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In my ignorance as a youngster, I didn’t take much notice of what had happened in the two world wars.
Now I’m fascinated by it, by how the troops lived, what they had to go through and what they had to do - and in many cases, not much older than my 17 year old daughter.
Good question, my Father in Law had his 104th birthday yesterday & although not the oldest WW2 veteran he must be getting close now. Poor old boy had Covid last year & the staff at Uvedale Hall in Needham Market need a medal for looking after him (& the others) that came through it. Morale is , just keep remembering them please.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 20:34 - Nov 10 with 3465 views
I subscribe to several WW2 Veterans channels on YouTube and Facebook, which regularly post about veterans' birthdays etc (and sadly, their deaths).
I find it incredible and fascinating simply to consider the fact that there are still people alive who fought, served, and simply lived during WW2, when Europe and the world was so different, and events such as the Holocaust were taking police.
I am particularly a huge D-Day fanatic, and often use 6/6/1944 as a reference for other peoples' ages. For example if I see an elderly patient at work, I'll think 'This person was 12 when the Allies were jumping out of planes over Normandy and landing on the beaches'.
Sadly, other than my Grandfather who died over 20 years ago (he had a very interesting WW2 story which I found out in future years), I don't think I've ever met anyone who served.
I must get out to Normandy during the annual D-Day commemorations and shake the hand of a hero, before it is too late.
This suddenly made me feel old on 19:02 - Nov 10 by ITFC_Forever
In my ignorance as a youngster, I didn’t take much notice of what had happened in the two world wars.
Now I’m fascinated by it, by how the troops lived, what they had to go through and what they had to do - and in many cases, not much older than my 17 year old daughter.
I was sorting through some stuff from the loft the other day, and found my dad's diary from 1943. Sadly it isn't a day-by-day account of life - mainly just notes of when he received or sent airgraphs (airmail letter I assume).
What it does add to the family history is where in Canada dad was stationed (Gunanoque Airfield near Ottawa, a RAF/RCAF training base), and his younger brother's army number, which will help us trace his army records.
This suddenly made me feel old on 21:07 - Nov 10 by jontysnut
Yes. I had teachers who had fought in WW2. Somehow they weren't troubled by a bunch of lippy 14 year olds.
There might still be some veterans from Korea who could do with some recognition.
I can think of 3-4 teachers at both Primary and Secondary school who I've subsequently realised had what would now be recognised as PTSD. One I know had been in a Jap POW camp, another at Dunkirk, and another had found a cave full of Italian civilians short by the SS in a reprisal for a partisan attack on German troops.
As a young child on school holidays I was dragged to the local OAPs home with my mum to help her push the tuck shop trolley around the residents - something she done on an occasional basis for the WVS. I hated doing it as most were blind, deaf or both and were hard work for a young child to deal with, but some had stories to tell from the Great War (and maybe from before that) which got explained to me on the way home. The thing I remember more than anything else is how upbeat they were, how lucky they felt to have made old bones and enjoyed a full life - something that most of us (let alone a 7 year old) take for granted of if we are honest.
On reflection all those years later I also consider myself lucky, lucky to have met and shared some of their experiences from a very different time.
My own Grandfather was the gentlest soul I ever knew, liked by everybody he came into contact with even though he could talk the hind legs off a donkey. Only about 5'4" and a small build I could never ever imagine him having an aggresive thought in his head.
He spent his service time during the war training in Ireland before finding himself on beaches in Normandy, later spent a night laying in a field in France nursing a stomach wound, alone. Very few of those he travelled with came back.
When I learned this as an older child it made me realise what many of those humble and polite older people, who I thought were probably a bit crusty back then had actually gone through.
No idea when I began here, was a very long time ago. Previously known as Spirit_of_81. Love cheese, hate the colour of it, this is why it requires some blue in it.
I left Sudbury Upper School in 1983. At the last assembly, they announced the retirement of Mr Young, our maths teacher. He was deaf in one ear, had no control of us and his classes were chaos because in hindsight we were appallingly behaved.
They did a 'This Is Your Life' thing for him.
He'd been a navigator in Mosquito Pathfinders...
Flying an unarmed wooden aircraft over Germany, dropping flares.
I'm 55 now and still shrivel in shame whenever I think of the way we treated this man who did something I'd never have the cojones to.
