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Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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 Posted -
07/03/2007
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15:03
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As is my wont I started to move off topic on canals with Panny and I going on about our dads war service. I've done it properly and started a new thread.
Cheers Ian. Have a look at the post "A Barlicker on D Day".
My dad left the Dukes to join the newly formed parachute regiment but his eyesight let him down and he was put in a "holding" regiment, the Dorsets. Montgomery then had other ideas about the Dorsets and together with the Devons and the Northumbriams (Tyne Tees), parts of the 7th Armoured and parts of the commando regiment formed them into the 50th Division which became his prime assault group, the only group to make three assault landings in Sicily, Italy and France on D Day. Nolic
Edited by - Another on 07 March 2007 15:12:36
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator" 
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Bruff
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Posted - 19/06/2007 : 14:48
It was the grandparents and great uncles who served in the war in my family. My maternal grandfather didn't go abroad during the war and was on AA batteries on the NE Coast. His brother Willy Thorpe, much younger, was parachuted into the Balkans to fight with Tito's partisans - I imagine he was a special forces type. His parents never heard anything from him for 3 years. Goodness knows what he witnessed in the bloodbath that was the Balkans, and he never, ever spoke about it and he never married - being devoted to his mother for the rest if his life.
Richard Broughton
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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 19/06/2007 : 17:34
Richard, my son in law's family are Greek, and when I was over there for the wedding I spent a lot of time with the great-uncles who were impressive men. Harry told me afterwards he'd never heard them speak about the war, they were all partisans and I have little doubt were serious opposition in those days. There were three of them and I think they spent a lot of time together all those years afterwards.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
moh
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Posted - 19/06/2007 : 19:18
Just thinking about Barlick after the war. Nowadays we have all these young guys from Poland over here because of the EU - just after the war we had all the Polish guys staying in Barlick because they could not go back to their home country because they had been here to fight with us. I have a friend who could not go back to see his family for many years and until he had become a naturalised Briton. I remember going with him and the English girl he married to the Black & White cafe in Barlick where they would all meet up on Saturday morning - think the owner was called Mr Spitz
Say only a little but say it well |
HerbSG
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Posted - 19/06/2007 : 19:25
H my father also originally Manchester, but later Barlick, enlisted Territorial Army and "embodied" Royal Artillery, March 1942. He served in Burma, finally got out Jan. 1947. He hardly ever talked about Burma unless saw something showing the Yanks winning the war, one of his fav comments was to quote the officers, "protect yourselves tonight lads, the Yanks are going on a bombing raid", he also had a strong dislike for rice.
HERB
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moh
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Posted - 19/06/2007 : 19:41
My Dad was also in the TA and the Sick Berth before the war so was also called up before 'the balloon went up' He was a PO in the Royal Navy - dental technician
Say only a little but say it well |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 20/06/2007 : 07:39
Read Ernie, Burma was hard work. He was on the parade where Orde Wingate called for volunteers for the Chindits and stopped his mate stepping forward on the grounds that Wingate was mad......
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 20/06/2007 : 09:05
Herb, your comments about the US forces reminded me of another thing my dad said. The US planes used to drop supplies in for the British troops, but unfortunatley the Japanese cottoned on to this and laid out a pretend dropzone a few miles before. The US spotted it, thought it was British and so supplied the Japanese with food and arms for quite some time, while the British troops went hungry and had no ammo. He also had nothing but the highest of praise for the Ghurkas who fought alongside the British troops. He had a kukri which he kept in the garage for years. It used to fascinate me. No idea where it is now. And he once bumped into Winston Churchill on a train (not sure in what country). Winnie was emerging from his sleeper dressed in pyjamas, with whisky glass and cigar in place and a noticeably red face, whether from embarrassment or the whisky my dad wasn't sure. |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 20/06/2007 : 09:39
H, military cock-ups are legend.... I was listening to R4 yesterday and there was a piece about the navy sending in paddle steamers to attack supply bases in Finland in winter during the Crimean War. Apart from the fact that they broke their paddles constantly, after they attacked the supply depots and burned the stores they found out that what they had destroyed was all paid for by the British Navy and was awaiting shipment to England as soon as the ice melted..... You couldn't make it up!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
panbiker
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Posted - 05/01/2008 : 14:26
I do like the search engine hits on the home page, I was following up an entry on Nissen Huts as I had mentioned these earlier in this thread in relation to my Dads service with the Dukes in Iceland. I came across this account of when the US Marine vanguard joined the British and Canadian troops already occupying the island. Fascinating reading and expands on what I already understand from my Dads diaries and tales he told. I was unaware that the US Marines adopted the 49th Div Polar Bear shoulder patch as worn by my Dad in the Dukes. The article gives a very good account of the conditions that the lads endured up there. Quite a few pages with some good photo's, a good read for anyone interested in this early theatre.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003118-00/sec1.htm
Ian |
panbiker
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Posted - 05/01/2008 : 14:45
Here is a scan of the inside cover of one of my Dad's sketch pads showing a pen and ink copy of the Polar Bear patch taped inside.
Ian |
Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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Posted - 05/01/2008 : 15:49
Interesting reading Panny and thanks for the pm alerting me.
Nolic
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator" |
Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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Posted - 06/01/2008 : 09:37
Timewatch on BBC 2 tonight has Richard Hammond presenting the "true" story of the Bloody Omaha DDay landings. I've just watched a trailer for the programme which says that the "official" estimates of American dead were significantly lower than those actually killed - a truly harrowing thought for anyone who has seen the thousands of white headstones at the US cemetery at St Laurent. Nolic
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator" |
Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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Posted - 13/01/2008 : 16:45
My dad, Carol Myers is on the right with a Barlicker who joined the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment at the outbreak of the Second World War. Nolic
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator" |
frankwilk
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Posted - 13/01/2008 : 16:52
Nolic on www.roots .com their are people who will clean up your picture at no cost. I have seen quite a few that have been done and they do a first rate job
Frank Wilkinson Once Navy Always Navy |
panbiker
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Posted - 13/01/2008 : 17:07
Colin did you tape the prog the other night, I missed it and would like to see it. It will probably be repated though on the higher sattelite channels. I will have to keep my eyes peeled. Good one of your Dad and pal.
Ian |
Barlickers in the War
