War veteran. Saw his interview this morning on BBC Breakfast. One of the most emotional I have ever seen. I defy anyone not to be moved.
Around 30 years ago, I was painting some rental properties for an old boy and his wife in Wakefield. He was a veteran of WW2 and told me he had been at Dunkirk and Arnhem, which I didn't really know much about as a young lad. In the years since, I've developed a real interest in history, particularly the last war. I really regret not sitting down with him and hearing his stories. RIP Frank.
When I was a apprentice many moon, s ago original owner of firm was a dunkirk n d day veteran he would nip in now and again and tell us some tales that you could not comprehend. The one that stuck was when on d day they had to drive over wounded or dead men to get there vehicles of the beach ,
We have a static van near St Austell and we go down to Par Market nearly every Sunday.He is always there all through the year.I always put something in his collection box and he always gives me a little sticker.Lovely man I always have a natter with him.
An old boy I worked for in Hemsworth was in Normandy. I'm sure he said he was a radio operator or something along those lines. Said it was havoc for the first few days when they got there and started pushing inland, and that they rested up in a building, only to find at first light that Germans were only yards away.
My grandad landed on Sword Beach, he was a half track driver and he was the only survivor of his bunch of him and 5 mates. Later he was at the battle of the Falaise Gap and he told me of driving over 2 and 3 layers of German dead and some not so dead, he could hear their screams and pleadings but was told to keep eyes front and keep moving. When he later encountered some German army prisoners he was amazed to discover they were young, frightened, shell-shocked lads just like the British were. (Not the Nazi element) He only ever criticised the Nazi and fascist elements of the enemy who would rather invade than integrate and learn off each other. The rank and file of the "enemy" he viewed as like the British "poor bloody infantry", just ordinary young men but in their case sent out to kill in the name of some obscene philosophy. To say he saw some appalling sights he was a very well balanced individual, I'm not sure I would have slept easy after such an experience
My mates Dad was a prisoner of the Japanese and although he didn't go into details with us youngsters he told my old man a lot....he saw Australian POW's being beheaded and he himself lost several toes when he had a large oil drum deliberately rolled over his feet. He hated the Japanese and one guard in particular was a nasty b**tard... when they were liberated by the Aussie's they lined the guards up for retribution purposes...he picked up a shovel and whacked him in the face but was too starved and weak to do it again...he then spent months in hospital before returning home and eventually becoming the coop manager at Stairfoot. He did though say they weren't all bad....on work parties one guard used to share photo's of family with him, teach him Japanese to save him getting a beating for misunderstanding a command, but also brought a pocketful of small sweets to share round the lads (as long as no other Japanese soldier was in sight.)...I sincerely hope the lad made it back to his wife and kids in Japan.
Sorry if you misunderstood my reply, it wasn't meant to be offensive.I was pointing out what I took to be an unintentional pun.
