11 November is Remembrance Day. We will remember. My Remembrance story: My Grandad. William Tomlinson. Was born in 1908, too young to serve for WW1, but his older brother died in service. Probably on a field where, later, the poppy grew and gave this day it's significance. In the late 1920's my Grandad joined the Army and spent several years in India with the Royal Horse Artillery. Later he became a coal miner through the great depression and rejoined the Army again in 1939 at the start of WWII. During WWII he was part of the Dunkirk landings in 1940, as I'm sure you all know this didn't work out too well. Later, he was responsible for helping develop the first Radar Technology. My Mom was born in 1943 and slept as a baby in the bottom drawer of a chest of drawers while the Germans bombed the shit out of the area. I remember as a young kid asking my Grandad about the safe air raid shelter at the bottom of the garden that he built and I had fun playing in. He couldn't build it sooner to protect my Mum and my Gran because he was away, fighting. Anyway, years later, many years later. My Grandad was a huge influence on my life. He died in 1996 aged 88 and never got to know my kids or my wife. But I did promise him 20 years ago that I would name my first born son after him over a pint of Mansfield Bitter. And I did - 14 years later after his death. William is now 14 months old and if he lives up to be half of what his great grandfather was then he will do ok. Well the whole point of this is that We Remember. Tell us your Remembrance Story!
My family discovered in 1993 that my uncle, my fathers brother, had a grave stone at the Commonealth War Memorials Myanmar Rangoon Memorial site, he died in 1944 aged 22. Until 1993 all they knew was that he was reported missing in action and presumed dead.
Both my grandfathers, who I've never met served in WW2 and survived, on my mums side, her dad was a bomber pilot who was the first to land in occupied Poland after Germany surrendered; the country was essentially handed over to him until the higher authorities could get there, pretty cool I though ... on my dads side his father was an engineer, i'm not sure of his story but serving in the Royal Engineers has become a bit of a tradition on that side! More recently I've had good friends serve in both Iraq and Afghan, some of whom have suffered very bad injuries! Wear the poppy with pride!
Just a quick one from a couple of Aussies. My Dad was in Royal Australian Air Force WW2 for 6 years. I served in Australian Army for 30 years (2 Operational Tours to Vietnam); My younger brother served in Australian Regular Army for 28 years (1 Operational tour to Vietnam); My wife has served in Australian Army for 36 Years (still serving) and has tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor and Solomon Islands, Her sister has done 26 years in Australian Army reserve. A total of 126 years service to our country and It's Freedom. Kev and Di (and we are TTR Repeaters). LOL
Just to add to the above. I forgot to mention also, that my sisters husband was in Australian Regular Army for 7 years, 1 Operational Tour to Vietnam and wounded in action; and NOW my daughters boyfriend has graduated from the Royal Military College, been in Australian Regular Army for 3 years and has already done his first operational tour to Afghanistan and is yet to turn 22 years old. Kev
