| Happy VE day chaps. 13:10 - May 8 with 2852 views | qpr_1968 |
Happy ve day chaps, especially to those of us that lost friends and family in that war.
and of course the ones that suffered after the war. |  |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:02 - May 8 with 2145 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
Indeed |  |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 19:05 - May 8 with 2080 views | qpr_1968 |
seems that most of the uk have joined in celebrations the best we can, and rightly so.
plenty of union jacks flying all over the country, and the 75th flyover was well impressive. | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 19:33 - May 8 with 2058 views | colinallcars |
Yes indeed just a shame the celebrations had to be so muted. Well played to all those that took part. |  | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 19:40 - May 8 with 2050 views | enfieldargh |
My Dad GRHS served with the RMC in India 1942-1948.
He was stationed in Bombay and was then stationed at Deolali transit camp which has sad connotations with mental health, hence the phrase going doolaly.
Where did your parents/grandparents serve? |  |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:06 - May 8 with 2005 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
Don't normally take a lot of notice of what the Queen says but thought her speech just now was a good one. [Post edited 8 May 2020 21:07]
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:09 - May 8 with 1994 views | Boston |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:06 - May 8 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
Don't normally take a lot of notice of what the Queen says but thought her speech just now was a good one. [Post edited 8 May 2020 21:07]
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Don't forget Madge is a WW2 veteran herself. | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:17 - May 8 with 1987 views | loftboy |
Both my parents were London Kids during the war, 6 when it started and 12 when it ended, they met in the RAF in 1951 my dad doing his national service and my mum had joined the WRAF, been married 65 years this year, my dad has cancer and has just been discharged from hospital after contracting Covid, bloody miracle as far as I’m concerned, only downside is my mum who is still recovering from breaking her neck last year has had to go into a care home until this is all over. Probably the biggest battle they have faced. |  |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:18 - May 8 with 1974 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:17 - May 8 by loftboy |
Both my parents were London Kids during the war, 6 when it started and 12 when it ended, they met in the RAF in 1951 my dad doing his national service and my mum had joined the WRAF, been married 65 years this year, my dad has cancer and has just been discharged from hospital after contracting Covid, bloody miracle as far as I’m concerned, only downside is my mum who is still recovering from breaking her neck last year has had to go into a care home until this is all over. Probably the biggest battle they have faced. |
My very best to them Loftboy | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:24 - May 8 with 1963 views | qpr_1968 |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 21:17 - May 8 by loftboy |
Both my parents were London Kids during the war, 6 when it started and 12 when it ended, they met in the RAF in 1951 my dad doing his national service and my mum had joined the WRAF, been married 65 years this year, my dad has cancer and has just been discharged from hospital after contracting Covid, bloody miracle as far as I’m concerned, only downside is my mum who is still recovering from breaking her neck last year has had to go into a care home until this is all over. Probably the biggest battle they have faced. |
65 years is fantastic.
all the best to your parents loftboy. | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 01:15 - May 9 with 1908 views | B_Wad |
My mother and grandmother were in Valletta, Malta for the war. Survived the siege. Heard the stories of my grandmother taking potshots at the Luftwaffe with a pistol and pulling it on men to make sure it was children and ladies first in the air raid shelters. |  | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 22:09 - May 10 with 1693 views | CiderwithRsie |
One grandad was in the Home Guard (machine gun instructor - he'd been a machine gunner in WW1. Would have been 41 in 1940) The other granddad was actually a tad older, joined up in 1914 then went into the regular Indian Army (just in time for 3rd Afghan War in 1919!) - in France 1939-40, got out and then back east for the Japanese war - by then too old for the front, was running a training camp.
Dad was too young for WW2 but in time for Korea. His uncle was in the RAF.
My mum has the best story - when granddad was posted to France in 1939 she plus her sister came "back" to GB - not that she'd ever been here before - with my granny; sailed into Malta shadowed by Italian destroyers - they weren't in the war yet but everyone knew whose side they were on - then train across France in April 1940. Missed the German invasion by a couple of weeks.
Not one of my relatives killed in either world war which seems miraculous but I suppose that's why I'm here | | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 23:03 - May 10 with 1669 views | Boston |
VJ Day - August 25th in the UK, September 2nd in the US.