And at 16 years old I wasn't man enough to apologise to him.
This suddenly made me feel old on 21:11 - Nov 10 by factual_blue
I can think of 3-4 teachers at both Primary and Secondary school who I've subsequently realised had what would now be recognised as PTSD. One I know had been in a Jap POW camp, another at Dunkirk, and another had found a cave full of Italian civilians short by the SS in a reprisal for a partisan attack on German troops.
As a child I always found the man who lived next door a very odd person. It wasn't until well into my teens that it was explained to me that he had survived a Japanese POW camp during the war and was still severely traumatized as a result some 20 years later.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 15:07 - Nov 11 with 2611 views
This suddenly made me feel old on 21:11 - Nov 10 by factual_blue
I can think of 3-4 teachers at both Primary and Secondary school who I've subsequently realised had what would now be recognised as PTSD. One I know had been in a Jap POW camp, another at Dunkirk, and another had found a cave full of Italian civilians short by the SS in a reprisal for a partisan attack on German troops.
"jap"? Really? Dont think that's really an acceptable term to use.
"A+++++", "Great Comms, would recommend", "Thank you, the 12 inch black mamba is just perfect" - Ebay.
This suddenly made me feel old on 20:34 - Nov 10 by ThisIsMyUsername
I subscribe to several WW2 Veterans channels on YouTube and Facebook, which regularly post about veterans' birthdays etc (and sadly, their deaths).
I find it incredible and fascinating simply to consider the fact that there are still people alive who fought, served, and simply lived during WW2, when Europe and the world was so different, and events such as the Holocaust were taking police.
I am particularly a huge D-Day fanatic, and often use 6/6/1944 as a reference for other peoples' ages. For example if I see an elderly patient at work, I'll think 'This person was 12 when the Allies were jumping out of planes over Normandy and landing on the beaches'.
Sadly, other than my Grandfather who died over 20 years ago (he had a very interesting WW2 story which I found out in future years), I don't think I've ever met anyone who served.
I must get out to Normandy during the annual D-Day commemorations and shake the hand of a hero, before it is too late.
It is so sad that the WW2 generation is passing. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of them over the decades including at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday for a good few years.
One veteran I knew well was my father in law. He was a DDay veteran who served on a Fairmile B Motor Launch (ML) that led landing craft into Gold Beach on 6th June. As RNVR officer, he was on ‘the little ships’ from early 1943 (an ugly up close and personal war) and after DDay took command of an ML and sailed it down to the Far East to fight the Japanese - which he duly did. His service ended at the end of 1946.
He was a kind, quiet, generous man and while I was always open to discussing his experiences, he never did. It was all too difficult for him - perfectly understandable. We do have the White Ensign from his DDay. ML It’s shot in half, tattered, black with smoke, smelling of the stuff and of cordite. It still has its halyards and will one day go to a museum.
My grandfather volunteered as part of Kitchener’s army in early 1915. He was recruited in Norwich and served in the Royal Engineers in Field Company 208 (Norfolk) and was present on 1 July 1916 in the worst possible place. He war took him to various awful places including the Battle of Arras, but not in Belgium strangely. He was wounded by shrapnel and shell shock in 1917 at a place called Cologne Farm and invalided out of the army in April 1918.
I never met him. He died in the early 1950s young and my mum could never get much info out of him. ‘You can never understand’ was all he could say. His brother served as a fitter in the RAF and two of his relations died, one at the siege of Kut, the other in 1915 at Loos.
My dad was too young to serve in the war, but it’s fair to say as a teenager he followed it and enjoyed it! He watched the Dornier being shot down by three Hurricanes over Ipswich docks (it crashed on Gippeswyk Park) during the Battle of Britain and was cycling with his friend close to Martlesham when it was attacked at 3pm on 15 August 1940 by Stukas, Bf109s and most devastatingly by Bf110s. My mum, who was slightly older, served in the ATS in 1944/45.
Apologies for the reminiscences. Everybody has relations who served, so many stories that have never been told and some that have and have thankfully been recorded. We should always remember them. It’s important if we are to ever have a chance of avoiding repeating the worst of history’s lessons.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 15:51 - Nov 11 with 2550 views
This suddenly made me feel old on 14:51 - Nov 11 by longtimefan
As a child I always found the man who lived next door a very odd person. It wasn't until well into my teens that it was explained to me that he had survived a Japanese POW camp during the war and was still severely traumatized as a result some 20 years later.
