Funny Thing The Other Day...

My grandfather was a Royal British Marine for thirteen years, and served on a bunch of ships, as well as some commando stuff on land.

So I fired up ERT.

And he shouted aloud "That's a Vospers! I manned the fo'ard anitaircraft gun on one of those around Scapa Flow! I spent two tours on one!"

He further elaborated that his "got holed (I think he said by a torpedo), and we almost sunk, and the books say it was sunk, but we actually managed to beach it."

Nifty.

He also loaded for an Oerlikon AA, and was disconcerted to see no crewmen loading or operating it, much less occupying the decks of the ship.

It also took quite a while to explain why a british ship had a japanese paintjob. And then to explain why the Germans weren't Faschists...

But that little outburst about the MTB was neat.

Cool!

Ask your grandpa if he'd like to share any stories with my listeners, either by recording or in writing. I think anything he had to say would go over big!

Also, fire up my station for him and see if he remembers any of the songs.

I had the same reaction from my Neighbor who fought in WWII, Korea and Nam.

He took a look at Enigma's US Destroyer and called it a Brokenback (due to the split level decks)

Torg,

I asked him if he would do an interview with me on his sevice. He said it brings back too many bad memories. He's seen a lot of action Serving on a Destroyer in Scapa and a PT Boat in the Med. He was also part of the Africa Invasion. I will have to be content getting bits and peices when he feels like talking.

Totally understandable. Give him my respect and gratitude.

I still need to go see my grand-uncle in Mississippi. He was on the Burma Road, and remembers *everything*.

Grandfather visited again yesterday. Wanted me to watch that Bismark Versus The Hood documentary I posted about, since his local station was going to air it tonight.

I saw it a couple weeks ago, so I already knew the story and details. What I didn't know was grandpa was there!

Turns out he was on a destroyer sunk during the pursuit of the Bismark, and ended up being rescued by the King Somethingorother the Fifth and while aboard he literally got to see the bismark get sunk.

The things I learn.

King George the Fifth? (Affectiionately known as the K-G-V)

Your Grandad sounds like quite a guy. Mine were in Ireland (Joined RAF in 1946) and India (Indian Army Logistics Officer) Mother's and Father's side respectively.

My grandpa helped build Liberty Ships at home. Two brothers joined the Navy: One was assigned the USS Biloxi (CL 80) which was cool because Biloxi was the next town over, and really the only big town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The other brother ran a restaurant when he was drafted, so the Navy made him a cook. They couldn't teach him to swim, so he was stationed on shore bases the whole war. The third brother was stationed on the Burma Road. He's still alive, and I need to get back home to see him and record his stories. He still remembers *everything*

USS Biloxi:

Hmm, well none of my relatives were in the Navy as far as I know - one of my dad's close friends (who sadly passed away two years ago at a ripe old age) was a Group Captain (that's a high rank by the way...) in the RAF during WW2. He flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in the Battle of Britain and flew with Douglas Barder and all the other greats. He wrote a book called We Never Slept and when he died he was buried with full military honours. Amazing man...

My father's father was in a Gato sub, but I'm not sure if it was during or post war. A few other relatives were in the Navy, mostly on destroyers, I don't know their stories.

My mother's father was a Fallschirmj?ger in the NVA (Nationale Volks Armee - East Germany), and my mother's step father ( father died, I don't know when or how ) was in the Hitler Jugend, but didn't do any fighting, only digging trenches.

My Grandpa was in the Navy starting mid-war, around late '42 if I remember correctly. He used to tell me about how he was stuck landside for the whole war and didn't get to see the "big ships" (as he refered to them) out in the open sea. He was stationed in Chicago I think, on the great lakes.

Funny part is that I keep hearing stories from my Grandma (they were married already at that time) about how he had to pull duties on a small ship with sonar and a handfull of depth charges. Im guess it was some sort of PT boat. Anyway, the fact that my Grandpa doesn't talk about it kind of has me puzzled, but my Grandma says that he came home one day after a three day sail and was jsut pale as a ghost. She said that his ship and two others had seen and cornered an Japanese (I think she said) sub in Lake Superior about 70 miles from Duluth Harbor. The Sub got away by diving into one of the many deep channels that covers the lakes floor. Grandma says he was so shook up that an enemy sub could even get up the river and into the lakes that he refuses to accept it was actually a real event.

Not sure of any accuracy as I was not there (oviously) but grandma insists it is true, and I have heard rumors of a sighting in the lakes, not sure if it was the same event or not.

Booky