Poppy guest and Katy P

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Akimbo

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I'm watching the current Poppy hour with Katy Pullinger and Kate the guest from the Royal British Legion and there's a good rapport between them and the guest is confident and informative. Katy has connections with the RAF and Paratroop regiment which seems to translate well as she's not resorting to glib comments that maybe other presenters might make.

My Grandpa enlisted at 17 because he thought the war would end before his official call up; at 18 he found himself in Siberia as a sniper. Before that he'd been as far as Leeds from his parents farm.

My Dad was born today 100 years ago, surviving Spanish flu only to be called up in 1939 (first draft as he turned 21). He was in North Africa and when the war end he was volunteered to stay on in Tripoli to eradicate disease as he had a background in public health.

My Nana's brother was a rear gunner and had survived several missions, he went awol to say goodbye to his mother and was killed on his next mission.

I know everyone here will have similar stories and will join me in feeling genuinely proud and thankful for their contribution.
 
I'm watching the current Poppy hour with Katy Pullinger and Kate the guest from the Royal British Legion and there's a good rapport between them and the guest is confident and informative. Katy has connections with the RAF and Paratroop regiment which seems to translate well as she's not resorting to glib comments that maybe other presenters might make.

My Grandpa enlisted at 17 because he thought the war would end before his official call up; at 18 he found himself in Siberia as a sniper. Before that he'd been as far as Leeds from his parents farm.

My Dad was born today 100 years ago, surviving Spanish flu only to be called up in 1939 (first draft as he turned 21). He was in North Africa and when the war end he was volunteered to stay on in Tripoli to eradicate disease as he had a background in public health.

My Nana's brother was a rear gunner and had survived several missions, he went awol to say goodbye to his mother and was killed on his next mission.

I know everyone here will have similar stories and will join me in feeling genuinely proud and thankful for their contribution.

This time of year is a wonderful time for stories and memories of loved ones who went to war, both those who come back and those who do are worthy of our thoughts and consideration all the time, but remembrance is at the forefront in the lead up to the Armistice Day anniversary. Thank you for sharing your memories.
 
I can't begin to imagine how the mothers, wives, sisters and girlfriends felt as their loved ones left for war or armed service around the world! I was a nightmare micro-managing when my son left for Uni at 18, I can't imagine their ordeal.
 
