ANZAC DAY - What's Your Parent's War Story?
Not directly related to fishing, but certainly topical today. Besides, one might consider we are here to enjoy our love of fishing sport because of the sacrifices our parents, aunts/uncles and others made.
My father was the youngest bosun on a Normandy landing craft. He lied about his age (only 16) so he could play his part and do his bit. He saw action right through Germany and was then transferred to the Oceanic arena, where he had R&R with 'the balshaws' an iconic pioneering family in Kelmscott. He vowed that when he got married and his children were old enough (us of course), we would emigrate to WA from England. Fortunately his eventual wife agreed and this saw us all emigrate here in 1965.
My mother was in the British 'Land Army'. This outfit consisted of women who undertook an amazing range of roles, essential to sustain both the 'domestic normality' and the massive war effort. I've always been in awe and rapture at the amazing stories they recounted, peppered with laughter at some of the 'mischief' they got up to.
My Uncle John was an official world war II naval photographer, and my mother has a photo album somewhere of actual WWII scenes of naval ships 'going up' (exploding). These include ships like the Bismark, The Ark Royal and The Hood. Seeing those many years ago for the first time (the photos were released from the British Admiralty in 1954) was a very suriel experience. Sadly, my Uncle John lost his life when he went overboard (the exact circumstances have been obscured by time) and was chopped up in the Ships propellers.
We all know we don't live in a perfect world, and not hardly a day goes by when we are unhappy about 'our lot'. But; thanks to the sacrifices of many, our (and our offspring's) generation are around and our nation, way of belief and values remain intact - with all their faults. It certainly puts things into perspective and hopefully allows not to take our 'imperfect' situation so for granted.
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roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
My late father
was a submarine man in the Dutch Navy assigned to the Australian Navy in Fremantle, his crew on the submarine would go and pick up the Commando's (now the SAS) from points off of the New Guinea coast and surrounding areas, sometimes they were lucky and picked up the Commondo's unfortunately sometimes they didn't pick up anybody, even after waiting longer than the Captain liked.
Before that he was stationed in Holland on a Destroyer as first gunner mate. His ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, the crew abandoned ship, injured on lifeboats and non injured hanging on the lifeboats (Dad). The ship didn't sink, so Dad and a couple of other crew swam back to the Destroyer, and literally pulled the plug on the ship so it could sink. Swam back to the life rafts and was in the water till rescued. He spent weeks in hospital in Scotland (he learnt Engish) with pickled legs (long time in ocean)Dad was also the youngest Petty Officer in the Dutch Navy.
He has a medal from the House of Orange (Dutch Royal Family & presented him with his medal) which is the same as the Victoria Cross. I never knew about this till Dad died and the Dutch Consul wanted to give him a farwell at his funeral and put all his medlas and awards on his coffin for everybody to see and know.
Dad met Mum in 1943 the war ended in 1945 they married then Dad took Mum back to Holland & Dad taught at the Navy Academy (I came along in 1948) till they come back to Perth in 1950 with me.
Regards
Roberta
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Dreamweaver
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Date Joined: 01/12/07
Great story Roberta
Certainly sounds like your father deserved that medal!
Colin Molloy
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Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
i dont know
a great deal about my parents life back then... all i know is they both lived through 2 world wars and in holland the gestapo would do patrols and my mum (as a child ) would have to hide from them....my mum knew anne frank and i have heard a little bit from her about that....my dad never said boo about the crap he went through so i can only imagine.....and seeing wat we learn through history i dont think he'd would want to relive those memories.........gone but never forgotten i think with my dad.....i do know trhat both my grandfathers served with the dutch military and saw action but ive never met them......and my parents never really spoke about them........
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roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Yes Vander72 my Dad's side come from
Monnikerdam and everybody there hide the Jewish people from the SS and Nazi's. My fathers twin brother was in the underground. Uncle Yent never spoke either what he did during the war, as I went back in 1990 to met Dads family, drive around the country side in Holland and you can still see the Bunkers in the fields with the cows. Went to Germany and visited the American War Cemetary and all you could see was a sea of white crosses, very sobering and sad sight to see, so many lives lost so that we can have a beautiful world today, people still crying trying to find their loved ones in the cemetary.
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Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
it is sad
alot of stories that will never get told......and be taken with them when they leave this world.......on one hand i can understand but on the other id like to know abit more about my father and what his life was like.....but i guess i never will.....
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Adam Gallash
Posts: 15608
Date Joined: 29/11/05
Grandpa
2/7th Field Ambulance Association
as at 17/4/01The Unit was on active service for six years, from May 1940 to disbanding in May 1946.
