D Day 80th anniversary.
- Thread starter Beebo
- Start date
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Accy cyclist
Legendary Member
- Location
- The hills of Accrington
My grandma (dad's mum) came over to England from Germany with her parents in 1904, aged 4. Her dad was a ' 'tackler'/cotton loom mechanic, apparently in short supply here, so they imported some from Germany who knew those particular looms. She never mentioned the 2 world wars to us, or to anyone else, as far as I know. I know she had cousins 'back home' in Germany who were involved in both world wars, after my late dad did some research after she died in 1984. I bought (and read) this book from a donate to a charity bookshelf in a local supermarket.
The German conscripts were just as terrified that day as the allied conscripts.
The German conscripts were just as terrified that day as the allied conscripts.
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My Dad was in prison as a C O. That must have taken courage in its own way for the abuse he got.
My wife's Dad (who I really loved) fought in Burma. He was wounded twice then capture by the Japanese but was freed by USA troops.
He rarely spoke about the war.
My wife's Dad (who I really loved) fought in Burma. He was wounded twice then capture by the Japanese but was freed by USA troops.
He rarely spoke about the war.
Time Waster
Veteran
I liked the way it was more than the guys taking the bullets. Bear in mind it was a war effort and everyone was part of it.
Another point, there is a focus on D-day and possibly a few big battles. You know there's a lot of heroes forgotten in other events in the war. For example a great uncle of mine was royal marine non com. During a battle where the Germans overrun a Mediterranean island the non commissioned led the fighting retreat to allow the officers and private soldiers to get off. They fought to their last bullets then surrendered. My great uncle spent the rest of the war in a German PoW camp where he was starved nearly to death. As a kid I remember him as always having stomach issues once needing a length of his intestines to be removed. He was told that was a consequence of his starvation in the PoW camp.
What about the soldiers who fought to allow the evacuation at Dunkirk? Everyone knows about the flotilla of small boats but what about those fighting to give time? Nothing!
What about those who were not allowed to fight in the armed forces? My grandad was a train driver so wasn't allowed to serve that way. He drove the trains taking goods from Southampton to London. Without him London would starve and not be able to operate. His was a prime target. Train engines were the target. He'd often have to drive past blown up engines knowing that could be him and that he might have lost another friend in the smoking wreck.
I had one conversation on his war service, it was service, and I could tell he had seen things. A proud man who never got upset but his voice couldn't lie. I never continued or talked about it again.
My other grandad was in the American army. He was due to be in second wave of D-day but was held back. It's birthday was d-day as it happens so kind of not exactly a normal date. He served as an MP in the end.
Without train drivers there's no d-day, without miners there's no coal for trains, heating, electricity generation or steel for weapons.
There's so many such stories but we never hear about them. We need to hear about it all, recognise it all!
I still think my favourite war story is of that religious, pacifist who fought to serve in the US army as a medic. On a battle for a Japanese controlled hill he spent a night alone dodging Japanese soldiers to save us soldiers lives. There was a film made about it. He never held a gun through the whole period. His fight started at home in training to get through training without holding a gun. A brave man of conscience. We should not forget them all!
Another point, there is a focus on D-day and possibly a few big battles. You know there's a lot of heroes forgotten in other events in the war. For example a great uncle of mine was royal marine non com. During a battle where the Germans overrun a Mediterranean island the non commissioned led the fighting retreat to allow the officers and private soldiers to get off. They fought to their last bullets then surrendered. My great uncle spent the rest of the war in a German PoW camp where he was starved nearly to death. As a kid I remember him as always having stomach issues once needing a length of his intestines to be removed. He was told that was a consequence of his starvation in the PoW camp.
What about the soldiers who fought to allow the evacuation at Dunkirk? Everyone knows about the flotilla of small boats but what about those fighting to give time? Nothing!
What about those who were not allowed to fight in the armed forces? My grandad was a train driver so wasn't allowed to serve that way. He drove the trains taking goods from Southampton to London. Without him London would starve and not be able to operate. His was a prime target. Train engines were the target. He'd often have to drive past blown up engines knowing that could be him and that he might have lost another friend in the smoking wreck.
I had one conversation on his war service, it was service, and I could tell he had seen things. A proud man who never got upset but his voice couldn't lie. I never continued or talked about it again.
My other grandad was in the American army. He was due to be in second wave of D-day but was held back. It's birthday was d-day as it happens so kind of not exactly a normal date. He served as an MP in the end.
Without train drivers there's no d-day, without miners there's no coal for trains, heating, electricity generation or steel for weapons.
There's so many such stories but we never hear about them. We need to hear about it all, recognise it all!
I still think my favourite war story is of that religious, pacifist who fought to serve in the US army as a medic. On a battle for a Japanese controlled hill he spent a night alone dodging Japanese soldiers to save us soldiers lives. There was a film made about it. He never held a gun through the whole period. His fight started at home in training to get through training without holding a gun. A brave man of conscience. We should not forget them all!
