How many British WW2 Veterans are still around ?

Sapper,
Roger that. As Tom Canning once told me he will live to 150 to make sure he gets some benefits from all the taxes paid to a plethora of governments.

Cheers
Randy

 

I'll go along with that Randy. If you are severely war disabled the war pensions Dept pay for your funeral....... I am not going to take advantage of that facility for as long as possible

 

You know what they say, Brian - its no fun growing old but it sure beats the hell out of the alternative!

Keith

 

Way back in September 2008, Marcus went to the trouble to provide this list:
Just counted 11 members with a Vets status:

art bridge
footslogger478
franek
gerry
jhor9
lustleighlad
niccar
ron
sapper
southwestpacificvet
tom canning

I know a lot haven't been active for a while, but what about Jhor9 with his 99th bomb group accounts or Franek with his stories about being recruited.

You guys are VIP's on here but I'm sure you're not alone. Keep posting those memories that discredit all that Hollywood rubbish. Much appreciated. :wink:

Cheers,
Marcus
Today, in December 2011, I've amended the list as below, removing the lovely Niccar, who regrettably is no longer with us and adding my good friend and former Wireless Truck crew-mate, Larry.

Perhaps other members could add to or adjust the list ?

art bridge
footslogger478
franek
gerry
jhor9
lustleighlad
ron
larry
sapper
tom canning

Ron

p.s.
Just realised that Southwestpacific was a phoney so I have whipped him out

 

Ron -
seems to me that Doctor D - Nigel - Tonym still qualify
cheers

 

I met a 7 RTR veteran today and his wife who worked in Leeds during the war making manifolds for aircraft.

 

List duly amended

art bridge
footslogger478
franek
gerry
jhor9
lustleighlad
ron
larry
sapper
tom canning
tonyM
DoctorD

Ron

 

List duly amended

art bridge
footslogger478
franek
gerry
jhor9
lustleighlad
ron
larry
sapper
tom canning
tonyM
DoctorD

Ron


Ron, Is this a WW2 Vets list of forum members? If so I can think of four you have missed off without checking the forum members list.

 

Andy

Speak up man........

This is what this thread is all about

Ron

 

Adam

Whilst understanding and appreciating your wish to maintain any rules of confidence that apply on this this forum, is it not possible to publish a definitive list of veterans ?

If you answer with a simple "no" then I will of course respect your decision whilst pointing out that this info is surely already on record here but just requires much effort to ferret it out.

Keep up the good work !

Regards

Ron

 

I expect that there is a veteran who calls himself 'New-bie' and the administrator doesn't know how to make the fact public !

I've thought about suggesting to my Dad that he make the odd post on here as they have a pc at home now but to be honest, I'm a little put-off by the thought of him reading all the old cobblers that I post around the internet !

 

I met a 88 year old 1 RTR vet today. He landed on D-Day in a Cromwell and thought through to Berlin. Told me a bit about Caen, told me a bit about Wittmann, that he knew of him, living in his tank for 7 days at one point and them coming out of the line - There was a long conveyor belt type routine set up where they all stripped off showered, shaved, their tanks were serviced etc and at the end of the line there were brand new uniforms waiting for them, hot food and then back off to the front. He fought all the way through to Berlin despite being blown up twice. He told me that he didn't like the French but got on OK with the Belgians and Dutch. The people who he liked the most and got on well with were the Germans and he had no bad feelings towards them which I found quite humbling. He also mentioned that he still to this days always remembers the civilians they killed. They had to fire HE shells into houses being used by Germans snipers but they knew they were killing local civilians too. You could tell his sentiment was heart felt as he choked up remembering the incidents, bless him.

The sad thing for me was he, still to this day, doesn't know what beach he landed on D-Day. On a mission to answer his question before I got to his destinantion I texted a couple of forum members to see if they could help and just after I left him, still determined to give him the answer he has wondered about for nearly 70 years I rang Rob who got back to me in quick time with the answer. Sadly though it was a bit too late, I was already on my way to another job.

 

I am very privileged to have had the opportunity to come to know so many Veterans' from the Glider Pilot Regiment.

One Veteran in particular remembers my father and during the last GPRA Reunion in October this Veteran introduced me to someone by saying :-
"her Dad had a moustache you'd find blue tits nesting in" !
What an honour it has been to meet these men of the Red Beret.

It was a further delight to meet Joan Gemmell at the Archive Section of the Airborne Forces Museum, in Duxford.
Joan is 88 years old and sadly is experiencing rapid failing sight.

Joan recalled many happy stories of her times during WW2 assembling the Hamilcar Glider.
Joan's memories are vivid, so to capture these days, Dererk Armitage/ParaData have created together a "page about Joan" which can be seen under the Hamilcar Glider section on ParaData.

Joan loved the Hamilcar Glider and told me that she still today misses the smell of dope which lingered around in the assembly hangers!
Joan also recounted that she thought it was a load of old "hoo haa" with all the secrecy, because the local double decker bus passed the airfield several times a day and those on board up top could see over the fence and would often wave. !

What a marvellous lady I had the opportunity to meet.

Joan Gemmell (nee Butler) | ParaData

 

Ron -
seems to me that Doctor D - Nigel - Tonym still qualify
cheers

I have been following this thread but have to say that I did not push to identify myself as a 'Veteran' because, although I was conscripted for 'The Duration of the Emergency' my service did not start until July 1945. But It was suggested that I be listed as a veteran so I left it up to the Mods to decide.

However, 28 days after I was conscripted The Japanese surrendered and I was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 so perhaps they thought it was 'Audy' Murphy and not Tony and decided not to risk it???

I spent my war initially as a Boy Scout collecting paper and other recyclables and helpng out at the local Balloon Barrage site and then as a Civil Defence Messenger in S.E London. By the time V.E Day arrived I had seen a fair share of body parts, including four neighbours.

Ironically I was trained as an Operator Keyboard and Line, Royal Signals and had decided to sign on as a Regular and a week after I qualified I injured my left ankle jumping out of the rear of a 3 Ton Lorry and spent the next 13 months in a military hospital and subsequently medically discharged despite my objection but I was told that the army could now pick and choose. However, I beat the odds and re-enlisted seven years later but that's another story.

Tony

 

Tony

However, 28 days after I was conscripted The Japanese surrendered and I was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 so perhaps they thought it was 'Audy' Murphy and not Tony and decided not to risk it???
I have never been over happy with folk who would sail under false colours and it is therefore refreshing to see someone like yourself who actually questions his right to be labelled in one way or another.

Have no fears.

Your service record is good enough for me and I would suspect most of the rest of us on the forum.

As for your subsequent seven years service, nuff said

Best regards

Fellow Vet

Ron

 

As Diane and Adam have already said, as Mods we don't want to go down the road of publishing a list of forum veterans. Such a list could easily be abused, not necessarily by existing members but by new ones wishing to exploit it in a number of possible ways.

My feeling is that the veterans who want to be well known on the forum make themselves well known and those who want to be quiet and read more than post do so in their own quiet way, and both opinions should be respected.

 

I would like to mention Les Dudderidge 2nd Fife & Forfar Gunner passed away 10th Jan 2012 aged 86 (born 25/05/25). Memories of fighting in Bure Ardennes Jan 1945 register many times. South of the Border Association has many Next Generation members to keep the memories alive.

 

I've not met any Vets of late, although I did meet a wonderful 94 year old lady last week who was a Nurse in a military hospital in Surrey, near Staines during WW2. After all the years of living in Yorkshire she still had a wonderful southern accent.