D DAY JUNE 6TH 1944

[ilove2patch]

I am sure that most of our fathers/grandfathers were involved in WW2. We owe them so much. Never forget them.

[2017clearout]

Thank you for this - and what a lovely poem too.  One of grandfathers went to D Day from Italy, having been involved in the fighting at Monte for the preceding months: it seems hard to imagine today what they all went through (he fought his way through North Africa as well).

I remember being so glad as a child when my father reached 40, because I thought then, when the next war came, he wouldn't have to go: it was still very immediate to me as a child, even in the 70s and 80s, because all the older men had fought, we knew a number of POWs from the Far East (I remember being told firmly not to ask why one's office was always so hot, for example, and there was an "uncle" who you had to be very careful not to wake up if he fell asleep in his chair, because of the consequences) and the older women used to tell us stories of being able to hear the guns in France (from Pompey) and about the Blitz.  

I honour all of those who spent so many years fighting, gave their lives in the struggle or supported the country through the Home Front: their efforts and sacrifices kept us free.

[5129frederick]

Although I was born after the war, and was spared National Service - it ended while I was at school. I am VERY MUCH aware of the sacrifices made by those I never knew.  I lost an uncle during the war and my paternal grandfather was torpedoed and managed to swim to a nearby island, although he made it, he died three years later, what having happened having a detrimental effect on his health, but apart from that, despite living in the heart of the East End, our whole family from my father's generation came through the Second Word War unscathed - we lost no one.  I lived through the troubles out in Cyprus '48 - '58, and I knew of people who lost loved ones through the E.O.K.A. but nothing happened to any of us during that time.

By God's Grace I live in peace, so how can I EVER FORGET THOSE WHO NEVER MADE IT?     Fred Woodworth.  A humble and very thankful pensioner.

[chickengrandma-2008]

Yes, my dad was.  My mother was too.  She was in the army and drove ambulances.  She was stationed in Ipswich (coincidence) and her headquarters were in the big country house that was later to be my husbands school!!

This of course was before either my husband or myself were born, and my family hales from Yorkshire!

How strange was that?

[rainydaywoman11]

My Papa came marching home with a mandolin he had 'liberated'.  It was brought out every New Year for the annual sing song, although he couldn't play it for toffee   One of  my other cousins now has it, which miffed me slightly, as I thought I, as the oldest grandchild should have had it 

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many by so few'.  Winston S. Churchill.

I think it's magic being British, this little island nation and all it has produced.  

[rainydaywoman11]

My Papa came marching home with a mandolin he had 'liberated'.  It was brought out every New Year for the annual sing song, although he couldn't play it for toffee   One of  my other cousins now has it, which miffed me slightly, as I thought I, as the oldest grandchild should have had it 

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many by so few'.  Winston S. Churchill.  

[rainydaywoman11]

Dunno what happened there, correction :

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' - Winston S. Churchill.

[rainydaywoman11]

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' - Winston S. Churchill.

[bitsnknots]

We owe our freedom now to the people who fought and those who lost their lives in the likes of Dunkirk.  All of those that have died as a result of war may you all rest in peace.

[ed_blackadder_1]

My parents were too young to take part, although they have memories of the time, and my grandparents were too old to take part, although they took part in the 1st war.

[bitsnknots]

I am sitting here watching the coverage on BBC1 and I'm in tears watching the Normandy Veterans.  We owe so much to these brave men.

[rose2008-2008]

To All The Brave and those who gave their Lives

[saasher2012]

Yes it was very moving & we should never forget the men& woman who served us well & gave their lives for our freedom.
But we should also remember the many civilians who also lost their lives & our men& woman who are still losing their lives today.
My thoughts are with those who aren't & those that are with us on this Beautiful day of memorium.

[cookiecookuk]

nice words rainy.

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@rainydaywoman11 wrote:

Dunno what happened there, correction :

'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' - Winston S. Churchill.

---

thanks and thoughts  to those who fought and died and lived to give us our freedom

[rainydaywoman11]

Hiya Cookie, thanks for that.  I love his quotes, what an orator he was, and yes, he has his dectractors, but I am only speaking about what he wrote.

Another favourite : A lady said to me 'Mr Churchill, you are drunk', to which I replied, 'I am drunk today Madam and tomorrow I will be sober, but you will still be ugly'.  OUCH!

Dunno what happened with the duplicate posts, that was on my lappy outside in the sunshine, must have gone mad!!

Back to the painting, nearly finished, but if I ever see another tin of Hammerite it will be too soon.

[chickengrandma-2008]

This is my dad in North Africa in the war.  He was a dispatch rider.

And this was my mum.

Dad looks a bit smarter here.

[bitsnknots]

My mum was only 7 when the war started and my dad was 10.  My grandparents used to work in a munititons factory.

[ilove2patch]

My dad was a dispatch rider in North Africa too! He got taken prisoner there by the Italians. He ended up in a German prison camp & escaped two days before peace was declared.

[2017clearout]

Chickengrandma, he was a handsome chappie!  And your mother looks so smart, and so pretty too.  

My grandfather who fought at D day died two years ago, and we put a picture of him in uniform on the back of the order of service: when the vicar turned to face the congregation, he did a shocked double take - my youngest brother is the spitting image of him!  I gave the eulogy at Grandad's funeral, and told some of the stories he had told me from the war: when my mum was growing up, he refused to talk about it at all, and my grandmother threw all his medals away when he came home.  He used to get irate all his life, though, if anyone said they "hated" something - like cabbage: he would shout at us that we didn't know what the word meant.  He saw the war, though, as his chance to escape rural Yorkshire, and never went back to live there after he was demobbed: but a lot of his stories were very sad - he saw some awful things in North Africa and Italy in particular,  That said, he continued to visit his Italian friends (I rather think they might have been prisoners of war) up until they died in the 90s, and he was still writing to their wives at his death.

My other grandfather volunteered for the war, though he was both too old and in a reserved occupation.  He was sent to Catterick, which the rest of the family said ever after was the equivalent to overseas for him...  He served the whole war in the Yorkshire, from where all my mothers' uncles had raced to escape when war was declared, and was involved in something to do with signals and electronics.  He was determined to serve because his own father, also too old and in a reserved occupation, had volunteered in 1914 (he had been a professional soldier in the Boer War, though, so it was slightly different for him).  Unfortunately, though, he suffered what became known as shell-shock, and was in a military asylum from when he was invalided out in 1917 until his death in 1957.  My grandfather always refused to stock German or Japanese products (he later had an engineering supply shop) and could never abide either race for the rest of his life.  His favourite comment was "we won the war, and they've got the money!"

I am so grateful never to have lived under those conditions: I have lived and worked in war zones across the world, but have never had to face a threat to my homeland, and my family have never had to go to fight, or experience the privations of being involved in war, and I am so thankful for that.  It's hard today to imagine what it must have been like: I work in Liverpool, and there are still people here who lived through the Blitz, and their stories are terrifying.  I know what it's like to have to run for shelter when the sirens go, but I simply can't imagine that level of aerial bombardment.  My great aunt used to tell us stories about their shelter, and as little kids, we thought it all sounded rather fun - but as an adult, I shudder at the fear they must have felt, and the constant worry about their sons and husbands: she didn't recognise my great uncle when he came back, because she hadn't seen him for nearly seven years.  We really are so lucky these days - we take so much for granted, and complain so easily.

[2017clearout]

Oh - and I'm looking forward to seeing Great British Menu tonight, to see the banquet: it's been lovely hearing the stories of the veterans for the past few weeks, as well as hearing about the families of the chefs.  It's both fascinating and moving, and a lovely way to honour their service.