My family has a strong military background too and still has to this day.
My Grandfather (my Dad`s dad) was already a regular in the Army when war broke out in 1914 so he was there right from the start. He was in the Royal Field Artillery and rode the horse pulled gun carriages. He was killed in 1917 whilst single handedly storming a German machine gun post and was posthumously awarded the DCM. My Dad was just 3 years old at the time and he had 2 older brothers and his Mother remarried and then had 3 daughters. Sadly she became an alcoholic, her 2nd husband was a violent abusive man and my Dad was sent to an orphanage and then later on at the age of 12 to Canada as a Barnados boy. His 2 older brothers joined the Air Force and Army as boy entrants (aged 15 and 16) which they could back then and one of his step sisters went into service as a scullery maid when she turned 13 but the other 2 stayed with their Mother. My Dad lost all contact with all of them from his isolated new home on a Canadian farm. All of that is another story.
Dad`s oldest brother was one of the first to be parachuted into France during WW2 and was part of a secret force who trained the French Maquis in subterfuge and they blew up trains, raided bases, rescued captives etc etc. After the War he was awarded the Croix De Guerre from President De Gaulle and several other medals from Churchill.
The other brother was captured by the Japs and spent the last 2 years of the War in a Japanese POW camp. He had the back of his skull bashed in by a Jap soldier`s rifle butt and after that he had to sleep face down because the pain in his head was unbearable. He survived the camp and on his repatriation it was discovered the back of his skull has been completely fractured and it was a miracle he`d survived. The malnutrition and ill treatment had taken their toll and he died just months after arriving back in the UK but he managed to complete a very important task before he did so. During his time in the camp one of his fellow soldiers, just a very young man managed to keep a diary written on anything he could find and everyday he buried it and every night he managed to sneak it out and write a bit more, sometimes using his own blood as ink. If he`d been caught then he would have been tortured and killed. He fell seriously ill and knew he was going to die and he asked my uncle to promise that if he survived the war he would ensure the diary got to his parents. He kept his promise.
My oldest son has been a serving soldier for 26 years. He has served in every War zone during that time and sometimes twice over. He narrowly missed being killed by a nightime Taliban mortar raid in Afghanistan and sadly one of his best friends was killed in the incident. On a tour of Iraq he had the terrible job of being part of a patrol tasked with collecting body parts and bomb parts from a market square where a suicide bomber had blown himself and lots of women and children sky high and as a husband and Father that incident above all others marked him for life but to coin a phrase still he soldiered on.
It hasn`t been all doom and gloom, he was in the Paras for several years and was one of the men parachuted in to capture Bosnian War Criminals who were later tried and sentenced. He was a Artic Survival expert in Norway, a Firearms instructor in Salisbury, he spent 3 years working in Army Intelligence, was Casualty Liason Officer who had the unenvious task of informing families that their loved ones had been either killed or injured in action, he was undercover in Ireland for a while and lots of other vast and various roles spanning his 26 years service. He`s now retrained as a Senior Welfare Officer and he deals with everything from marital breakdowns, PTSD sufferers, criminal activities such a drug taking, debt issues, and anything or everything daily life on an Army barracks throws up.
I have always been proud of him and the sacrifices he has made for his career and this Country. The risk he`s taken, the Christmases spent away, the tours of duty when he`s missed seeing his children grow up and the mental and physical scars such long service has left on him but they`ve made him the wonderful person he is today. His service and dedication was justly rewarded this year when he was in the Queen`s New year`s Honours List and i had the privilage of seeing him get the Meritorious Service Medal.
The RBL do good work, as do Combat Stress which is another Military charity helping ex soldiers who have mental health issues, SAAFA also step into the frame whenever they`re needed too and long may they all do so.
 
I'm watching the current Poppy hour with Katy Pullinger and Kate the guest from the Royal British Legion and there's a good rapport between them and the guest is confident and informative. Katy has connections with the RAF and Paratroop regiment which seems to translate well as she's not resorting to glib comments that maybe other presenters might make.

My Grandpa enlisted at 17 because he thought the war would end before his official call up; at 18 he found himself in Siberia as a sniper. Before that he'd been as far as Leeds from his parents farm.

My Dad was born today 100 years ago, surviving Spanish flu only to be called up in 1939 (first draft as he turned 21). He was in North Africa and when the war end he was volunteered to stay on in Tripoli to eradicate disease as he had a background in public health.

My Nana's brother was a rear gunner and had survived several missions, he went awol to say goodbye to his mother and was killed on his next mission.

I know everyone here will have similar stories and will join me in feeling genuinely proud and thankful for their contribution.

Truly wonderful words. We were in London last week & on our way home we went to the Imperial War Museum to see the poppies again & I toured the WW1 exhibition, it made me feel very humble. My grandfather fought at Passcchendaele & was one of the lucky ones to return home. I think the 14-18NOW commemorations have been an outstanding tribute, using technology, literature, drama & art to bring those boys back to life.
 
An uncle was in Special Forces and was sent into Yugoslavia to join up with partisans. Whilst there he met and married one of the partisan fighters. Dad was in the KOYLI but never saw service abroad, he then went to Palestine before the state of Israel was formed. My husband had a great great uncle killed just before the end of WW1 and another in North Africa during WW2.
 
Katy asked for stories (tweets) on the show this morning and then couldn't read them because they made her cry. It was quite moving. None of my family fought in the war or have been in the services but Mr CC's dad was in Burma, survived it but died early after returning home. Armed Forces Day and Remembrance are important to Mr CC and he's always very interested in anyone's story about serving in the war.

CC
 
Katy asked for stories (tweets) on the show this morning and then couldn't read them because they made her cry. It was quite moving. None of my family fought in the war or have been in the services but Mr CC's dad was in Burma, survived it but died early after returning home. Armed Forces Day and Remembrance are important to Mr CC and he's always very interested in anyone's story about serving in the war.

