Ve Day

Xenophobe

We have a social distancing street party of sorts here tomorrow, here's what Mrs B has been up to so far, all homemade (except the cream but including the bunting)

 

What a fabulous picture you have there !

we’re sharing a virtual chink of glasses with our near neighbours

scones will be baked tomorrow & brownies already made today - will probably fire up the bbq & be grateful for what we have with thanks to those that made it possible

 

Which is you the boys are all pulling chimp faces, does it run in the family

 

the wifes grandfather was a flight instructor during WW2, the bombers i think, i will find out shortly. i never met him but her grandmother told us the storys. Amazing people, such a waist of life.

 

BBQ here tomorrow too

 

Great thread Jack.

My first VE Day without any of my grandparents.

I am very proud of my grand parents and they all died except one within a 6 month period, late 2019.

Granny D was in Mi5 during the war and helped uncover her own boss as a Russian Spy.

Granny S was in the WAF, delivering Spitfires and Hurricanes to their allocated airfields.

Grandpa R was an officer in the Navy, hunting down German Submarines.

Grandpa S was an officer in the REME, fighting in Europe and Africa.

My brother is still serving now.

Great, life role models and I was very blessed to have them in my life. All missed very much and all died peacefully.

 

v.true.
it was the lancaster he taught and fought in Egypt. the grandmother was in the WAF.
the wife has just pulled out all the old photos, including all the original documents. there is a letter there that was sent to every household dated 8th of june 1946.
To-day as we celebrate victory.
i send this personal message to you and
all other boys and girls at school. for
you have shared in the hardships and
dangers of a total war and you have
shared no less in the triumph of the
Allied Nations.
I know you will always feel proud to
belong to country which was capable
of such supreme effort, proud, too, of
parents and elder brothers and sisters
who by their courage, endurance and
enterprise brought victory. May these
qualities be yours as you grow up and
join in the common effort to establish
among the nations of the world unity
and peace.
George R.I.

 

i will ask the wife. it will no doubt have to be pics of pics.

 

right, she's not to keen, it's all family stuff which is fair enough. there is one of him taken inside the plane with him behind the controls and looking scarily like Hermon Munster. i think she might be confused as to what plane he flew, it looks to small.
interesting stuff tho.

 

My granddad was in the merchant navy, he survived the war, including several U boat attacks and the Russian convoys.
He never went near the sea after the war.
Will be in my thoughts.

 

My Grandad was in the Royal Navy. He signed up even though he was in a reserved occupation.
He didn't say an awful lot about his time I have to admit, but his nerves were shattered and I can only try to imagine what it was like as boiler man working in the bowels of a ship and knowing full well that if the ship gets hit there is little chance of getting out.
One story he did tell me though was straight after he had passed his training, he was assigned a ship and after his first night on board he came up on deck to witness the convoy he was in, that spread as far as the eye could see as he powered his was down under. All this for a boy who'd never left Widnes until this point in his life!

 

My mum was a young girl growing up in Romford during the war. They evacuated all the children at one point for about 3 months, she went to one of the seaside resorts, Puddly on the Marsh or somesuch, and was billeted with some locals.
I tell you what though, it makes our corona virus shennanigans seem pretty tame.
I was outside BuckPal in 95 for the 50th where they had Harry Secombe, Vera Lynn and Cliff Richard entertaining. I got pissed on a jug of Pimms. Have the commemorative 50p coin