D Day

[Risex4]

If anyone has the time you can have a read of this, http://albertpettman.co.uk my grandfathers diary transposed to a website of his time on HMS Manxman the fastest ship in the RN at the time...

As a singular view of just a small part of the war, that's quite incredible.

So matter of fact, that you have to go back through and re-read it several times just to try and actually get the smallest sense of what he is writing about. Paragraph 2, "thought it was farewell... roll on Gibraltar"

Paragraph 6, "...it was hell on Earth we had to pass through and then come back through it again, just jaws of death for 5 whole days and we are very tired, hope for an Hrs (hours) sleep now, ... now for the next convoy."

Staggering and bewildering.

 

[EltonFrog]

As a singular view of just a small part of the war, that's quite incredible.

So matter of fact, that you have to go back through and re-read it several times just to try and actually get the smallest sense of what he is writing about. Paragraph 2, "thought it was farewell... roll on Gibraltar"

Paragraph 6, "...it was hell on Earth we had to pass through and then come back through it again, just jaws of death for 5 whole days and we are very tired, hope for an Hrs (hours) sleep now, ... now for the next convoy."

Staggering and bewildering.

Indeed, when I was reading the originals and typing I often had to to stop because of tears. During further research I discoverd that an officer Frank Rusling who was on the ship at the same time as Albert when it was torpedoed was/is still alive living in Canada. I tracked him down and telephoned him. It was emotional.

Frank Rusling on video talking about the Manxman.
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/video-gallery/video/7190

 

[Mattonsea]

Of course I have, and I am also well aware that women were involved in the war. The part of Risex4's post that I found interesting was the same part that upset Marmion - that he started off talking of 'WWII veterans' (which is as neutral as it could possibly be) and then described them as being archetypal 'English gentlemen' (which is not at all neutral).

I'm certain that it wasn't a deliberate act of goading towards Marmion or anyone else, but merely an unconsciously glib and very telling use of language. I don't think I would have been as blunt as Marmion about it in this context, but he does have a perfectly valid point.

And once again, if the OP had simply replied along the lines of, 'Oh yes, I see what you mean. Not a good choice of words,' perhaps none of the ensuing strutting about would have happened.

Edit: And I see that Risex4 has now made that very point, which is good to read.

Of course no strutting and preening here.

 

[Mattonsea]

Back to the rather more important op. The land we farm was used by the American and Canadian troops as there base in the lead up to 1944. We still unearth shell cases ,mortars and other bits of kit.
The whole of the village took in the troops ,looked after them and then one day with out notice the whole lot had gone. My grandmother spoke of the men from the mid west who naturally gravitated to the farm.She spoke of her bewilderment that farm boys thousands of miles away came to defend freedom.

 

[Mattonsea]

Just to show what we find this is a belt buckle with the stars and strips insignia . Dragged up by the plough ,made of brass no mark of the owner.

 

[Fnaar]

Fair play to all the veterans, wherever they are from.. I like to think I would step up to the mark if needed, but they were needed, and did so. Some of them were brave beyond the call of duty, some were probably terrified throughout. All get my respect though.Let's also not forget the many French civilians who died too.

 

[KEEF]

The body of my Great Uncle has just been found in France. He was found where he fell on the 1st of July 1916.(identified by his dog tags)
He died along with the other 58,000 plus on that day. Another war we should not forget.

 

[EltonFrog]

Can folk stop being unpleasant on this thread please? It is disrespectful to the topic.

Edited for superfluous eroteme.

 

[AndyRM]

Can folk stop being unpleasant on this thread please? It is disrespectful to the topic?

Totally agree. Poor form from the posters who have gone off the deep end.

My grandad was a teacher in the army during WWII. He's told me many stories about his time, the majority of which end with memories of friends he lost and the broken folk who came back. He also highlights his relief that he didn't see any front-line action.

 

[vernon]

I'm not sure that this is true - I'm really not sure people do recognise the role of countries other than England

Branching out from this. I was re-educated about the casualties of war when I cycled through the Somme several years ago. Every text book that I had come across that dealt with war graves showed only photographs of Commonwealth war cemeteries. I was channeled along the thought that only members of the Commonwealth died in WW1. My eyes were opened by the discovery of French and German war cemeteries. The dead of those cemeteries received as much attention and respect from me as those in the Commonwealth war cemeteries.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Were there any women involved in this war thing at all?

You know full well that lots of women served in various capacities throughout the war, but the action being commemorated today is that of 150,000 people leaving ships and boats in the English Channel and running up beaches in enemy-held Normandy. A quick google tells me there was at least one woman (journallist Martha Gellhorn) among them.

Grammar nazis are one thing, but the Semantics Stasi are quite another.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Ignore @Marmion he does it all the time. I might not put it as eloquently as you, but he's just a f***ing pr**k.

Oi, that's a f***ing Scottish pr**k, laddie. And dinnae forget it, right?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Yet again another thread ruined.

Not at all, just a point to be made and I made it - to focus only on the English (for whatever "reason") is disrespectful to every other person from every other nation.

 

[jayonabike]

Oi, that's a f***ing British pr**k, laddie. And dinnae forget it, right?

FTFY

 

[AndyRM]

Not at all, just a point to be made and I made it - to focus only on the English (for whatever "reason") is disrespectful to every other person from every other nation.

I may be wrong, but I don't think that was the intent of the post you initially responded to. Whilst I do agree that there's a tendency to easily slip into the 'stiff upper lip old chap we're English what what' stereotype of war, I'm not sure there's anyone (sensible at least), who doesn't recognise the contribution of so many other nations.

Those without the sense to recognise those contributions probably wouldn't respond well to the way you put your point across.