What relative of yours interests you the most?

[PmMeYourCats]

For me it's my great uncle James Easton who served in the 2nd Dragoons before and during the first world war. After the war he moved to NYC and became a police officer before again moving, this time to California where he repaired yachts and opened a car company. He was one of the two people in the area to own a Porsche which landed him in trouble with old bill as the only other owner of that car was a smuggler, this mistake resulted in the car being ripped out as they searched for contraband. In the thirties he moved back to Glasgow and sadly died from a heart attack due to a unknown condition.

[Guest Fred Karno's Army]

My uncle George,he joined the Lancashire Fusiliers pre war as a boy soldier.My grandma always told me that on his last leave prior to DDay he went awol and refused to return to camp.The Miltary Police had to come and arrest him.

   He told them he knew he wouldn't return and had foreseen his own death.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Fred Karno's Army

[HetzersGonnaHetz]

My family has quite a military past. I have many relatives who fought in WW1 and WW2. My Great-Grandfather on my dad's side fought with the 1/4th Leicesters at Hohenzollern Redoubt, the most heavily defended position in the Loos area. They went over the top with great valour and charged toot-sweet with rifle in hand, but as most attacks on the Western Front, casualties were incredibly high. Because there wasn't much left of his Battalion, he was drafted into the Royal West Kents and fought against the Turks in Mesopotamia. Out of all the conflict he was shot once, in the back, which made him hold himself odd in the future. He was a sniper during the war.

My Great Great Grandfather on my mum's side fought with the Sherwood Foresters and fought at Passchendaele. Not much is known sadly as like many others, he didn't talk about it.

Two of my Grandma's Uncles fought in North Africa as I'm aware. My dad's uncles was a Tank Driver in WW2. Not much is know of him. 

Cheers,

Harvey

[Libertesoe]

Both my Grandfathers served in WW1. One was mounted Cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery. Don't know anything about his Army days...all I have is a military photo. He died before I was born. The other was Highland Light Infantry. Interestingly he was at the Somme. He never spoke about it..not many of that generation did but we always wondered how the thumb on his left hand had been dislocated and set. It was only on his sisters death bed ( he had died by this time ) that his sister informed my mother that he had been part of a burial party on the Somme and had lifted that many bodies that he dislocated his thumb. Personnel were precious,  so they didn't spare him anytime to have it reset. I often wondered what went through his mind every time he looked at it.

As for WW2,I had two Uncles in military service. One was in the Royal Navy, a gunner on board a DEMS ( Defensively equipped merchant ship) serving mostly in the Persian Gulf. The other was a Sgt Major with the Black Watch, attached to the Chindit Army in Burma. I had some of his original docs and badges but returned them to his immediate family a few years back. Again he didn't speak about it and as a young kid I asked that Tabu question " did you kill any Japanese ? " He paused, looked vexed and said " don't ask me that again " I felt really bad and never did ask again.

My father was called up to the RAF in Oct 1945. He was ground crew, working on Lancs and Sunderlands. I still have some photo's showing damaged aircraft ( from WW2 ) lying at the sides of airfields. My Dad probably sparked my interest in collecting. Sorry if I rumbled on here!

[Guest Fred Karno's Army]

Any rumblings are good rumblings in my opinion .

[Mav352]

Mine is my great great uncle Richard George Masters. He was an ambulance driver during WW1 and won the VC in April 1918. I will put some more up later.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Mav352