Initially entirely Western Australian, 243 men left Australia in September 1940 to join 6th Division, and served in campaigns in Libya, Greece and Crete.
151 members were taken prisoner of war on Crete, and many of these worked during their prisoner years looking after their allied colleagues.
Among the doctors were Lt. Colonel Les Lesouef, Major Bert Palandri, Captains Frank Gallash, Alan King and Max Mayrhofer, who were all taken prisoner.
With core personnel evacuated from Crete, the Unit was reformed and after returning to Australia, retrained and served with distinction in the Aitape-Wewak campaign in New Guinea.
Yep, my grandpa never really talked about what he endured during the war, as a prisoner of war and having to heal the casualities, things one would probably never want to imagine I would guess.
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callum
Posts: 417
Date Joined: 29/10/08
army
great great uncle was of german heritage, had bricks thrown through the windows as they were living in britain. he then went to war at 16.
dad served 25 years in the army and did a 2 year tour of egypt/sie-ni.
cheers
happy fishing
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
War service
My grandfather and two of his brother were involve in Gallipoli,the middle east and on the western front.At one stage all three were wounded in the same battle and sent over to Scotland to recuperate.All three returned to WA after the war ended.
My mother was a telegrapher in the operations room at Pearce air basein WW2
Father was in the artillery in New Guinea and Borneo.I'm name after Dad's brother who was killed in New Guinea on the Kokoda trail.Before that he was in the seige at Trobruk in the middle east
With a lot of mates getting called up for nashos and me missing out on the draw I tried to enlist in the regulars only to miss out on medical grounds.I bet if I had have been called up I would have been accepted,but it wasn't to be.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Carnarvonite can relate to the nashos my first husband
didn't get called up volunteered for the regular army was turned back as he was 7kg over weight, John always wondered if he had had is marble called up would they have excepted him for nashos being 7kg's over weight, he was 6' 4" and my second husband never was called up but Bob has asthma so don't know if he had been called up if he would have past the medical.
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Albee Mangles
Posts: 985
Date Joined: 20/05/08
My mother was
born in Ukraine pre WW2, and during the war they were forced from there homes. Mum's mum worked as a servent/slave for the Germans most of the war, and my Grandfather was in the Russian resistance. They managed to get on a displaced persons ship to Australia toward the end of the war, where they built a house in Melville, where my nan still lives now.
Grandad was killed by a drunk driver round the time i was born.
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Brett Ozanne
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Posts: 4688
Date Joined: 01/12/07
Great
I think it's great to read the recount of each contributors personal story, and, perhaps what is more important, read it with the gift of non historical judgement that much better international relationships (especially as to the nations and (then) ideologies) allow.
Colin Molloy
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Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
I don't know a lot about my father's grandad or his father
They both died young in various wars. I know my great grandad was driving an ambulance when it was hit by artillery and my grandfather died from the effects of mustard gas.
We used to march every Anzac day with their medals when we were little tackers.
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dagree
Posts: 660
Date Joined: 08/12/07
My parents were too young to serve in WW2 but.....
they do have some stories. Here's a couple of them.. They lived in North East Scotland. One day at school mum saw a German plane fly over and then they heard some bombs go off. On her way home she saw the pilot being taken away by soldiers. It turned out her house was one that got hit. She lost her baby sister that day and her mum was hospitalised for weeks.
Dad tried enlisting but they found out he was too young. He was walking home one day when a plane flew along above the street shooting.... Trails of bullets went either side of him and he admits to this day that he literally sh@t himself and I don't blame him.
Cheers,
David
Cheers,
David (AKA Grumps)
Location: Heathridge. Toys: 120 Series Prado ... 5.3 Stacer Seamaster/Merc 90HP.
dagree
Posts: 660
Date Joined: 08/12/07
Also
My great grandfather was enlisted and was posted as a watchman at the local lighthouse. One night while off duty and doing maintenance on the lighthouse he was shot and wounded by a rogue plane flying over trying to put the lighthouse out of action. My grandfather was in WW2 in Turkey (Not at gallipoli). I still have his medals that I have worn since I was 7 (a very long time) at the ANZAC march with my uncle who served with the Australian Navy for 21 years but alas due to health reasons cannot march any more. They were proudly on my chest this morning at the dawn service at Kings Park.
RIP
Cheers,
David (AKA Grumps)
Location: Heathridge. Toys: 120 Series Prado ... 5.3 Stacer Seamaster/Merc 90HP.