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

My father served with the Royal Artillery from 1938 until 1958. He was with the 6 AGRA, North Africa, and Italy 1943 till 1945. Injured in France on his first posting in May 1940, then attached after recovery to the 2 medium regt, B Battery, for the remainder of the war. Was at Cassino and was injured 3 days before the war ended in Verona in 1945.
His career took him to Germany where he served with the newly formed 40th Field Regiment, 129 Battery, in Dortmund, my mothers brother W P Carthy was also with the same regiment, dad came back to England to complete exams for his AIG course, serving in Tenby Pembrokeshire, WP Carthy remained in Germany but attached to the RHA Chestnut Troop.
My dad was George Graham affectionately known as Smiler, but I don't think for obvious reasons......................Others with him were Charlie Grant, Badger Ladd, Major Babbington, Major McClean................
WP Carthy was attached to the 19th Field Regt, at Longstop Hill, Africa and landings on Anzio Beach, he was also at Dunkirk, after the war he became an RSM in the RHA Chestnut Troop, is now a member of St Dunstan having lost sight, and two amputations since retiring from the army.
Dad's best pal through the war was Tommy Cain from Liverpool, have two photographs of them together, one in Damascus, and one in Italy.
After the war dad signed on as a regular and we joined him in Italy as a family, my first school being in Venice, stayed in a millioniares hotel with private beach etc., think that was in Treviso - many photographs from there.

My father passed on in 2002, but my uncle is still alive and lives in Gloucester.

Nice to know if anyone out there remembers them, or the children they had.
Wanted to post photograph of Battalion at Camp 7 Dortmund, but I don't know how to...........try another day.

 

My father was engaged to a German before the war and didn't know if he should leave Germany for the UK. However the family told him to go and he only left Germany three days before war broke out. As luck would have it he was one of the first to be called up and declared himself to be a conciensious objector and lived with the issues that this brought up.
This lasted for about 12 months when he became angry with people who were using it to escape the Army not because of their beliefs so he signed up for the Medical Corp. He served with the 8th Army through most of the war ending up as a Regimental Sargent Major.
Towards the end of the war he was sent to the concentration camps to assist with the treatment of the prisioners and as you would expect that had a lasting impression on him. They were bad enough for anyone but he had good memories of Germany and being in the desert had shielded him from the worst examples of Germany's actions.

Interesting coincidence was that when the war ended he was only about 30 miles from where he left Germany, essentially when the war started. He made his way to where his Fiance and the family lived and was delighted to find that they had all survived. She had met and married a German during the war and had a young child. Her husband had been captured when Germany surrendered, her brother had been captured in Italy in 1944 and was a POW. My father looked on the war slightly differently than most and declined any medals.

When I joined up he was very moved, I admit to being a bit nervous as to how he would take it as I was very young.

 

Don't know, Verona, but welcome aboard, and thank you for your family's service to Crown and Country.

 

Just wondering what other peoples fathers/grandfathers or grandmothers did during the war?

My paternal Grandfather was in the Royal West Kents and served through the 1940 campaign before being evacuated at Dunkirk. After the events he witnessed he was in a military hospital for the next two years with severe PTSD. After his release he rejoined his unit and saw action in Italy where he was seriously wounded in a fierce firefight with German Fallschirmjager. Sadly that battle wa to be his last as it left him paralysed from the waist down.

My maternal Grandfather was also in the Royal West Kents, though not at the same time. He saw service in the advance to Germany in 1945 and commanded a 3" mortar section. He also spent time in Berlin after the war where he managed to win several boxing titles in inter-service fights!


My family has had a long history of military service and I just wondered what other peoples family history was like???

 

My maternal grandfather was a dispatch rider in 15th (Scottish) Division and my maternal Grandmother was in Balloon Command around Edinburgh. Not sure about my dad's side.

Ross

 

MY Grandfather served on the HMS Chaser, was one of the first to step foot on Hiroshima after the bomb and took many pictures never seen by anyone.

 

On my dad's side my Granddad was in the Navy (did the Arctic convoys) and my grandmother was in the WRENS. On my mum side both were to young to do anything although both got bombed during the Battle of Britain. My Great Grandfather was a war photography for Time & Life throughout the war and went ashore on Gold beach as well as (we think) being in MI5/6.

 

On my Dad's side, my Grandad was a Flight Engineer in 207 Sqdn RAF and his Wife was a Nurse in London.

My Mum's parents were too young but my Mum's dad served at the Suez Canal in 64 i think while serving in the Royal Signels.

 

My maternal Grandfather has been mentioned in some of my earlier post, as being in the 1st Hertfordshire regiment.

My dad's father was a RFC pilot in WWI, and was therefore grounded in WWII for being too old to fly, but still served in the RAF in a mechanical section (still waiting for his service record - which will hopefully include his WWI service). His wife was an auxillary nurse near Selby, Yorkshire.

Regards
Paul

 

I was a B17 bomber pilot, I flew 50 combat sorties from7/19/43 to 2/14/44. I was based in Tunis N.Africa and Foggia, Italy. I was in the 99th Bomb Group ,348 Sqn
My younger brother and my sisters husband were both in the US Navy during WW2. My Dad was in France in the AEF during WW1

 

My paternal Grandfather was in the 5th Hampshires and was captured in his first engagement at Sidi Nsir, Tunisia on 26th Feb 1943.
He then spent the rest of the War in POW camps in Italy and Germany.
He arrived back in the UK, 6th May 1945.

I have not researched him yet, but my maternal Grandfather was a petty officer in the Royal Navy.

