normannomates 11:32 Tue Oct 28
Great war relatives
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With up and centenary of this terrible war...just wondering if anyone on here has any living family heirlooms or medals passed down?
I was recently given my great grandfathers service medals. I decided to trace his history, and found him on the cencus going back to 1840s...and his service records.
He was officially 8st wet and through ..and 5'5.
But served throughout the war..and was injured with shrappel wounds in 1916
He was in Royal Horse Artillery.
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Replies - In Chronological Order ( Show Newest Messages First)
chim chim cha boo
12:13 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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Mrs Chim's grandad was a fighter pilot over the Western Front and was a founder member of The Royal Flying Corps as it was the Royal Navy that originally used aeroplanes and he was an officer in the Royal Navy.
He was taught to fly privately by Louis Bleriot himself so was in a very good position once the war started. It's a pretty amazing story that I won't go into now but he was Protestant Irish gentry and when he returned to Waterford after the war Sinn Féin knocked on his door and told him they'd give him one day's grace to get the fuck out of Ireland and he went to West Drayton RAF station where mrs Chim's dad was born.
As for my dad's family who weren't quite as posh, my grandad enlisted as a private in the London Regiment, got the first new clothes he'd ever had, went to Passchendaele and apparently had the time of his life killing Germans. Honestly, he said he loved it!
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gph
12:21 Wed Oct 29
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The Royal Flying Corps may or may not have come after the Royal Naval Air Service, but it was definitely part of the army.
My Granddad was in the RFC, although a mechanic, not a flyer.
Lost a lung in the fight between King and his cousin the Kaiser. Of course, the Kaiser lost his job...
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Gavros
12:25 Wed Oct 29
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The M1917 Remington bayonet that my granddad brought back from the front sits by my bedside and helps me sleep well.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
12:30 Wed Oct 29
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The RAF was founded in 1918 when the Royal Flying Corps (army) and the Royal Naval Air Service were merged.
Mrs Chim's grandad was probably a member first of the RNAS and then a founder member of the RAF when they merged.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
12:37 Wed Oct 29
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gph 12:21 Wed Oct 29
How did he lose a lung as a mechanic, mate?
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Admiral Lard
12:39 Wed Oct 29
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My Grandfather fought ii both wars. Born in 1890 he was 24 at the out break of the 1st war, then served on between the wars in the Indian army.
in 38 he retired but joined up again in 39 aged 49 as adjutant of the Norfolks to be caught on the beach at Dunkirk and spent the remainder of WW2 as a POW.
Between many family member we have many pieces of memorabilia including his campaign and bravery medals, uniforms and certain items of a soldiers equipment.
HTH
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gph
12:45 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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Airfields were fought over. Mechanics were expected to fight when this happened. They were soldiers, after all.
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Admiral Lard
12:54 Wed Oct 29
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Thats why the RAF regiment was formed GPH..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Regiment
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
12:57 Wed Oct 29
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gph 12:45 Wed Oct 29
Were the airfields in WW1 not some miles behind the static lines of trenches?
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gph
2:07 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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I don't have the details to hand, but when he was wounded it made the front page of John Bull magazine, as a folded copy of it was in his breast pocket when he was hit, and it supposedly saved his life.
Unusually, it's all documented.
They've got it in the British Library, if you really doubt that non-frontline soldiers sometimes ended up fighting.
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Dr Congo
11:13 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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Got Grandpa's two service medals + MM for bravery, and a local newspaper cutting reporting the award.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
11:17 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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gph 2:07 Wed Oct 29
The BM don't seem to have got round to cataloguing it.
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gph
11:25 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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You don't know how to use the catalogue.
http://catalogue.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?tabs=moreTab&ct=display&fn=search&doc=BLL01013929620&indx=8&recIds=BLL01013929620&recIdxs=7&elementId=7&renderMode=poppedOut&displayMode=full&frbrVersion=&fctN=facet_rtype&dscnt=0&rfnGrp=1&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&fctV=journals&frbg=&tab=local_tab&dstmp=1414576825674&srt=rank&mode=Basic&vl(488279563UI0)=any&dum=true&tb=t&rfnGrpCounter=1&vl(freeText0)=John%20Bull&vid=BLVU1
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,
11:27 Wed Oct 29
Re: Great war relatives
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Maternal grandfather joined the Kings Royal Rifles, as did many East enders, was hit in the skull by sniper. Convelesced in Tipparary.
Wife's grandfather fought in the battle of Jutland. We lost more ships but the German surface fleet lost it's bottle for the rest of the war.
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Aalborg Hammer
11:54 Wed Oct 29
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My dad’s cousin, Felix , was in the Ambulance Brigade and was gassed while picking up casualties. He died near the end of the war from the after effects. His brother was in the Durham Light Infantry and shot by a bullet that killed his mate next to him .He survived and I’m in touch with his son (same generation as me but 27 years older!)
There are two more of my Dad’s cousins on the Menin Gate, one served in the Rifle Brigade the other in the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry both missing in action.
My granddad was in the Royal Marines and at Gallipoli .His cousin was also there, unbeknown to him and died there fighting in the Essex regiment.
God love ‘em all.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
12:21 Wed Oct 29
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gph 11:25 Wed Oct 29
Are you inviting me to read every issue of John Bull from 1906-1957? If so, I'll pass.
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tanman
1:05 Wed Oct 29
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My great grandad was in the 1st WW. I have the two standard issue medals which were given to me by my Grandad. One is Silver in colour with a orange,white and blue fabric attached (what is the technicla term?) and the other a brown colour with a more colourful type fabric attached. Must have been so many commissioned I doubt they are worth much - not that I would sell them anyway.
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norwaytips
2:06 Wed Oct 29
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Both my grandfathers fought in WWl. I have no medals, but I do have a brass ashtray, that my paternal grandfather made, from a brass shell cap.
I also remember him well and that's enough for me.
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gph
2:22 Wed Oct 29
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For some reason, you seem to doubt my Granddad lost a lung because he wasn't on the frontline.
The thing about frontlines is that they move around, and suddenly what wasn't the frontline becomes the frontline.
I haven't got the slightest military experience, yet this is so blindingly obvious to me that I question the intelligence or sincerity of anyone who seemingly doesn't understand it.
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Turan
2:29 Wed Oct 29
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Yip a Gallipoli Star which I have framed up.
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