Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 06/6/2014
God bless all who died and still living as it must have been like this...Click
probably doesn't even scratch the surface of the horror of bodies and body parts floating in the water, the red tide line, the noise of guns, the bodies strewn up the beach with internal organs on display, of men screaming - some screaming to "shoot me", of men running like the devil for shelter.
The story of the old boy who absconded from his care home after they told he couldn't go to Normandy to then turn up there 12 hours later put such a smile on my face.
Can't remember the full story but there is a gentleman somewhere near Sedgefield, Co. Durham who was 'there' 70 years ago but because of a mix up with his passport was unable to go this week. I think this is red tape gone mad, he had to attend the service at Sedgefield instead of being at the main event. After all there will never be another and even if they do have another in 10 years there will be no veterans left to attend.
My wife's uncle Harry was in the 419 heavy battery 52 heavy regiment R A, [ Bedfordshire Yeomanry ].
He landed on D+11 at Arromanches-los-Bairs, the battery had 2-155mm & 2 7.2" Long toms, he kept the unit records also kept his own personal diary which I quote from now.
One of the details in the diary is when they were in support of the 1st Airborne stuck at Arnhem. Their battery was on Nijmegen football pitch shelling the German positions at 18,000 yards, trying to claw the Germans back as so the survivors of the 1st could, escape. Its very detailed & interesting reading, he used to return to Belgium to see war time friends, he passed away a few years ago.
My dad was a Royal Marine Commando during the Second World War. He survived the D Day landing and another two landings. He never spoke about the war. I never ever heard him say anything derogatory about the young German soldiers he fought. They were the same as him. Caught up in terrible war none of their doing.
My uncle was a rear gunner in the RAF during the war. He met a young German woman while he was over there. He brought her back to Scotland to be his wife. Aunty Anilee. I can only imagine at the time it must have been a bit controversial. Again he never spoke of his war experiences.
My grandfather was a prisoner working on the Kwai bridge during the war.When he returned he was mentally unstable with what he endured and what he had seen.He committed suicide shortly after returning.
Jeff i'd recomend that you have a read of, The forgotten highlander, this book was written by Alister Urqhart who survived being there, He only wrote the book once his wife had died as he didnt want her to know the full truth of what he went through, I think he was well into his eightys when he wrote it.
Urquhart was conscripted into the British army in 1939, at the age of 19, and stationed at Fort Canning in Singapore.[2][3] He was taken prisoner when the Japanese invaded the island in the Battle of Singapore, which lasted from December 1941 to February 1942. He was sent to work on the Burma Railway,[4] built by the Empire of Japan to support its forces in the Burma campaign and referred to as 'Death Railway' because of the tens of thousands of forced labourers who died during its construction. While working on the railway Urquhart suffered malnutrition, cholera and torture at the hands of his captors.[3]
After working on the railway and in the docks in Singapore, Urquhart was loaded into the hold of the Kachidoki Maru, an American passenger and cargo ship captured by the Japanese and put to use as a 'hell ship' transporting hundreds of prisoners. The ship was part of a convoy bound for Japan; on the voyage prisoners endured more illness, dehydration, and instances of cannibalism.[2][3]
On 12 September 1944, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the US submarine USS Pampanito,[2] whose commander was unaware of its cargo of prisoners. Urquhart was burned and covered in oil when the ship went down, and swallowed some oil which caused permanent damage to his vocal cords.[3] He floated in a single-man raft for five days without food or water before being picked up by a Japanese whaling ship and taken to Japan.[3]
In Japan, Urquhart was sent to work in coal mines belonging to the Aso Mining Company and later a labour camp ten miles from the city of Nagasaki. He was there when the city was hit with an atomic bomb by the United States.[3][5]
In 2010, Urquhart published The Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East, an account of his experiences.[6] In the book he expresses anger at the lack of recognition in Japan of its role in war crimes as compared to the atonement in Germany.[4]
He was born in the City of Aberdeen, but has resided in Broughty Ferry, Dundee for many years. He spends his retirement teaching retired people how to use the computer and attends and teaches ballroom dancing at many Tea Dances.
Dear sir,
I am writing the story of the 249th Coy Royal Engineers who landed at Pegasus Bridge. The unit of your father ?
Could you contact me ?
Regards,
Xavier
Quote: Originally posted by bessie500 on 10/6/2014
My grandfather was a prisoner working on the Kwai bridge during the war.When he returned he was mentally unstable with what he endured and what he had seen.He committed suicide shortly after returning. <!-- Signature -->
Jeff i'd recomend that you have a read of, The forgotten highlander, this book was written by Alister Urqhart who survived being there, He only wrote the book once his wife had died as he didnt want her to know the full truth of what he went through, I think he was well into his eightys when he wrote it.
