VE Day ?

pauldj42 said:
Dad joined the Merchant Navy in 1940 aged 14! I have his log book which records all the ships he was on and their “routes”
The “routes” are no more than Convoy No’s which I have since researched and put places to numbers.
I knew he’d served in the Atlantic Convoys but would never speak about his War Service, always stated it was a part of his life and everyone was in the same situation.
He never claimed his War Medals until 2000 after much persuasion by me.
Had the privilege of accompanying him to the Remembrance Service in Liverpool in 2000, him wearing his medals and me as a WO1 in my Service Dress wearing mine.
Walking back to the car he took his medals off, handed them to me and told me they were mine to keep and he’d never wear them again.Op
I’ve wear them with pride on the right hand side of my chest every Remembrance Sunday, more proud of his than my own to be honest.
Miss him everyday. RIP Dad x

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Artic Star much respect
 
MegaSteve said:
My old Dad flew Lancasters mostly with pathfinder squadrons... Have his log book so know the bones of what he did... But, as he spoke so little of his war days really don't know the flesh of what he did... Learnt more after he'd passed from those that served with him that attended his funeral... By all accounts he set off aged 17, in 1939, as a full on Cockney boy and returned home in 1947 possessing a mid-atlantic accent... Probably courtesy of serving with a large contingent of Canadians...
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My dad flew Wellingtons in the Western Desert and transferred to Pathfinder Squadron 139 where he piloted Mosquitos. I also have his log books and got them out the other day to see that he took part in the last Bomber Command attack of the war on May 2nd 1945. Awarded the DFM and DFC.
Just one of millions of ordinary men and women from all over the world who combined to defend freedom. It must have been an extraordinary time to be alive.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Just been reflecting today that my dad had just turned 22 on VE day - having spent the previous 4 years in various merchant ships going to and fro the UK - Greenock and Southampton mostly, on supply runs in the eastern Atlantic, across the Bay of Biscay into the Mediterranean through Suez and into the Red Sea. Escorted most of the time by the RN watching out for U boats. Quite something for someone who was really only still a young lad.

His experiences were tough and OK I suppose - though not enough to encourage him to ever go abroad after the war finished. And so neither my mum nor my dad ever went on any holiday outside of the UK, and never had any great desire to do so. One memory from that time he'd tell was of the dreadful smell as his ship was coming into Jeddah
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My grand parents were the same, no abroad holidays. And only talked about the war when he wanted to. I just new not to ask him loads of stuff. My papa was in burma. He did always say never drink from a bottle or a can. Waking up with rats on his face may have something to do with it
 
therod said:
:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:
Don’t make em like that anymore!!
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Vintage model, good runner still, body work needs minor attention, good starter, runs out of gas a little too quick now though, very reliable though, when it matters ?
 
My mother said that my dad threw his medals into the Firth of Forth.
On the advance to the Rhine the truck in front of him in a convoy had a direct hit with a German 88 shell, I think it may have been something to do with that.
 
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