 

My paternal grandfather was in the REME. I believe my great grandfather and possibly a great uncle landed at Gallipoli in WWI. Only found that out after visiting Gallipoli last year so still digging!

Cheers

Andy

 

Aloha Everyone,

My fathers side of the family. Grandfather & great uncle were doughboys in France with the AEF in the Great War. During WWII, one son was a LT in the USAAF (stateside), one landed with the 1st ID on Omaha Beach (had his fingers shot off by an MG-42), another was in the Army SOS. Sisters served in the Red Cross. My father was too young & enlisted in the USN in 1947, served on the USS MISSISSIPPI & then on occupation duty in Eritrea during the Korean Conflict.

Mothers side of the family. They (grandparents and children) escaped from Singapore just ahead of the IJA. They had been managers of the Goodyear rubber plantations in Ceylon and Malaya (Straits Settlements). Uncles served in the USAAF, one was shot down over Ploesti - first a guest of the Romanians, then the Russians in Odessa "awating transport" until 1946 (i.e. hostages). He later died in a B-25 crash in Santa Monica, CA.

Wife's family mostly perished in the Holocaust (Latvian Jewish) though her father as mentioned elsewhere was a USAAF Bombardier (Capt.) flying in Medium (B-25/B-26) & Heavy (B-17/B-24/B-29) bombers. One brother was in the US Army (ETO). Another brother was a LT first in the USAAF (ground) and later as a LT(jg) in the USN during the Korean Conflict serving on the Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42).

Me? I'm a Salvage Sailor who served in the Junk Boat Navy, Cold Warrior (and a tin can sailor too!)

Anchor's Aweigh
Craig

 

I have found out some more:

On my Dad's side, my Grandfather was a Flt Engineer in 207 Sqdn RAF, and his wife was a Nurse. I also have found out that his wife lost some of her brother in the war, but i don't know anything about them except their surname: Slade. My Great-Uncles (William and Reginald) were the founders of the Rootes Car company and produced trucks and armoured vehicles - such as the Humber, which used a Rootes six-cylinder engine. That is all i know so far (remember i'm only 14), but if anyone can find out anything i would be very appricative.

On My Mum's side my Great-Great Uncle Andrew served in the Gordon Highlanders during the 1st world war. Both my Mum's pearents were to young to work in WW2 but my Grandfather was called up for National Service with the Royal Signels. He served at the Suez Canal and was recently awarded his Suez Medal.

 

Dad served first in the Pay Corps (someone had to do it ), reached L/Cpl, then driver in Signals for the rest of the War. Attached photo shows Dad (seated right on cab roof) with his mates outside Venlo Repeaters (telephone exchange) in Holland in '45/'46.

His younger brother was in the RAF - he rejoined after demob, and stayed in till early 1960s. Dunno about his elder brother.

Mum's brothers: Jim, pte in KOYLI, served N. Africa and Italy, where he was KIA 1944. Jack, commando at Hill 170, Burma in '45.

Jim

 

have found out even more:

On my Dad's side, my Grandfather was a Flt Engineer in 207 Sqdn RAF, and his wife - Stella Howe - was a Nurse. She had 3 brothers involved in the war. Gordon Howe served in the Royal Navy at was at Dunkirk. Robert Howe was in the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps). He was captured in Africa at Tebruk. He was sent to work in an Italian hospital. While working their the hospital was bombed by Americans. He died and is beried in Austria i think. John Howe was in the Merchent Navy and was Lost at sea. There was a forth Brother callled Marcus Howe, but i know nothing about him at all, altough i think that he was old enough to serve during the war i have no information about him at all.
. My Great-Uncles (William and Reginald) were the founders of the Rootes Car company and produced trucks and armoured vehicles - such as the Humber, which used a Rootes six-cylinder engine. That is all i know so far (remember i'm only 14), but if anyone can find out anything i would be very appricative.

On My Mum's side my Great-Great Uncle Andrew served in the Gordon Highlanders during the 1st world war. Her other Great-Great Uncle - Thomas Alexander - served in the Black Watch and was KIA in Tunisia.
Both my Mum's pearents were to young to work in WW2 but my Grandfather was called up for National Service with the Royal Signels. He served at the Suez Canal and was recently awarded his Suez Medal.

 

My father served in the CBI theatre as an airborne engineer building airstrips at Assam India and later at Bhamo Burma.My mom's brother-in-law served in Europe as a combat engineer in Patton's 3rd Army. My father's brothers also served, one as a marine in China and another as a flight surgeon in England.

 

Great history of family participation. Did they all survive the war?

 

Paternal Grandfather Robert Gamble, 2nd Boer War and WWI Enniskilling Fus
Maternal Great Uncle William McSheffery, 2nd Boer War and WWI Enniskilling Fus
Mother Martha Gamble, WWII WAAF Barrage Balloon operator and then Canteen Supervisor after women were stopped from operating the balloons.
Father William Gamble, 6 LAA Battery gunner '39 - 45
Uncle Tom Gamble, 6LAA Battery gunner '39 - 45
Uncle Robert Gamble, 1st Airborne then Arhhem in the 21st Independent Parachute Company.
Uncle Jim Gamble Cameronian, Enniskilling Fus, 1st Airborne, 21st Independent Parachute Coy Section Sniper, Arnhem etc
Uncle George McLelland, Royal Horse Artillery gunner
Uncle Sam Park, HAA Royal Artillery gunner Italy
Uncle Davy Watton, Royal Engineers dispatch rider Western Desert
Me Ronnie Gamble, Royal Navy 1962-1972, Ulster Defence Regiment 1974-1992