier who as he fell backwards flipped Poppies 303 stock from his hands striking Poppies chin and knocking him out. Later Poppy arm was almost severed by an artillery shell. The battlefield orderly told Poppy that the artery to his hand was still attached so tell the surgeon not to amperage in hand. Both Poppies brothers also fought in France being Alex and Mitchell. Mitchell sat eating his Bully beef with 30 others when a huge German mortar round exploded amongst them. When Mitchell came to everyone else was dead and he alone survived though all his internal digestive tract was now exposed upon his lap. Alex was horrible gassed with Mustard gas. All three man were sending their war pay home the entire time they were posted in France to look after their Dear Mother Rachel Dwyer whom had prayed against all odds that her three beautiful boys return home to her, which they did. However upon their return they were shocked to discover that early on three sisters had conspired and had their Mother Rachel interned into a Mental Hospital on Stradbroke Island and pocket the total wages the three boys had sent for themselves. With this money they later formed "White Lady Funerals" and have been trying to kill me ever since. The End.
Plus… Pop's side of the family hate their guts and I fled to France.
Before I perished like Paul Green NRL Super Coach.
My grandparents were young enough that they never had to fight in WW2 but it would be incredibly interesting to have a grandparent like that who had. On my dad's side they were both born in the late 30s so would have been young children during WW2. However, my grandfather on my mom's side was born in the late 20s, so he would have been a late teen during WW2. I guess he was 16 or 17 by the end of the war, so he just narrowly avoided it. I believe both my maternal grandparents ran away from China to Vietnam during WW2 and later ran from Vietnam to come to Canada during the Vietnam war when my mom and her uncles were teenagers in the late 60s and 70s. Neither my mom or my grandparents ever talk about much that happened before coming to Canada though.
My great uncle was a POW in WW2. He died in the Palawan Massacre. Two great books detailing the brutality of it by survivors, "Last Man Out" and "As Good As Dead". Another great POW tale is "Unbreakable". Reading books like these ought to be a high school requirement. People these days have absolutely zero idea what their ancestors went through so they can complain about everything!
I’m in Cleveland What restaurant ?
My Grandad was a Signalman on the battle cruiser HMS Repulse. He survived the sinking of the ship in December 1941 and then survived Japanese POW camps from 1942 till 1945. In the camps many were tortured and killed. Also many women were killed and new born children were burnt to death. When the camps were liberated, many men weighed only 5 stone from starvation. Ray Stubbs in his book says, "Forgive but never forget." At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
My Grandfather fought in the Battle of Meteren on the night of July 19th 1918. Such was the ferocity that the warriors surrendered. Pop being only 5'4" fought on bayoneting a big German soldier who as he fell backwards flipped Poppies 303 stock from his hands striking Poppies chin and knocking him out. Later Poppy arm was almost severed by an artillery shell. The battlefield orderly told Poppy that the artery to his hand was still attached so tell the surgeon not to amperage in hand.
Both Poppies brothers also fought in France being Alex and Mitchell.
Mitchell sat eating his Bully beef with 30 others when a huge German mortar round exploded amongst them. When Mitchell came to everyone else was dead and he alone survived though all his internal digestive tract was now exposed upon his lap.
Alex was horrible gassed with Mustard gas.
All three man were sending their war pay home the entire time they were posted in France to look after their Dear Mother Rachel Dwyer whom had prayed against all odds that her three beautiful boys return home to her, which they did.
However upon their return they were shocked to discover that early on three sisters had conspired and had their Mother Rachel interned into a Mental Hospital on Stradbroke Island and pocket the total wages the three boys had sent for themselves.
With this money they later formed "White Lady Funerals" and have been trying to kill me ever since.
The End.
Plus… Pop's side of the family hate their guts and I fled to France.
Before I perished like Paul Green NRL Super Coach.