Family/friend veterans

[mightytiges]

Anyone have any family/friend veterans they'd like to pay tribute to?

We only have a couple of family members who went off to fight. Two of my great uncles with the South Aust. Corps in WWI (both died) and my Uncle Stan who fought in North Africa. He just turned 80 a few months ago and he says things as he sees them  . Hope he has an enjoyable day.

 

   

[General Disregard]

Nice thread MT thanks

All of my family Veterans have passed on now, grandad died last year at 94,his brothers long gone

All will be with me at 11am

Being English the war was on their doorstep, the skies often went black with aeroplanes

Many stayed at home fighting fires and working to keep the War Effort going

Nan had the windows of her house blown out whilst putting out the washing

Dad got in trouble playing in the resulting crater

You will all be in my thoughts forever

[julzqld]

My grandfather fought in Borneo in WWII.  My nanna's oldest brother fought and died in northern France in WWI.

Mini-Me's school had a rather moving Anzac ceremony yesterday.   I find "The Last Post" always gets me emotional.  Hoping to get to the civilian ceremony at Currumbin at noon.  Took Mini-Me to the dawn service a couple of years ago at Elephant Rock, Currumbin - the place was packed!

Lest we forget!

[Moi]

Was trying to find this thread from last year where i told of my dad's heroics on Burleigh Heads lol
But got side-tracked looking at some of the old threads in the general section - some funny stuff to reminisce 
Haven't got many - me dad went to the Islands and got malaria or something and rehabilitated at Burleigh Heads.  Didn't see much action.
My mum's first fiance got killed in England - was flying in the Lancasters i think as a rear gunner (gutsiest people of all as they used to hose most of them out of the plane) - but he ended up getting blown up like Grace from the Sullivans in a London bombing.

And Uncle Ralph got killed in WW1 at Courtney's Post - here's his epitaph - same battle Albert Jacka got his VC

Lance Corporal Ralph, 1108, 14th Battalion, AIF.
Killed in action at Courtney's Post, central Anzac, 19 May 1915, aged 38.
Shrapnel Valley Cemetery IV.A.1.
Epitaph:
Simply To Thy Cross
I Cling

http://www.anzacs.org/epitaphs/epitaphsst.html

[WilliamPowell]

My Grandfather (MaPowell's Dad) was in WWI - I never knew my Grandfather because he died in the 1950's. We have a number of photos of him and his battalion. I was up in Albury visiting Ma Powell's brother earlier in the year and going through some old photos of Ma's and we ended up talking about my Grandfather and the war. My Uncle said that Grandpa didn't talk much about it, only that they did what they had to to survive and followed orders.

While cleaning out Ma Powell's place earlier this year I came across about a dozen postcards my Grandpa had sent my Grandmother from France  -  I knew about them as Ma treasured them because her Dad gave them to her just before he died - they are very precious, very fragile but wonderful pieces of history. I also found (and have kept) my Grandpa's metal chest that they were issued with when they joined up.

My Dad on the other hand never went to war. He was called up to the Air Force and he was in Brisbane when news came through the war (WWII) was over. Ma Powell contributed as well she worked in the old ammo factory that used to be in Gordon St Footscray

My Grandpa's details

Private William Wetmore
D Company
8th Battalion
France

Lest We Forget

[tiga]

My Step Dad was a WO (Warrant Officer) attached to the RAF in WWII. He was a navigator in a Liberator bomber and was based in India but flew most of their missions in Burma and what is now Thailand. Their task was to fly as low as possible to avoid detection and bomb Japanese ships. He told me that in calmer weather they could fly as low as 50-100 feet off the waters surface. A lot of his friends never came back and he had many close calls himself as all their missions were long and dangerous.
They flew mostly over 14 hours to reach a target which is a long time in very cramped spaces. To put this in perspective Bombers in europe averaged bet 6 to 8 hours in flight if they returned.

He received the Burma star and about 5 other medals.
To this day he is still troubled by some of the horrors of war and is reluctant to talk about much of it.

[mightytiges]

Just bumping this up for Anzac Day  .

I hope all the diggers have a great day    .

[Moi]

Yep, a special day - gotta respect these blokes and I do 

[Ox]

I'd like to pay tribute to the selfless acts of courage and fear that these men
put forward for the sake of freedom whilst staring straight in the eye of sdversity.

Well done boys
Champions.