Veterans...

• Apr 27, 2007

• #1

Bf109_g

Senior Airman

634

1

Aug 11, 2006

New Zealand

Hi guys!

Just thought I'd put this out there for you if you've have talked to any WW2 veterans. I've talked to my aunty's friend, who flew Short Stirlings, and towed gliders during Arnhem and D-Day; my second cousin, who flew in Avro Lancasters on Pathfinder duties during 1944-45, and I'm going to be visting an ex-Pathfinder Force navigator, Ernie Mawson, D.F.C., this weekend to tak to him... I think if you have a family member who served during WW2, see if they'll talk to you about what they did, before they aren't around...

James.

 

• Apr 27, 2007

• #2

lesofprimus

Brigadier General

18,831

46

Jul 27, 2004

Long Island Native in Mississippi

ihatemeatballs.com

Many threads about this same subject already exixst here... Do a search and visit them...

 

• Apr 30, 2007

• #3

DOUGRD

Staff Sergeant

800

11

Apr 15, 2007

Alexandria, MN. USA

Bf109_g said:

Hi guys!

I'm going to be visting an ex-Pathfinder Force navigator, Ernie Mawson, D.F.C., this weekend to tak to him... I think if you have a family member who served during WW2, see if they'll talk to you about what they did, before they aren't around...

James.

Click to expand...

How about a favor? Report back here next week and tell us everything he said. I just finished a book about Bomber Command and it told some very hairy tales about the pathfinders.

 

• Apr 30, 2007

• #4

evangilder

"Shooter"

19,049

208

Sep 17, 2004

Moorpark, CA

www.vg-photo.com

It's always a good idea to tape them, if you can. If not, write everything you can remember down while it is still fresh in your mind. You won't regret it later.

 

• May 1, 2007

• #5

T

trackend

Chief Master Sergeant

3,962

23

Dec 20, 2003

Ipswich, Suffolk

My old man has written a short booklet on his personal experiences from 39 -45
a couple of local school teachers took it into class for the kids as part of their lessons. The most obvious thing to come out of it, is that everyman s war is different even compared to those along side him .
It may be inaccurate with some of the technical bits but that makes it all the more personal and it is usually the better educated guys that produce this kind of thing so coming from an ordinary joe makes a change.

 

• May 1, 2007

• #6

Negative Creep

Staff Sergeant

877

13

Apr 1, 2007

New Zealand

I never knew until I'd left school that my classmate's grandad was one of those on the mini submarines that attacked the Tirpitz

 

• May 2, 2007

• #7

T

trackend

Chief Master Sergeant

3,962

23

Dec 20, 2003

Ipswich, Suffolk

People just see old men now days but many of them did things as young guys that are remarkable and they probable had more bottle than most soft living civis could ever imagine.
A guy I know from my home town is all twisted with a humpty back and uses a walking stick now, but in the war he was in no 3 commando doing night raids across the channel and could have eaten these so called street gang toughies with one arm tied behind his back.