Family D-Day Stories

[Dr Dave]

My Grandfather designed the hydraulics for the Flail arms on the Sherman funny to be stowed behind the turret and swung over the turret when needed for flailing

Dad was an apprentice in Barry dry docks. He spent 18 months watching the shipping build up in the docks and Barry Roads. Early one morning (June 2 or 3?) he was walking to work - and all the ships had gone. Something was up.

Uncles in the Med.

[fsn]

My Grandad was somewhere in the North Atlantic on D-Day, aboard a merchant vessel. I have his seaman's paybook, so I can chart his various journeys.

I remember him saying that on one trip the ship in front of his was torpedoed. His ship was ordered to move up to take its place. Then the ship behind him was torpedoed. "That was the day" he intoned "that I began to take the war personally."

I had an uncle in the RN. He was on Hood (and left before it went down) and was on Nelson (I think) in 1944. I recreated his service life from some photographs given to me by my aunt. My interest was piqued by a photo on a carrier. I didn't recognise the aircraft (they were Supermarine Attackers.) From that I could pin him down to one ship ... so it went.   

[steve_holmes_11]

Uncle Alan, grandfather's younger brother, was a  lookout on "Small boats" (No further information) and was active on D-day and the days after.
Without knowing what sort of boat, it's difficult to speculate about anything precise.
He made it through unscathed.

Grandfather was in Burma by this time, don't know whether the "forgotten army" also count as dodgers.

[sunjester]

My uncle missed D-Day, he'd been in the rearguard at Dunkirk.

He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers and felt he'd been lucky. When they ran out of ammo and had to surrender, his company were picked up by a Wehrmacht unit, in the next village over they were facing SS where 30-odd prisoners got machine gunned the same day.

[FierceKitty]

My uncle missed D-Day, he'd been in the rearguard at Dunkirk.

He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers and felt he'd been lucky. When they ran out of ammo and had to surrender, his company were picked up by a Wehrmacht unit, in the next village over they were facing SS where 30-odd prisoners got machine gunned the same day.

Dear God, history is frightening.

[paulr]

Hi M.

I think PaulR probably knows more about him than I do....Gallipoli ? I'm sure you're right, from what Paul has told me.

From Family history, which one of my aunts researched.......Then my Sis continued.....A lot of 'that side' of my family ended up in NZ. (Pretty sure the surname Hargest, is a corruption of 'Hergest Ridge' in Shropshire.)
The PoW bit ?.....I think that's where the title of the book 'Farewell Campo 12' originated...As I believe he escaped. (I'll have to try and find a copy of that book.....Or nick it back from my niece...If that's who's got it now.)

Cheers - Phill

Hargest is extremely well know in Otago and Southland; High School, Library, streets named after him

He was with the Otago Mounted Rifles at Gallipoli, his brigade was responsible for Maleme, he got back to North Africa but was captured
He succeeded in escaping from his Italian PoW camp and getting to Switzerland. He served as the NZ observer at D-Day and was killed by shell fire on a farewell visit to British 50th Division in Normandy in August 1944

[paulr]

My father landed on Sword beach with 2nd East Yorkshire battalion on 6 June, he fought until VE Day and was scheduled to invade Japan

After the A-bombs were dropped he got to spend some time in Palestine instead

Never spoke about any of it

[Techno]

See.....I told you Pail knows more about him !

Davy (Westie)...Thanks for the book tip. 

Cheers - Phil

[Sunray]

Great find, Orcs!

Yes, thank you Mark.  This is why Remembrance Day/Festival is so important - we remember them all - the long and the short and the tall -regardless of rank, social class, recognised gallantry, or the plain forgotten heroes whose gallantry went unrecognised.  Those who are "known", those "unknown" and those who have no grave.  Those who died, whose who survived but wounded in body or in mind.

Its a simple apolitical act.  We will remember them.  

[Smoking gun]

My dad, a veteran of Italy, went to Normandy with the REME in support of the 10th Armoured Division. He was there until the end of the Normandy campaign and then was transferred to prepare for the invasion of the Japanese home islands, he was on the transport ship when the Japanese surrended, they turned round and went back to India where he stayed until the partition so "his war" didn't end until 1947. He didn't talk much about his service in Italy and Normandy but he did enjoy his time in India, He died on the 6th of June a few years ago.

Martin

[Ithoriel]

On D-Day my Dad was a seventeen year-old "tiffy boy" in the dockyard and, on the Day of Days, a bicycle messenger taking sandwiches to AA batteries and Observer posts around Rosyth Dockyard.

Still MY hero though.