Alistair Urquhart (born 8 September 1919) <SUP id=cite_ref-survival_1-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> is a retired Scottish businessman and author of The Forgotten Highlander, an account of the three and a half years he spent as a <A title="Prisoner of war" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_of_war#Empire_of_Japan">Japanese prisoner of war</A> during his service in the <A title="Gordon Highlanders" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Highlanders">Gordon Highlanders</A> <A title=Infantry href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry">infantry</A> <A title=Regiment href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regiment">regiment</A> during the <A class=mw-redirect title="Second World War" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War">Second World War</A>.
Urquhart was <A class=mw-redirect title=Conscript href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscript">conscripted</A> into the <A class=mw-redirect title="British army" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_army">British army</A> in 1939, at the age of 19, and stationed at <A title="Fort Canning" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Canning">Fort Canning</A> in <A title=Singapore href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> <SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> He was taken prisoner when the Japanese invaded the island in the <A title="Battle of Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore">Battle of Singapore</A>, which lasted from December 1941 to February 1942. He was sent to work on the <A title="Burma Railway" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_Railway">Burma Railway</A>,<SUP id=cite_ref-refused_4-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> built by the <A title="Empire of Japan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Japan">Empire of Japan</A> to support its forces in the <A class=mw-redirect title="Burma campaign" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_campaign">Burma campaign</A> and referred to as 'Death Railway' because of the tens of thousands of forced labourers who died during its construction. While working on the railway Urquhart suffered <A title=Malnutrition href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition">malnutrition</A>, <A title=Cholera href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera">cholera</A> and <A title=Torture href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture">torture</A> at the hands of his captors.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>
After working on the railway and in the docks in Singapore, Urquhart was loaded into the hold of the <A class=new title="Kachidoki Maru (page does not exist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kachidoki_Maru&action=edit&redlink=1">Kachidoki Maru</A>, an American passenger and cargo ship captured by the Japanese and put to use as a '<A title="Hell ship" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_ship">hell ship</A>' transporting hundreds of prisoners. The ship was part of a convoy bound for Japan; on the voyage prisoners endured more illness, <A title=Dehydration href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration">dehydration</A>, and instances of <A title=Cannibalism href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism">cannibalism</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP><SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-2 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>
On 12 September 1944, the ship was <A title=Torpedo href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo">torpedoed</A> and sunk by the US submarine <A class=mw-redirect title="USS Pampanito" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pampanito">USS Pampanito</A>,<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-2 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> whose commander was unaware of its cargo of prisoners. Urquhart was burned and covered in oil when the ship went down, and swallowed some oil which caused permanent damage to his vocal cords.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-3 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> He floated in a single-man raft for five days without food or water before being picked up by a Japanese <A class=mw-redirect title="Whaling ship" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_ship">whaling ship</A> and taken to Japan.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-4 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>
In Japan, Urquhart was sent to work in coal mines belonging to the <A class=mw-redirect title="Aso Mining Company" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aso_Mining_Company">Aso Mining Company</A> and later a labour camp ten miles from the city of <A title=Nagasaki href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasaki">Nagasaki</A>. He was there when the city was <A title="Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki">hit with an atomic bomb</A> by the United States.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-5 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP><SUP id=cite_ref-stv_5-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>5<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>
In 2010, Urquhart published The Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East, an account of his experiences.<SUP id=cite_ref-forgotten_6-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>6<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> In the book he expresses anger at the lack of recognition in Japan of <A title="Japanese war crimes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes">its role in war crimes</A> as compared to the atonement <A title="German war crimes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_war_crimes#World_War_II">in Germany</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-refused_4-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>
He was born in the City of <A title=Aberdeen href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen">Aberdeen</A>, but has resided in <A title="Broughty Ferry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broughty_Ferry">Broughty Ferry</A>, Dundee for many years. He spends his retirement teaching retired people how to use the computer and attends and teaches ballroom dancing at many Tea Dances.
Friend of mine has just been awarded the Legion d'Honneur for taking part in the landings.
The recent BBC2 series on the Blitz was fascinating. There were heroes at home too.
My Dad served in Burma. Forgotten then and still forgotten now. He saw things that traumatised him for the rest of his life.
A thread over three years old - perhaps Pradellew did not notice this... apart from this (perhaps sadly - or rather fortunately?) as time goes by, former enemies become friends (and trading partners) - perhaps (as as a mixture of ancient Britons, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Celts, Normans) we should be prepared to "snap up" Italian/German/French/pretty well every other nationality product....
Innumerable acts and atrocities have occurred and been perpetrated since time began in the name of religion, nationality, whatever....
I have for many years (sadly!) had personal bitterness/grudges/hatreds over "historical" matters, but nevertheless I have put these aside as time has gone by - there really is no alternative...
Gram
------------- What's the difference between a chicken?
Quote: Originally posted by julia21 on 17/12/2017
AND When you buy your next car or camper think about Aldofe children are happy to see there stuff being snaped up by children of those they bombed.
I don't think we sell that much to Germany these days.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: The D day landings.
