100 years ago today.

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Johnno, Aug 4, 2014.

  1. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    One hundred years ago today, Britain went to war against Germany.

    I'm sure that there are many MAP members who had family members who served in that terrible war, and not just for Britain. I'd be interested to know how many, and I also think it would be a nice 'tribute' to mention them. We should never forget.

    Please share.



    -------------

    When I was a small boy, my grandad told me of some of his experiences during the war. I still remember that very vividly. I just wish that I'd been a bit older, with a bit more understanding of events, because there are so many questions that I would have liked to ask him!

    But I think that my lifelong interest in history stemmed to a large extent from learning about my grandad's time in the war. It just seems hard to believe that it was a century ago!

    Four of his brothers also served. Two were in the Vetinary Corps, and spent their war on the Western Front. To the best of my knowledge they never spoke to anyone about what they'd experienced. They chose not to speak of it. The other two brothers are buried in France. One was in the artillery, the other in the RAF. They were just kids of eighteen or nineteen.

    On my dad's side, his grandad volunteered within weeks of the war starting. He served in the infantry and was gassed. He suffered for the rest of his life as a result.

    I don't know how many other family members served.
     
  2. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    A couple of my great uncles on my mother's side died. Most of the rest of them emigrated to Canada afterward.

    Probably had great uncles on the German side too.

    Could well have had Irish family fighting the British at the time to boot.

    But what I find sad is that we have forgotten. We forgot to learn anything from the obscene industrialised slaughter.

    Invading Iraq for oil while pretending we are crusaders of freedom, anyone?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IpDCu2I2954#t=611
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2014
  3. Rhythmkiller

    Rhythmkiller Animo Non Astutia

    My gran had nine brothers all taken in the war. Her mother recieved a letter each day as her boys died one after the other.

    My Papa was Irish and also served as a rigger, he used to cut the chains of floating bombs diving under the water (navy), he was also the army driving instructor. Has many medals and told me of attorocities he witnessed the British army participate in. He actually brought some of the guys to justice. He got an honorable discharge. At his 80th birthday the navy sent along some of the guys he trained to present him with some stuff from his days with them, they sent some young office along as well who gave a speech.

    My grans 10th Brother was a deserter, he was the joker of the family, a ladies man and a true gent.

    Baza
     
  4. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    I don't know, I think we've learned a lot from the two world wars. Superpowers don't pick fights with superpowers anymore. We stick to fighting nations who don't post a threat to us. Much cleaner that way.
     
  5. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Yeah, proxy wars are the way to go.
     
  6. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    Sadly I have no idea what any of my relatives did during that war.
    They all died while I was too young to ask and nothing was really passed down via family.
    I've a feeling that's probably common.
     
  7. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    That's heartbreaking. It's like 'Saving Private Ryan', only much, much worse.
     
  8. Rhythmkiller

    Rhythmkiller Animo Non Astutia

    Absolutely Johnno, of her ten brothers only one survived.

    Baza
     
  9. Unreal Combat

    Unreal Combat Valued Member

    I don't know about clean if Afghanistan is anything to go by.

    I hope I never see the day that the world all kicks off again.
     
  10. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    It's incredibly "clean" for the civilian population back home.

    No conscription, no bombs falling on us.

    More people have died as a result of proxy wars since WWII than died in both World Wars combined.

    But Western civilians are largely shielded and ignorant of them.

    http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-war-of-the-world/
     
  11. Unreal Combat

    Unreal Combat Valued Member

    In that respect I suppose so, though we're not without our civilian casualties (as well as other countries) from terror attacks for poking our noses into the middle east.
     
  12. boards

    boards Its all in the reflexes!

    All my relatives from Britain and Germany (mums' side) had moved to Australia by then and I don't beleive any of them went to fight in the War.
    On Dads side there were a number of side relatives who fought for Italy on the Austrian front, tho none of my direct relatives. I went to a memorial site when I was over there and found 6 names from the family that died up there. I believe a another 4 died on other battle fields but I don't have any information on them.
     
  13. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I don't know of any of our family that served in WWI, a direct result of WWI. Not too sure about my father's side (not even sure if they had immigrated from Canada at that time), but my grandfather on my mother's side was born during WWI. He never knew his father (my great grandfather) and I'm sure it's because he died during the war. My grandfather's mother died while he was young and he grew up homeless, pretty much using the YMCA as a refuge. He ended up marching across Europe in WWII and serving 20 years.

    WWI was a pretty terrible war, fought over obligations to parts of an alliance that had little meaning and the start of industrialized nation's capabilities in a new age of technological advances aimed at killing massive amounts of people. It also marked the beginning of the end for imperialism/colonialism. I suppose it also taught us not to oppress the enemy after victory (Treaty of Versailles) as well. Such a terrible war.
     
  14. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    My Grandmother's first memory was being 3 years' old and waving her brother off on the train as he left to serve his conscription in France.

    Pretty sure that one didn't come back...
     
  15. ned

    ned Valued Member

    My paternal grandfather flew reconnaissance missions in a parasol,a fragile single(sometimes double) seater monoplane ; life expectancy averaged two weeks.
    He was invalided out (and later won the Military Cross) when he was shot in the hip but managed to man his machine gun and see off the enemy plane before crash landing.
    He had the bullet removed and kept it on a watch chain,unfortunately I never met him.
    By all accounts,having come through the war in one piece,the rest of his life was a a bit of a bonus ,not to be taken seriously although he never got over the death of his eldest son(my dad's elder brother),a marine who was killed two weeks before the end of WW2.
    He was also an accomplished sportsman,keeping wicket for High wycombe(and occasionally the county) and playing on the wing for Wycombe Wanderers when they were still an amateur team,apparently nicknamed 'madhead' by the crowd according to my dad !
     
  16. Xue Sheng

    Xue Sheng All weight is underside

    I have 3 uncles in WW II one was in the US army and there on D-Day who got wounded after he got off the beach and spent some time in the hospital before being sent back to active duty. One was in the US marines and in the Pacific and another I do not know much about what he did, I think he may have been a pilot.

    All survived the war and one is still with us today.
     

Share This Page