Topic: D-DAY, 6th June 1944

[Mr Smith]

Just a big thank you to any vets out there that saved this country from Communism, Fascism and anti Judaism, if we have any school teachers out there have you mentioned this to your class today? about what happened way back in 1944, I don't think so, I suppose the pages of the Guardian seemed more important ;)

[tim]

Thank God I was posted to the Burma front instead. Wouldn't have survived here. My squadron lost 35 of 40 pilots.

[good7saint]

My dad was in Burma.
In the army though

[calendula]

My father filmed D-Day (and survived) - much of the british archive you see these days belonged to him on Juno beach - what a mess, should never have happened  :'(

I'm tempted to write the poem he wrote when he went back in 1994 but it makes me too sad and it is as much time to forget as a time to remember

[saddad]

My dad was on Sword... so I always mention it...  :-X

[Mr Smith]

Tim,
         A big thankyou to you Sir, and Calendula the same to your Father :)

[cleo]

if we have any school teachers out there have you mentioned this to your class today? about what happened way back in 1944, I don't think so, I suppose the pages of the Guardian seemed more important

Please Sir-is 1944 before the Battle of Hastings?-did they text each other?

And hats off from me as well.

One Uncle was doing things he never mentioned-something to do with air -sea rescue was the best I got but he was proud of his beret.

Another was already a POW by then from Italy

[caroline7758]

We were near Blackpool yesterday and saw three old war planes flying over- OH said one was a spitfire. Wondered if this was a D-Day celebration or something to do with that 1st world war veteran celebrating his 112th birthday- or both!

[Hyacinth]

today there was a fly past of Sikorsky helicopters...no, no D-Day celebration....wounded lads from Iraq en route to hospital... :'(

[Tin Shed]

My 92 yr old aunt was one of the first nurses over the Mulberry harbours and also went into Belsen. The soldiers wouldn't let the nurses go straight into Belsen as they said it was so bad. She is an amazing lady who has a trunk of archive material including a photo of her standing beside Hitler's car in the Reichstag!

[Mr Smith]

Tin shed ,
                  your post is fascinating what a remarkable lady she must be, I think alot of the time we forget that we had many brave ladies  that put their lives on the line along with the lads,  please give her my regards :)

[davyw1]

I salute them all, and if i could would shake the hand of every one of them and thank them.

[valmarg]

D-Day 6th June, dad went over on the 14th June, and I arrived on the 20th.

Dad was in the RAOC, which mother referred to as 'his joy ride round the continent'.

It is soo difficult the imagine the virtual siege conditions the county was under.  Could you imagine trying to manage on 'one egg per person per week'? (unless, as many people did, kept their own chickens).

I know I'm going to sound like a nagging old biddy, but the profligate, throw-away society we have become is stupid.

 I know I am as guilty as anyone regarding food waste.

I certainly would not want to go back to wartime rations, but it just might make us a bit more careful when buying in the supermarket.

valmarg

[Bill Door]

My dad went over on D-day +6.  He was in reconisence (can't confirm spelling) with the green Howards ( I think).  He has only mentioned two happenings  and they really brought him out in tears.

My uncle visited when I was young and he was also in ROAC.  He read Dads war book and said that there was one place in France that the writer had got the wrong date.  Dad asked why and my uncle said that he had been there the day after and the place had only been captured overnight.  Dad said yes he didn't get much sleep that night or that morning as they had already moved on and were giving the co-ordinates for the next lot of bombardment.

Times were bad then (and later when I was growing up)and I would not like to bring them back.  However, I do think that we really do have it easier than then or even a lot of other people in this world. 

Lets just hope we don't let it all go into reverse and throw all the hard work away.  Perhaps your suggestion might prove helpful valmarg.

Bill

[Trevor_D]

I taught with a lady who witnessed D-Day. As the allies were going in one direction, she was being shipped out in the opposite direction, as she had been one of the French Resistance who had helped map out the German defences. She could only tell me a fraction of what she had witnessed....

My Godfather was at Dunkirk. He was one of those who didn't get lifted off the beach. "I stayed on a bit", was his description of a six-month walk (aided by the Resistance) to Portugal & thence to England. A week after that, he was billeted on my parents!

And my wife's uncle was captured at Singapore. The Alex Guinness character in "Bridge on the River Kwai" was based on him: he was court-martialed after the war, but then pardoned. He never talked about his experiences either.

And yes, when I was teaching I always told my classes of the heroism and the horror and the suffering..

[Flunky]

Brave, brave people each and every one of them. Very surreal seeing those beaches now. I made sure I went and you cannot help but think of what went on. Huge peices of concrete thrown like dice. Must of been hell on earth. Should never be forgotten.

[betula]

Thank God I was posted to the Burma front instead. Wouldn't have survived here. My squadron lost 35 of 40 pilots.

Gratitude to all the men and women of your generation Tim

[valmarg]

Recently went to Hanley and went round the local museum.  In one room was  a Spitfire.  It was just so small. :o :o

Seeing that, you really had to admire the pilots that fought the 'Battle of Britain'

On a slight sideways slant, sister's step-father went over with the expeditionary force, was safely brought back from Dunkirk.  Went over again on D-Day, managed to get all the way through to the end of the war without a scratch.  Unfortunately he didn't get any counselling, and every so often, until the day he died, he had nightmares from his experiences.

valmarg

[SamLouise]

I'm very much enjoying these little story snippets, thanks so much for sharing :)

I hope you don't mind if I take a quick side step to inform those of you interested about a documentary series starting on channel 5 next Tuesday about the Dambusters.

Taken from their website: 
Revealed
Time - 20:00 - 21:00 (1 hour long)
Tuesday 17th June on five
Last of The Dambusters
Historical documentary focusing on the famous Second World War Dambusters raid. George Johnson - a bomb aimer in one of the raid's Lancasters and one of only two British Dambusters alive today - sets off on a final mission to rediscover his past. He finds and digs up his old Dambuster bomber, before travelling back to the giant German dams that he once attacked.

[daileg]

firstly i have the up most admiration to all those who fought in the last two wars .

my wife is compiling facts of the royal and merchant navy in world war two as her grandfather was on three ships that were sunk and managed to live through all three she is going to wright a book on it all ,she has started so if anyone can share there experiences openly send me an I'm firstly then can send me an email of there accounts during this period if anyone could share these moments in there life still .

all information will be appreciated