11 Nov People Share Stories Of Their Loved Ones Who Served During War Time Ahead Of Remembrance Sunday
People have been taking to Reddit to share stories of their loved ones who served during times of war ahead of Remembrance Sunday this weekend. The thread was posted on popular subreddit R/AskUK and hoped to highlight the more personal stories of ‘unsung heroes’ that may be overlooked or forgotten about on Remembrance Day.
One user who posted in the thread, shared how his great-uncle was one of the country’s youngest Group Captains during the war holding the position while only in his early 30’s.
The user went on to comment that at the time the RAF were apparently “particularly against ‘dead man’s shoes’ which they thought was epidemic in the army”.
Other stories shared included an engineer in the merchant navy, who helped keep the supply lines open and during one trip watched all the ships around them being sunk by U-boats.
Another user shared how their father was an Air Raid Warden in the Coventry Blitz, who survived despite being buried alive after his house took a direct hit. While one joked that their grandfather was the true unsung hero of the Army during WW2 due to his role as the payroll clerk.
One also told how their cousin and his crew mates would meet up every year on the anniversary of their ship being attacked to celebrate what they called “Thank god we are still alive day”.
In a similar move, online clothing retailer Chums recently asked the public to share the stories their grandparents told them about their lives and experiences during the war.
Imogen Williamson, of North Wales, shared how her grandmother had told her stories of her father who was a sniper during WW1.
She said: “My great-grandad, William Hollis was a sniper in World War One, and was 17 when he enlisted. He had experience in the trenches and also in the Battle of Passchendaele. He narrowly avoided death a few times, including once when smoking actually saved his life!
“He carried a cigarette tin in his uniform pocket just over his heart and once when he got shot the tin managed to slow down the bullet enough for the wound to not be fatal. Another time he missed his patrol while recovering from an injury in the trenches and unfortunately the man who took his place lost his life.”
While Tom Boddington, of Eastham on the Wirral, shared how his great-aunt Joyce Hollingworth was a nurse in World War 2 who worked on a ward in Essex during the beginning of penicillin usage. One story, in particular, revolved around how they used the drug to help fight off infection on a ward of amputees.
Another told how their great uncle had lied about his age in order to serve during World War 2. After a successful mission, Jim Fryer found a bullet which he assumed had already gone off and decided to keep it as a souvenir.
Unfortunately while back at their base, the bullet went off while Jim was playing with it, severely damaging his hands and leaving him in no position to fly out with his squad on their next mission.
The accident proved to be a lucky one for Jim however when unfortunately the majority of the squad was shot down during their next mission.
The clothing brand did something similar a few years ago, where they brought old photos back to life by digitally recolouring them, including several from WW2.