CC

My dad was in Burma too during the war. He drove tanks for the Army and safely made it home, although he came back suffering with malaria, he got better and made ME.
 
If nothing else, the stories on this thread show the age group of us all. My Grandad was in the trenches at Passchendaele, and I'm glad that Peter Jackson's colourisation of black and white film - They Shall Not Grow Old eliminates our thoughts of imagining (both) world wars in black and white.

They were a generation that faced unimaginable conditions when fighting for our freedom, and no offence to those on here who have youngsters at university, but the cracked ideology of some who attend those hallowed halls, are not fit to wipe the boots of their great grandparents who fought for what they enjoy today.
 
My dad was a Gunner in the Army in the Second World War and I was born in 1942. I remember him coming home in May 1946 with his Kitbag and he had brought a bag of boiled sweets which were quite a rarity. I still have his discharge papers issued in Germany with a character assessment from his Commanding Officer. My Dad was a lovely kind Gentleman and died too young at the age of 66 in 1981 of an industrial disease.
 
My grandfather served in the war but he died when I was young and before I got to know him really but I have his service medals. I think one is a Burma Star so I was particularly interested to read the posts from others who had family members posted there.

I live in a garrison town so there is always a wonderful service and poppy tribute in the municipal gardens but what is especially nice in this special year is what they have done in many towns and have large poppies on lamp posts and the outline figures of the Tommy soldiers dotted about.
 
I do believe Mr CC's dad had the Burma Star. Once he was home the war took its toll and he suffered various illnesses through the rest of his life and sadly died at just age 50. Mr CC was just a boy. I would have loved to have met his dad and his mum but it was not to be.

CC
 
While researching our family tree I found out that one of my great great uncles was killed at Ypres, age 28. He left a wife and 4 young children. I've been able to find where he is buried and obtained a photo of his headstone.

I was in Singapore years ago and visited the British & Commonwealth wargraves cemeteries. They were immaculately maintained, it was good to see the respect shown for the people who lost their lives in the the Far East during WW2.

I hope that the history and lessons learned from past wars are remembered, understood and carried forward by current and future generations. Sadly I don't think so.
 
Did anyone visit the Tower of London in 2014 to see the poppies display commemorating the start of WW1 ? It was one of the most moving sights I've ever seen, made even more emotional by the crowds of people looking on in silence.

I'm going again next month to see the lighting of 'torches' in the moat after dark. More tears.
 
'I hope that the history and lessons learned from past wars are remembered, understood and carried forward by current and future generations. Sadly I don't think so.'

It's the politicians & others with power who don't learn from what has happened in the past. My daughter is a primary school teacher & her children have been affected by the stories of WW2, especially as it was a war that involved civilians. Most of them don't have great grandparents, who would have been the war children, so even half a term studying the topic gives them an awareness.
 
Did anyone visit the Tower of London in 2014 to see the poppies display commemorating the start of WW1 ? It was one of the most moving sights I've ever seen, made even more emotional by the crowds of people looking on in silence.

I'm going again next month to see the lighting of 'torches' in the moat after dark. More tears.

Yes, we went on a very misty morning at the start of November & we were the only people there for at least 45 minutes. The opaque light made the colour of the poppies bleed into those ancient walls & we couldn't speak. Very moving & totally humbling. The Weeping Window has finished the tour of the country, is now at the Imperial War Museum & looks perfect cascading down the front of the museum.
 
We have a model soldier display with his gun and waterproof cape surrounded by poppies in our village. I pass it every day and he never fails to move me. We went to the service of his unveiling in 2014 and I worried he would get vandalised but, thankfully, he never has. Mum made parachutes during The War and then joined the Land Army. Her brothers weren’t accepted when they went to sign up as their construction jobs needed to continue and they were totally gutted to say the least. They wanted to join The Navy.
 
Did anyone visit the Tower of London in 2014 to see the poppies display commemorating the start of WW1 ? It was one of the most moving sights I've ever seen, made even more emotional by the crowds of people looking on in silence.

I'm going again next month to see the lighting of 'torches' in the moat after dark. More tears.

I didn’t see the poppies but I’ve got a ticket to go into the Tower grounds to see the torches on 9th November.
 

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