VD Day, my personal triumph over Diane Dawson  | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 11:12 - May 11 with 1592 views | kingo |
For VE Day I did some research for my mum about her brother, who was lost in WW2. We knew he was on a submarine called The Talisman that left Gibraltar in September 1942 but never arrived at Malta. For 78 years the family had no real details of what happened. But whilst doing my research I found a story from 2018 that a Belgian had found the site of 14 wrecks off the Tunisian coast at Tabarka and the Talisman and 8 other subs had fallen foul of a minefield 3 nm out. I contacted the Belgian, a JP Misson and to say he has been helpful has been an understatement and has given my mum peace of mind after 78 years of not knowing. RIP Herbert Abbott of Southall and the rest of the crew of HMS Talisman and the other 400 or so submariners at Tabarka. [Post edited 11 May 2020 11:18]
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| RIP: Sniffer, Doug and Pat |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 11:48 - May 11 with 1581 views | ted_hendrix |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 11:12 - May 11 by kingo |
For VE Day I did some research for my mum about her brother, who was lost in WW2. We knew he was on a submarine called The Talisman that left Gibraltar in September 1942 but never arrived at Malta. For 78 years the family had no real details of what happened. But whilst doing my research I found a story from 2018 that a Belgian had found the site of 14 wrecks off the Tunisian coast at Tabarka and the Talisman and 8 other subs had fallen foul of a minefield 3 nm out. I contacted the Belgian, a JP Misson and to say he has been helpful has been an understatement and has given my mum peace of mind after 78 years of not knowing. RIP Herbert Abbott of Southall and the rest of the crew of HMS Talisman and the other 400 or so submariners at Tabarka. [Post edited 11 May 2020 11:18]
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Nice story Dave and credit to you for doing the research. |  |
| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 12:03 - May 11 with 1571 views | HantsR |
My grandparents' house in the East End was bombed and they were both killed along with a daughter, one of 9 children. Two other daughters in the house at the time, my mum and aunt had to be dug out of the rubble, injured and unconscious and obviously a bit worse for wear but alive. I think the experience had a much greater effect on my mum than we ever really realised. I remember her relating how they danced in the streets on VE Day and made a bonfire of an old, allegedly obnoxious, public convenience!
The other grandparents had a hotel in Plymouth - that got bombed as well. They survived but hotel didn't. Never met him before he died, pity as he had been a prominent person in Plymouth; a Director of the Argyle and Chairman of the Bowling Club. I only saw her a few times - bit different these days with the close relationship I enjoy with my own grandchildren? Mrs Hants' Dad was in intelligence and spent the war in Bermuda! [Post edited 11 May 2020 12:06]
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:02 - May 11 with 1540 views | SedgemoorHoop |
My father was a Jeep driver with a Royal Artillery anti-tank regiment. After surviving the Battle of Normandy in 1944, he was killed in combat in Belgium in January 1945 (in the Ardennes). I was only 10 months old, so I never knew him: but I keep a photo of him on my bookshelf and have visited his grave in Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium a couple of times. My view is that it in 2020 it is now time to consign World War 2 to the history books, as something to study as an illustration of human fallibility and cruelty rather than something to celebrate with street parties. |  | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:12 - May 11 with 1525 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:02 - May 11 by SedgemoorHoop |
My father was a Jeep driver with a Royal Artillery anti-tank regiment. After surviving the Battle of Normandy in 1944, he was killed in combat in Belgium in January 1945 (in the Ardennes). I was only 10 months old, so I never knew him: but I keep a photo of him on my bookshelf and have visited his grave in Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium a couple of times. My view is that it in 2020 it is now time to consign World War 2 to the history books, as something to study as an illustration of human fallibility and cruelty rather than something to celebrate with street parties. |
It did not celebrate the war but the end of it. [Post edited 11 May 2020 14:13]
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:22 - May 11 with 1515 views | cyprusmel |
My mothers cousin was captured and forced to work on the Burma Railway. He died the day after the Allies liberated the camp.
He is buried at the war cemetery in Kanchanabry ?
I have been there and it is very tranquil and well looked after.
When I asked where about the grave was after giving the name, the young man without consulting any paper work or list told me exactly which row and how many graves in it was, some memory ! | | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:41 - May 11 with 1503 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:22 - May 11 by cyprusmel |
My mothers cousin was captured and forced to work on the Burma Railway. He died the day after the Allies liberated the camp.
