Did any of your family serve during WW2; if so what did they do?

I thought it might be a good idea, now we have the facilitity to post photos etc to place on this part of the site details of our WW2 Ancestors - I am sure we would all be keen to know more about what started our interest in WW2 and for many it is a family connection. I will start below...

 

My father, Bdr Bertie Samuel Reed, served with the Royal Artillery in WW2. After training he was posted to 22nd Battery, 24th Field Regiment RA in North Africa. He went with them to Italy, and took part in the landings at Anzio. He then went on to Rome, being one of the first British soldiers in the city, and moved to the Adriatic Coast to take part in the fighting on the Gothic Line in September 1944. He fought his last battle in Italy on the Po River in April 1945, before being sent to another RA unit in India, to prepare for the invasion of Japan. The A-Bomb ended the need for all this, so he stayed at the RA School of Instruction in India until demobbed.

Below is a photo of him in 1945.

 

I don't know a lot just yet...

Currently investigating service records etc of both grand-fathers mentioned in my signature.

Here is another one of Frank, maybe one day I will also know where this might have been taken.

 

My lot. My Dad, Robert, was in 2nd Scots Guards, invalided out, joined the AFS for the rest of the war.
Uncle John, Canadian Navy, Uncle Willie, was at Vimy Ridge in WW1 and then was CQMS in Canadian Army WW2, Aunt Irene was in ATS, Aunt Margaret was Chaplain in the WRAF.
Aye
MalcolmII

 

Mother's brothers Richard in RAF, servicing Hurri-bombers in N Africa then Greece.
Tom, survived Dunkirk, N Africa then Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece.
Aye
MalcolmII

 

My Grandfather (on the far left) served in the Army prior to the outbreak of WW1. He was discharged in July 1914. In 1918 he joined the RAF, with whom he served until 1921.

During WW2 he was part of an aircraft recovery/salvage team which I believe was a civilian outfit. He worked for the transport group LEP until his death in 1948 from meningitis.

PAUL JOHNSON :ph34r:

 

My Great Uncle, Frederick Arthur Lowry was a Merchant Seaman during WW1 and was torpedoed at least once. At the outbreak of WW2 he became a member ofthe ARP. In the photo (from a national newspaper) you can his face in the top left hand corner of the picture. On the 18th October he was killed when a German landmine exploded in Grundy Street, Poplar, East London. It is believed that his body was not recovered until 2 weeks later when it was found on top of a local cinema.

PAUL JOHNSON :ph34r:

 

Both grandparents were war veterans.

Captain William A. Jolly, MC (1894-1968). Served as staff officer in the British Army from 1914-1918 as translator, adjutant, communications officer, etc. But he saw action with West Yorkshire 10th battalion on July 1st 1916 at the Somme, where the battalion had 700 men killed.

His son, Philip W. Jolly (1927-) was a sailor in the US Navy during the Korean War and was severely wounded.

And my other grandfather, Gottfried von Hammerstein und Hartmann (1916-) was a lieutenant colonel in the German Army during WWII, as well as a sniper and multi-rôle officer. He was personal secretary and adjutant of colonel general Fedor von Bock during the invasion of Czechoslovakia and then saw action in Poland, Holland, Belgium, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, North Africa, Italy and the Soviet Union. He then commanded a 'regiment' during the Battle of Berlin.

 

My Fathers "Uncle Charlie" (Wells).

born in Aston Birmingham,20.03.20
enlisted in Birmingham,21.03.1938

joined the Royal Artillery (battalion unknown at moment)
service no.880035

Service:- Home 21.03.38 to 03.07.39
India 04.07.39 to 23.11.41
Malaya 24.11.41 to 14.02.42
POW (Japan) 15.02.42 to 17.11.45
Home 18.11.45 to 08.06.46

He was known to have been in the US recuperating after been liberated by American Forces and transported to the US aboard USS TRYON.His period spent in the US is included,on his service record as time spent as a POW.

Discharged at Foots Cray,Sidcup Kent on 15.06.1946,as permantly unfit for any form of military service after 8 years and 80 days with colours.

He married the youngest daughter of My Great Grandfather,who died on 21.03.1915 in France while serving with the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Died mid 1980's,a gentleman to the end,(having never eaten rice again,since his release as a POW).

The attatched picture is of Charlie on the Bren Gun during practice,during a lighter moment in Malaya.

Steven

 

Paul - Again, mate, you've come up with another good idea!

Ok, not a lot known at the moment but here you are:

Percy Bradbury was my great-uncle. He lived in Southall, Middlesex but ended up in the 5th Bn the Suffolk Regiment.
Sometime after training he ended up on the USS Wakefield, and in a convey headed towards India but his ship, and one other, ended up at Singapore.
Whilst working on the 'Death Railway' he succumbed to sickness through mistreatment and died.

The rest, at the moment is unknown to me. I have tried to find out if anyone from the Far East Prisoner of War Association could remember Percy, but I've drawn a blank

Rightly or wrongly my family, to this day, have never forgiven the Japanese for the way they treated their prisoners.

