Photoshop Colourisations

I've yet to order my grandads official war records from WW2. I will be apprehensive about reading it. I used to go and sit in my grandads drawing room (he was a draughtsman after he left the navy) and he showed me some pictures he painted of some ships he'd been on. I remember him telling me that three of the ships he was on were bombed and sunk. I remember saying "you were really lucky grandad" and he said "yes, very lucky". That's all I remember him telling me, but apparently that's much more than he told my mum about it. He was going to write his memoirs but never did it - although he had made some notes and I found them a few months ago...sadly a list of all his school friends and what they did in the war and many of them were killed. So so sad.

I found my other gt gt uncles (Sammys brother Arthur) war records and like yourself, found he had been in and out of military hospitals with stomach issues. When I first read the records, it looked as if he was trying to get out of being at the front. I later realised this certainly wasn't the case. He survived the war but died in 1923....I ordered his death certificate - he died of an infected lining of the stomach and a burst ulcer several days after an operation on his stomach. It turns out many men suffered from stomach ulcers etc from stress of being at the front. So so sad. I also noticed that Arthur was in military hospital when Sammy died...I noticed he went AWOL for a day and then was punished (confined to Barracks). We think he must have been informed of Sammy's death and it hit him hard.

 

I have records that show my family, on my paternal grandfather's side, as having been members of a church in Abingdon. They were the Bonds and one of my cousins said she visited there and confirmed it. I would have loved to go there myself when I visited. Maybe next time

 

You need to come back over here and we’ll make sure you have a brilliant time.

 

I know I will get there again some day Need to save up for a bit.

 

That is extremely kind of you! It'll take a while to save up and I want to have enough on me to treat people to dinners and things like that because you are all so kind and I feel I owe you one

I know that I would do a better job of visiting. Once I'd figured out the subway and rail systems I really got mobile. Too much fun over there!

 

@JWK I bet that was fantastic. Did you see the open air show that was on bbc where they lit up the cloth hall in Ypres? I think that was on a week or so before we went the first time. on 11th August 2017 we took part in the Last Post ceremony and laid a wreath for our Sammy - his name is on the Menin Gate. It was very emotional. Like you say - we met some lovely people there who had their stories to tell. I am just so pleased that they are being remembered. The second time we went we took my grandma and it was Anzac day 2018 - my god it was fantastic! Such a brilliant day to take my grandma and see the ceremony.

Have you tracked down your two gt uncles final movements? I used my war diary from my uncles battalion and there was quite a detailed account of what happened that day. First time mum and I went to Ypres we hired a tour guide - an ex military belgian chap who was excellent. He cross referenced where my uncles comrades bodies were buried from the day they died in that specific battle on a map. (CWGC site has all this info). So our tour guide took us to the places where Sammy fought and where the final battle was and showed us where he was likely to be buried. We can assume he was buried (as he was most likely killed by a machine gunner) in one of the temporary graves next to the battlesite as directly after that particular battle it was a quite couple of days so they would go out and bury their dead comrades. By the time they exhumed the bodies from the temporary grave he most likely couldn't be identified.

I found out a lot more about Sammy's life back home before the war - on the British Newspaper Archive...him and his two brothers were football mad and I've found loads of football match reports from 1905-1912. Sammy was a keen footballer and a good goalscorer according to the football reports. The newspapers also published letters from soldiers and was lovely to read them with specific mentions of my uncles. I was going to add a picture of their football team from 1903 that I am working on colouring but the file is too big!

 

@CanadianLori I second what John has said. We're also about 30 mins from london on train and not far from Heathrow (Dave works globally so i'm always driving him there and picking him up!). We've got 3 spare rooms and two have en suite so you can have your pick. (we just have two dogs - so not sure if you are ok with dogs?! lol). Anyway, at least between John and myself we could make sure you will have somewhere friendly to rest your head. I really want to treat you to make up for what you've had to put up with - I know a few others on here feel the same.

 

Thank you for your kind offer. I really did have a smashing time overall whilst there. The young people were a lot of fun too. Some fellows about 18 or so, were slouching all over the seats near the doors on a train going from Windsor to Waterloo Station. One immediatey offered me a seat and I declined and thanked him. I saw another empty seat down the other end and before hauling myself and luggage down there, advised them all to sit up straight please . And they did. A little old lady with a bun of grey on top of her head can certainly make things move !