General Chat

I salute my 3 great uncles KIA WW1 & WW2.

The year was 1915 when granddad and his 3 elder brothers enlisted, that left poor great granddad & granny with 3 daughters to run the family farm, unable to cope the elder son Charlie was discharged to help on the farm.

Of to war they go, Joseph in the South Lancashire Reg, John in the Lincolnshire Reg & granddad in the Royal Field Artillery.

Year 1917, 31st July granddad while on leave marries Nellie my granny, no honeymoon for them yet, granddad back to war.

Unbeknown to granddad at the time, that on that day 17th July his brother John was killed in Belgium, and there he his remembered in Hooge Crater Cemetery.

Year 1918, October 8th one month from the end of the war brother Joseph was killed in France and is remembered in the Etaples Military Cemetery.

Year 1924 a young brother for granddad, John Joseph named after his 2 brothers killed in WW1 was born.

1939 brought the start of WW2, John Joseph was keen to fly, all he wanted was to become aircrew of any kind, his mother blankly refused to sign his papers, after loosing 2 son in the first war she could not face loosing another, but JJ was crafty and persuaded his dad to sign the papers.

Date of enlistment 14/08/1941 RAF.

2 years of training as Radio/ Gunner he finally got to fly, first at Binbrook CU, then to 103 Squadron Lancasters as a gunner.
His first bombing raid 20th Oct 1943, target Leipzig, 22nd Oct target Kassel and 3rd Nov target Dusseldorf.

He was the transferred to 626 Squadron, again Lancaster bombers, 22nd Nov target Berlin.

On his 11th bombing flight, 14the Jan 1944 target Brunswick, Lancaster UM-N2 failed to return, bomber command losses record that the aircraft crashed at Heiningen 2 Km west of Bosssum, all 7 crew killed.

Crew member buried in the Hanover War Cemetery, Germany.

From that day until the day she died great granny wore black.

"Just as all have nearly reached our lines in safety, Private Standish is killed and Sergeant Mellor wounded in assisting him.
Smailes, Fisher (the officer's leading the raiding party) and Fayle (Captain, Medical Officer), although driven several times to take cover from the bullets, at last succeed in bringing in the two casualties"
Then, on 25th October 1916, when the Battle of the Somme is already loosing its momentum as a result of the huge Allied losses and deteriorating weather, the 2/West Yorks are in the lines facing the Le Transloy Ridges. Major Jack's diary goes on....."

Private Standish was my great grandfather Charles A Standish. He left a widow and two small girls one of whom was my Gran.

Sue

mmmmm I WONDER?

its today, yea 38 years we have been married, XXXXX to my little white DOVE.