WWII Momento

[Les]

I've really enjoyed the radio today about D Day and  the remarkable bravery of the men the allied forces that made the miracle of the reclaim of Europe happen.

My dad was in the Home guard in Perthshire mainly on duty at one the bridges over the River Tay.Although he was never abroad during the war and by day he was a farm manager he did come into contact with the enemy.German POW,s who were deemed to be low risk were often sent to the farm to work.Some were just Nazi's and not good characters  and were soon moved on but one called Johanne was at the farm for quite some time,he was a  Luftwaffe pilot,who worked hard was friendly and became well liked locally.He carved two wooden birds for my mother,one swooping and one with its wings out stretched (now missing).The image is of the surviving Bluebird.

Regards Les.

[Denis]

Momentos like this a great to see Les. My mum told us of German POW's near to her village. One made her and her sister a pair of rope sandals each. She said they lasted for quite a few years!

[ChrisLumix]

I find the most fascinating story is how long Allied agents spent spinning the false rumour that Normandy was to be a feint attack only, as cover for the main attack which was to occur near Calais. The Germans bought it, thank goodness. (I have a feeling they made a film about it too? "The Man Who Never Was", or was that something else?)

[Denis]

That was only a small part of Operation Fortitude Chris, although a highly important one. Read Joshua Levines excellent book  'Operation Fortitude the story of the spy operation that saved d-day'

 

The origins of the deception are explained,  and how every German spy in this country was turned, and worked for us, and how we tricked the germans into actually paying for their upkeep!

[FUJI]

Memories? Memories?

As a wartime Brat, we were given wooden pecking chickens on a bat......the toys had been made by german POW's.......

For the last fifteen years I have been researching a local Heavy Anti Aircraft gun site.....after the heavy guns moved to London area to protect it against the Doodlebugs, the Nissen Hutted camp was used by german POWs until 1947, one still lives here, he married a local girl.

Whilst in Germany with the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards, between 1956/1958 I was stationed in Fallingbostel, just a few Kilometres from Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, I visited there three times......it was still very raw just ten years after VE day, I will never forget the mass graves with simple wooden crosses, on the covering mounds was......HERIN 10000 TOTE.......( 10000 Dead).......and that was on just ONE mound.

As a young joiner, I worked alongside three D-Day heroes........Len, a painter and decorator, he landed on Sword Beach and fought from their right through germany.......the same went for Dispatch Rider Ken a fellow joiner, he had not only been rescued from Dunkirk in June 1940 , he too landed on the Beach and fought his way through Caen with the Royal Warwick's and Canadian regiments.......John, another joiner, was an 18 year old Sailor, helping to man one of the floating concrete sections of the amazing Mulberry Harbour.

They have all died since, but I will never forget the harrowing tales iof what they did and saw.

Just now I am watching the Film........The Longest Day.......in memory and respect for all those who lost their lives then and since including my Dad.

I was in tears at one point this afternoon, just watching the Veterans being thanked by the French townsfolk.

You little wooden Bluebird has stirred up wartime memories...

The pic?..........Yours truly, from the end of six weeks very toughBasic Training at Hadrian's Camp Carlisle, from a timid, skinny youth into a toughened Guardsman, later trained as a Signaller, then drive tanks, but I didn't do that, I had such bad eyesight they wouldn't let me loose on a Conquerer Tank, the biggest tank in the world......I don't blame them.

FUJI

[Denis]

Nice to see the RAC cap badge fuji,

 

I was thinking of my Dad today,he went ashore with the 34th Tank Brigade as part of the 43rd Wessex. He enlisted in the Suffolk Regiment in 1940, this became part of  142 Regiment RAC. He then transferred to the 34th Tank Brigade and fought through to Germany. When they were due to return to the UK, he wangled a posting  the Royal Scots Greys until 1946 before being told to demob.

[ChrisLumix]

My dad was just too young for the war, though he interrupted his further education and enlisted in the RAF and was in training in Canada when the war ended. Ironically his Lancaster crash landed back in Britain after a training flight and he broke his back. The aircraft spun round through 180º on the landing strip and the wind blew the flames in the opposite direction to the rear turret or he'd have been a goner. He never flew again, ever.

 

Here he is before then, posing against an aircraft. (In the RAF you didn't have NCOs trailing after you saying "Get your hair cut, SIR"!)

 

[Denis]

Chris,

I did not recognise the aircraft at first,  so I asked on another forum I frequent, and it is a Canadian built Avro Anson as used in the BACATP for training aircrew.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2014 by Denis

[ChrisLumix]

Chris,

I did not recognise the aircraft at first,  so I asked on another forum I frequent, and it is a Canadian built Avro Anson as used in the BACATP for training aircrew.

 

Thanks for that Denis - that means the photo must have been taken (most probably) in Canada during his training; it's useful to have these bits filled in to complete the picture   

 

BACATP stands for ... ? British And Canadian Air Training Programme? British Aircrew Canadian Auxiliary Training Programme?

Edited June 7, 2014 by ChrisLumix

[Denis]

Sorry Chris,

British and Commonwealth Air Training Plan.....The aircraft differed from the original Ansons built here, the porthole style side windows being a Canadian feature.

Glad to fill in the bits