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
My ex's mother was Austrian - when we watched a war film or documentary with her she would make comments about the war - she was quite young but mostly remembered having to live in a cave in the mountains "because of soldiers"
The men would go down to the house every few days to check it was OK and try to get some food etc - obviously most men were called up so it was her grandfather and his generation plus the young boys that went
Note - soldiers - not Russian or German - any soldiers were seen as a threat
WHen she talked about her brother you had to remember that his war experience was on the "other side" - I think he was somewhere in France some of the time but he seemed to have spent most of his time trying to stay away from any fighting
I suspect a lot did on both sides!
matticus
Guru
This is why we have Armistice Day. People have died in a hundred conflicts since 1918, we can't have anniversary ceremonies for all of them.
So it's good to have an annual moment of remembrance. We can spend that time thinking of those with special meaning to us, if we so choose.
Decent book that, I read it not so long ago.
Time Waster
Veteran
Armistice day was to remember those in the great war, since expanded to all lost in wars. However my point isn't about this. It's about the way we have major remembrance events for singular events in WWII, D-day is the biggest of those events.
We focus on those involved in those singular events. Have you ever seen those dignitaries turn up at Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June to make as big as event about the fighting withdrawal and evacuation?
I would prefer having big, international gatherings like yesterday to celebrate the whole effort. That's not to denigrate any one's actions in those days just that I believe we need to focus on the whole generation and what they all did. Truly the greatest generation!
matticus
Guru
I do have sympathy for your point, but how many days a year (every year) do you want devoted to these gatherings and memorials?
Life needs to go on.
Life needs to go on.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
The problem is life isn't just going on, it's in danger of going full circle with Russia's antics.
The dual dangers are that we'll both forget the lessons of the past, and will in turn fail to prepare for the future. Chamberlain did this in the lead up to WWII, having already forgotten the relatively recent example of WWI.
And as a nation we're in danger of doing so yet again. Look at rhe criticism the government got from their (rather half arsed) talk of national service, most of the derision coming from folk who'd never worn a uniform themselves, and we're sleepwalking towards it once more. While our politicians and pundits are bickering and scoring puerile campaign points off each other Germany are having serious talks about emergency preparedness, food supplies resilience, public bomb shelters, reintroducing national service and having conscription laws on stand-by in case conflict becomes imminent. They're getting stuff done, because they've had 80 years of constant threat from the East and they very much haven't forgotten. For them it's not simply history.
Vigilance is the price of lasting peace, and the longer we remember the lessons of the past the more inclined we may be to not repeat the errors. We may be paying lip service to remembrance, but far too many have already forgotten the real lesson.
The dual dangers are that we'll both forget the lessons of the past, and will in turn fail to prepare for the future. Chamberlain did this in the lead up to WWII, having already forgotten the relatively recent example of WWI.
And as a nation we're in danger of doing so yet again. Look at rhe criticism the government got from their (rather half arsed) talk of national service, most of the derision coming from folk who'd never worn a uniform themselves, and we're sleepwalking towards it once more. While our politicians and pundits are bickering and scoring puerile campaign points off each other Germany are having serious talks about emergency preparedness, food supplies resilience, public bomb shelters, reintroducing national service and having conscription laws on stand-by in case conflict becomes imminent. They're getting stuff done, because they've had 80 years of constant threat from the East and they very much haven't forgotten. For them it's not simply history.
Vigilance is the price of lasting peace, and the longer we remember the lessons of the past the more inclined we may be to not repeat the errors. We may be paying lip service to remembrance, but far too many have already forgotten the real lesson.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Well - SUnak turned up yesterday
then f*****d off
he has no apologised but, watching it, it looks like the sort of apology a naughty schoolboy would do if he was caught doing a bad thing
I no not believe he actually understands WHY this is a big thing - just that it is
then f*****d off
he has no apologised but, watching it, it looks like the sort of apology a naughty schoolboy would do if he was caught doing a bad thing
I no not believe he actually understands WHY this is a big thing - just that it is
DRM
Guru
- Location
- West Yorks
The point being at milestone years like this they mention one thing, yet forget all about others, no need to be recognising it every year of course, for example during the WW1 Centenary Events, it was all Belgium, Northern France & mud filled trenches, yet at no point did the campaign from Egypt through to Palestine get a mention, nor that the poor sods who fought there had survived Gallipoli, not even a mention of it in history at school, the only reason I came across this was after discovering a relative with the ANZAC's was killed in Palestine in 1918, and a bit more digging brought out the whole story, these people have been totally forgotten about by history
Time Waster
Veteran
If you're going to have one make it cover them all and all who served not just the one event or the people who did the big name battles..
My mum's first husband was on Gold Beach on D-Day. Survived. But was killed by a sniper at Arnham in October.
I would not exist but for that snipers bullet.