Many years ago at the engineering firm i worked for we had a security guard who had been a Japanese POW. Every time a delegation from Toyota, Mazda etc came to the factory he was sent home as he hated the Japanese so much.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 16:05 - Nov 11 with 2521 views
I vividly remember the literally hundreds of people (we didn't call them veterans in those days) who used to take part in the Mildenhall Armistice Day parade when I was a cub and scout. So sad now that these events are now so small they often don't even close the roads for them. Many more recent vets don't wear poppies or turn out - I suppose there are many reasons but it's noticeable.
It's 106 miles to Portman Road, we've got a full tank of gas, half a round of Port Salut, it's dark... and we're wearing blue tinted sunglasses.
I was born in 1968, so 23 years after the war. So for anyone born today, that's the equivalent of WW2 ending in 1999. Think back to 1999 and how different things may have been now if we were just coming to the end of the most horrific conflict ever seen.
GhostOfEscobar
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This suddenly made me feel old on 18:45 - Nov 11 with 2357 views
A late neighbour served on the Arctic convoys amongst other things. We had a few whiskies and chats together. I wish I could remember more of the stuff he told me, but he would keep filling up my glass! I think he knew how much gratitude and respect he had from his neighbours.
My grandfather trained as a pilot in the WW! but his training was stopped with the end of the war. Those in his position received an honorary second lieutenantship after the war. But even though I knew him well, he never told me about this.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 20:56 - Nov 11 with 2222 views
I heard this on the radio yesterday and couldn’t help thinking they’ve left it a bit late. A last effort to capture the memories of the last few I suppose.
This suddenly made me feel old on 23:39 - Nov 10 by Coastalblue
My own Grandfather was the gentlest soul I ever knew, liked by everybody he came into contact with even though he could talk the hind legs off a donkey. Only about 5'4" and a small build I could never ever imagine him having an aggresive thought in his head.
He spent his service time during the war training in Ireland before finding himself on beaches in Normandy, later spent a night laying in a field in France nursing a stomach wound, alone. Very few of those he travelled with came back.
When I learned this as an older child it made me realise what many of those humble and polite older people, who I thought were probably a bit crusty back then had actually gone through.
Mine flew on the Lancasters. He was a similar gentle soul, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and never had a bad word to say about anyone. He told everyone he was a navigator, but only after he died about 8 yrs ago and we looked into his records did we find out he was a bomb aimer. He couldn’t live with what he’d had to do so buried it. He had lots of stories, but only of training and mess life with his squadron. He never talked about missions. Not once, and he’d spend hours and hours talking to my dad.
He donated his uniform to kids for their bonfire Guy when he got back after the end of the war. I’ve only got his medals because my gran hid them from him for nearly 70 yrs. It annoys me so much when little sh*ts exploit their sacrifice and suffering to make political points (same with poppy fascists too - anyone who knows someone who served knows the feelings are deeply personal and don’t *have* to be shared publicly).
This suddenly made me feel old on 19:16 - Nov 11 by NthQldITFC
A late neighbour served on the Arctic convoys amongst other things. We had a few whiskies and chats together. I wish I could remember more of the stuff he told me, but he would keep filling up my glass! I think he knew how much gratitude and respect he had from his neighbours.
Churchill said that the men on the Arctic convoys were 'the bravest of the brave'. My father-in-law was one of those men. We still have his Arctic Star medal.
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This suddenly made me feel old on 21:48 - Nov 11 with 2145 views
This suddenly made me feel old on 21:43 - Nov 11 by solemio
Churchill said that the men on the Arctic convoys were 'the bravest of the brave'. My father-in-law was one of those men. We still have his Arctic Star medal.
My great grandad was on the Iron Duke at the Battle of Jutland in WWI. At least he didn’t have u boats to deal with, but massive respect to anyone serving on the ships especially in northern waters where going in the drink was effectively a death sentence. I’ve still got a piece of teak from the Iron Duke he was given when he left the ship.
Console yourself with the thought that the UK had been in armed conflict with some one for every year since 1945 bar one. So those old soldiers will be around for some time yet
And even now we are proudly and determinedly fighting Russia to the last Ukranian.
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