So did mine. I remember hearing that most squaddies in WWI fired their weapons over the heads of the Germans. Not my grandad. He was a Romanian refugee, fleeing the Purssians, who had murdered the best part of his family, and he wound up on these shores, at East Indian Dock, in 1907, aged 8 years old. In 1914, he joined up at the age of 15, as one of Kitchener's schoolboys, and went straight to the front. He was billeted out with trench-foot 3 years later, but not before he had won several medals for bravery. He was also a boxing champion in his regiment. Living up to that reputation was difficult for my dad, but has been a lot easier on me and my brother.
I have a picture of my grandfather in a small group with Montgomery when they served in India with the Warwickshires, I think Monty was a Leftenant at the time, they were mates.
By all accounts, he was a man's man, and very much in tune with "the lads in the ranks." It was one of the many reasons why he was a legend in his own life-time.
bigsmithy it gets worse. While hundreds of thousands of men were getting slaughtered in the Somme, sent over the top by Haig, what was he doing. He was shacked up in a luxury hotel in Le Touquet playing Golf. I stayed there and played there it's all very nice and quite a contrast to spending your life in mud and rats, eating bully beef, watching your mates blown to bits and then as an encore going over the top and getting your brains blown out (if lucky) or dying slowly in pain in a flooded shell hole. While that all goes on Haig shouts fore as he extricates himself from a nice sandy bunker blaming his shot on too much wine & port no doubt. Yeah Great Bloke!
Spurf. I heard a lot about these ex soldiers who would not speak about what they went through.My mate in Tottenham used to tell me he tried to get his dad to tell him about his Dunkirk experiences.Not a word! They stopped the National Service when I was about 16 or something.I often wondered about that.Would they have toughened me up or turned me into a real nutcase?I never served,so I think I was fortunate(?).
Oh! I used to work at Hackney Stadium,scene of this Olympic fiasco,now.Well these old timers told me a race would be starting as the air raid warning went off. They said everyone would run for cover leaving the poor bloody dogs chasing after a stupid imitation hare! Oh for the good old days!!!!!!!
Very true, you can't find a bad word about him. I only found out a couple of years ago meeting an uncle I hadn't seen since I was 6, doing a bit of a 'who do you think you are' roots trace. On my grandmothers side there's a rumour one rele is connected to the Fray Bentos company....I could be a millionaire! Hit a brickwall there though, its the most secretive organisation, even google knows nothing, and they won't confirm or deny previous employee/owner details, i know more about MI5!
...the other rumour is the rele might be illegitimate! ...there was alot of it about in them days! , you're still welcome to a share of nowt anyway bud!
What are you laughing at you Oldham goatherder! I couldn't care less if its Lillets Panty Liners Ltd...I'll have anyones cash.
Monty was a funny old fella.The Yanks didn't like him while his men worshipped him,well,almost! There was a story about Monty doing his rounds.He came across a sentry box with the sentry missing.Well he found this man busy shagging an Italian woman.Monty stayed "on guard" out of sight until the sentry returned and went on his way! I quite believe that.Monty believed in P.T. and his men getting their oats when required! Patton would have pulled his hair out if that had been him.He didn't believe in that sort of thing.Preferred to see his Yanks shooting Germans or whoever....