 

My dad John (Jack) Hone was born in Small Heath Birmingham on September 30th 1923. Called up in 1942 he served on an ack-ack battery at Gravesend before being transferred to 1st Battalion The Northamptonshire Regiment. He saw action in Burma from October 1944 to March 1945, including the crossings of the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers and the battles of Monywa, Budalin and Mount Popa. He eventually came home from the Far East in 1947. He now lives in retirement in Bury, Lancashire opposite me!
The photo was taken in Visapur, India in October 1945

 

This is Andrew Lee, my maternal grandfather's cousin.

He was commissioned on the 21st November 1941 in Bangalore, India.

His shoulder badge states '16 Punjab' and 'Airborne'; so I presume he was in gliders or such like.

 

This is my great-uncle Stanley Peppiatt. Stan served in the 13/18th Hussars and in the Wiltshire Yeomanry.

He was a Tanky in North Africa (with, I believe, the WYs) when he won the Military Medal. I have been told he had driven a truck into a minefield to rescue some injured soldiers.

After Africa he went onto fight at Monte Cassino, he died in 1995 at his home in Southall.

 

Some great photos here everyone - just what I was hoping you would all do!

Lee you have some interesting WW2 ancestors! Am hoping Bepposappone will see these - as he is an expert on WW2 insignia and will no doubt comment.

 

Originally posted by Lee@Mar 5 2004, 02:34 PM

Percy Bradbury was my great-uncle. He lived in Southall, Middlesex but ended up in the 5th Bn the Suffolk Regiment.
Sometime after training he ended up on the USS Wakefield, and in a convey headed towards India but his ship, and one other, ended up at Singapore.
Whilst working on the 'Death Railway' he succumbed to sickness through mistreatment and died.


Hi Lee.
As you can see I have jumped the fence as well.
I intend to go to Thailand to visit the cemetaries sometime while I live in the area.
Do you want a picture of the grave?
John.

 

Originally posted by Paul Reed@Mar 6 2004, 03:32 PM
Lee you have some interesting WW2 ancestors!
Paul - Thanks for the comments mate.
I've told this story on the GWDF in the past, but I'll bore everyone with it again!

One of my maternal nan's brothers, Alec Farmer, joined the RN in WW2. He was assigned to a ship, and when he took his first look at it he told his mate that it was a doomed ship and promptly went home.
He was nicked and taken back to the ship, but ended up back at home when he walked out of the Guard Room when he was being booked in!
He was nicked again and placed in custody for a few months and his ship sailed without him. The ships' name? HMS Hood!

 

Originally posted by Raster Scanning@Mar 7 2004, 02:56 AM
Hi Lee.
As you can see I have jumped the fence as well.
I intend to go to Thailand to visit the cemetaries sometime while I live in the area.
Do you want a picture of the grave?
John.
John - Thanks very much mate, it would mean a lot to my dad as well as me.
Percy is in Collective Grave 1.P. 54-58.

There is no way that I'll be able to afford to get out there (unless the Benefit Office pay my travelling expenses ), and to date none of my family have been there.

I'll contact you off Forum.

 

Originally posted by Paul Reed@Mar 6 2004, 03:32 PM
Lee you have some interesting WW2 ancestors!
Paul - I was talking with my mum last night and she told me that she has a newspaper cutting about the Lee brothers.
Apparently, apart from Andy, there was one brother in the British Army, one in the RAF, one in the RN and one in the MN!

And if anyone is thinking that I was named Lee in honour of my grandfather's cousins...No, I wasn't. Actually the Dean and Lee families didn't get on

 

Another one I know so very little about!
This is my uncle (my dad's older brother) George William Bradbury. He served in the Buffs, joining up late in the war; this picture was taken in around 1944.
The man on the right is George's best mate, Peter Withy, just before he too joined the Army.

George was recommended for Officer training but one of the requirements was that he had to have his own bank account (with, I think, £50 in it); he didn't have a bank account and told the Army what to do with their idea.
He ended up as an instructor and only got abroad after the war to serve in Palestine.

He went on to work at Heathrow Airport and lived in Hayes, Middlesex; he died tragically last year.

 

Originally posted by Lee@Mar 6 2004, 10:19 AM
He was commissioned on the 21st November 1941 in Bangalore, India.

His shoulder badge states '16 Punjab', any idea what they were (Paras I presume).


Lee,
Looks like he was in the following.

44th Indian Airborne Division, badge was pale blue Pegasus and legend INDIA on Maroon background.
In this Division were 14th Indian Airlanding Brigade with 2nd Black Watch, 2nd King's Own , 6/16th Punjabi and 4/6th Rajputna Rifles.
The Division was formed June 1944 from the nucleus of the 21st Indian Division from Assam.
Before the Airborne he could have been in any one of the 8 Battalions which were 1/16th to 7/16th or 9/16th Punjabi.
Aye
Malcolm