He is buried at the war cemetery in Kanchanabry ?
I have been there and it is very tranquil and well looked after.
When I asked where about the grave was after giving the name, the young man without consulting any paper work or list told me exactly which row and how many graves in it was, some memory ! |
That is a sad story.
My Grandad was part of the force that liberated Burma and the Japanese work camps. I wonder if they came across each other.
I tried to visit Burma in 2013 from India and intended to visit the Railway junction that my Grandad was stationed at but there was a bit of political strife so the boarder was closed. |  | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 15:21 - May 11 with 1472 views | Boston |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:12 - May 11 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
It did not celebrate the war but the end of it. [Post edited 11 May 2020 14:13]
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Spot on | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 18:07 - May 11 with 1430 views | CiderwithRsie |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 14:12 - May 11 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
It did not celebrate the war but the end of it. [Post edited 11 May 2020 14:13]
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To be quite honest, I'm not sure what the point of the holiday this year was. Obviously everyone has bigger fish to fry right now but I didn't get the impression that a lot of thought had gone into it - let's face it, they only thought of it so late that half the calendars were printed before they'd changed the Bank Holiday date.
A proper reflection of the end of the war and what that meant would have been worth it. Funnily enough one of the big things at that time was that a couple of months later a new govt won a landslide election on the promise of creating the NHS.
I'm no pacifist and I've explained upthread about my own family's connection to the military in both world wars and after, but the impression I get is that we are supposed to wave our little flags, pat ourselves on the back and get a warm glow of patriotism and nostalgia. I don't think that's enough TBH and IMO SedgemoorHoop is right; people on VE Day were looking forward to making a better world and we should be too. | | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 18:35 - May 11 with 1418 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 18:07 - May 11 by CiderwithRsie |
To be quite honest, I'm not sure what the point of the holiday this year was. Obviously everyone has bigger fish to fry right now but I didn't get the impression that a lot of thought had gone into it - let's face it, they only thought of it so late that half the calendars were printed before they'd changed the Bank Holiday date.
A proper reflection of the end of the war and what that meant would have been worth it. Funnily enough one of the big things at that time was that a couple of months later a new govt won a landslide election on the promise of creating the NHS.
I'm no pacifist and I've explained upthread about my own family's connection to the military in both world wars and after, but the impression I get is that we are supposed to wave our little flags, pat ourselves on the back and get a warm glow of patriotism and nostalgia. I don't think that's enough TBH and IMO SedgemoorHoop is right; people on VE Day were looking forward to making a better world and we should be too. |
My missus is from a country that was flattened during the War, says we (the British) are obsessed with it to the point it’s unhealthy. I agree.
It’s a really nice thing to honour the veterans of yesterday , but what about the veterans of today?
10,000 have mental health difficulties and 6,000 are homeless.
[Post edited 11 May 2020 18:41]
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 09:31 - May 12 with 1329 views | francisbowles |
It's a war we came very close to losing or even 'giving in' as some wanted. Had we not defeated the enemy the world would have been many times worse than it is.
Churchill, fall all his faults, kept us in it and kept up a dialogue with Roosevelt that enabled us to keep going until the the tide turned with the Soviets resisting and overcoming the Germans and the Americans coming in after Pearl harbour.
Evil Nazi Germany must never be forgotten or repeated. Our victory over that regime and it's brutal allies and the sacrifice that was made, should I believe be celebrated and remembered, as an enormous lesson for mankind, for all time to come. | | | |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 01:33 - May 15 with 1190 views | Boston |
| Happy VE day chaps. on 18:35 - May 11 by BazzaInTheLoft |
My missus is from a country that was flattened during the War, says we (the British) are obsessed with it to the point it’s unhealthy. I agree.
It’s a really nice thing to honour the veterans of yesterday , but what about the veterans of today?
10,000 have mental health difficulties and 6,000 are homeless.
[Post edited 11 May 2020 18:41]
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How is Eva by the way? | |
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| Happy VE day chaps. on 01:43 - May 15 with 1184 views | timcocking |
Indeed. I think i read once that QPR lost 13 players in the war, imagine that. Plenty of Cockings on the war memorials in Kernow. |  | | |
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