What did your grandparents do during the war (or great grandparents)

[listsandbudgets]

Was thinking about my grandparents last night and how they were involved in the wars. they all did very different things

My grandfather was an older father to my dad (IYSWIM) and fought in the trenches in World War one. He was exposed to mustard gas and left with life long breathing difficulties but was involved with Air Raid Precaution during the World War 2.

My father's mum was a nurse at one of the big military hospitals and also a volunteer for the WRVS.

Both of my mother's parents were farmers so were in reserved (and necessary) occupations. They had Italian and German prisoners of war working on the farm as well as the Land Girls and my Nana had to learn Italian and sometimes did translation for the military - not bad for a girl who left a very rural Irish school at the age of 12 and worked on teh land ever after

I don;t really know about DP's grandparents but I do know his great uncle was a code breaker at Betchley Park (DP would probably have ended up in the same place I think)

WW2. Both grandfathers were in the army. One was a paratrooper, not sure about the other. All I know is that he suffered terribly with his mental health and never really worked properly again and died when his children were small.

One gran worked in a factory, she mentioned barrage balloons, that's all I know.

Other gran was a maid in a big house in Surrey. Her brother was the chauffer there. Again, I don't know any details.

All of them were reluctant to talk about the war. It was very much in the past and any questions were quickly diverted. Sad as I'd love to know more.

My grandad on my mums side drove a tank in WW2 although he was already in the Army before war broke out. I don't think any of my other grandparents were actively involved.

im old enough the my mother was in the ATS and my father was in the REME, my grandfather (dads dad) was in the navy during WW2

Gran SAHM
Grandad Too old/miner
Gran Munitions worker
Grandad. Reserved occupation designing aeroplanes
DP
Gran. Teacher
Grandad. Bomber crew, KIA
Gran ?
Grandad. Conscientious objector (imprisoned)

WW2
DGD 1 was a pilot. Joined the Volunteer Reserves a year before war began, which he reckoned saved his life as he had more experience. Would have been part of the air back up during Dunkirk, and fought throughout the Battle of Britain. Flew until around 1942 in combat, with a "score" of 7.5 aircraft, then I believe was seconded to flight test, and, I have a suspicion, some intelligence work, but I have no actual evidence of that. He remained in the VR until well after the war. It was said at one point that if a (military) plane existed, then he'd flown it.
DGD2 was a desert rat. He was called up on break of war as he'd been in the army before. I have a number of photos he took with his Brownie camera from out there. Vehicles blown up, conditions in the camp, and some local photos including some of Christians been hung for their faith. He didn't return home until over 6 months after the war had ended-I have his telegram announcing he'd be home on the 11:15 train.

DGM 1 was in the WRVS (then the WVS) and did a lot of war work-including driving, she never took a driving test as she was driving extensively during the war. She continued to do voluntary work for the WRVS into her 70s. She talked more about the war. I remember her talking about one bad air raid. When they came out, her street was fine her side, but gone the other side. They sheltered in the cellars, and they had great hope that some people would be alive in the cellars, but when they got down to get into them under the rubble, a water main had burst and sent water into the cellars flooding them completely.

I suspect DGM 2 did war work in factories, but I don't know for certain.

My grandad was in a reserved occupation - he was a steel- worker, on a drop-forge, in Sheffield. He said it was as hot as hell as they had to work with the roof open so as not to attract bombers.

My other grandad was in the army during the war and after, and ended up guarding high ranking German POWs, in Scotland, I think. My gran had brothers who fought in the first war, caught tb in the trenches and came home to die - thereafter other family members also died of it and no local boy would marry my gran, for fear of it.

My grandfather's on both sides were in reserved occupations (farmer - also over-age-and miner) but both volunteered. Both were in the Royal Signals - the older one only in the UK and the younger fighting in Europe and North Africa.

DGM 1 ran the farm and DGM 2 went and worked on the land for distant family.

DGF 2 wouldn't talk about the war until he was in his 90s. It was a very traumatic one for him, unfortunately. Both though, were very proud to serve as both their fathers (same reserved occupations) had served in France on active duty in WW1.

My great grandad was shot at the Somme and became a prisoner of war. He embroidered a set of beautiful postcards which he sent to my great grandmother and Nanwhich we still have today. Meanwhile my grandad was a motorbike despatch rider in Malaysia for the RAF in WW2 as he was too little to fly.

My grandparents were children/teens during world war 2. My granny was evacuated and my grandad had evacuees staying with them. My grandad and one of the evacuees kept in touch until my grandad died last year.

My mums dad was in the navy, and missed going down on boats twice - one he joked that he got 'abandon ship' pay without getting his feet wet as the other half of the boat sank. The other time he missed his train and the ship went down with all hands. He stayed in the navy (he'd joined at 14 prewar as a cadet after being orphaned at 11), having transferred at some point during the war to the admiralty and was involved in testing hi res sonar and all sorts of other tech stuff.

Dads dad wasn't well enough to serve and lived a very normal life in rural england as a builder.

In WW1, my great grandfather was in the BEF, and was awarded the military medal.

Grandad - 1st WW Ploughman (wanted to sign up but was required as a ploughman)
2nd WW - Policeman
Grandma - Housewife

Grandad - Ambulance driver
Grandma - Housewife

Maternal Grandparents
GP (b. 1915 d. 1998) was a company director, inventor and engineer, excused from fighting in WWII due to profession. My mother was born in '44
GM (d. 1986) lost her favourite brother having lost her other brothers earlier in life, was a housewife - never really recovered from losing her siblings as far as I can make out

Paternal Grandparents
GP (b. ? d.1964) too young for WWI, too old for WWII
GM (b. 1910 d.1995) had an affair with a RAF and ran away with him for a year or so leaving my father with his, by all accounts, feckless father.

My dad's father was a scientist - I'm not sure exactly what he did but I think it was working with explosives. His mother was a nurse in a TB clinic. My mum's dad was in the navy. Her mum was still only a little girl whose mother refused to let her be evacuated, so she spent the war (in Manchester) mostly under the stairs!

WW2
Grandfather 1 pilot of a bomber
Grandfather 2 Royal marine
Great grandfather 1 home guard.

There's also a story about one of my grandmothers which I don't know very well. She apparently with one of her sisters, saved a church from burning to the ground by climbing on the roof and putting out a fire which she received an award for. That's what she was doing when she wasnt busy off chasing American servicemen by all accounts...

Both sets of grandfather's were miners. A dangerous and horrible job that was classed as necessary (killed one of my grandparents).

As they were in the Welsh valleys there weren't really roles for married women beyond homemaker so that was their role...although being a miner's wife wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

One was army - U.K. based at biggin hill on the guns, the other was reserved occupation.

Grandad1: worked for GEC so reserved occupation, I remember him pointing this out a lot.
Grandad2: navy, was at Normandy DDay+1 driving landing craft
Great Uncle was also in the navy in Africa and badly injured when his ship was torpedoed.

Grandad2 definitely enjoyed his time in the navy. Opium was involved at some point

WW2 - both grandads in the army. One a Royal Engineer the other Royal Ordnance Corps.

Mum's mum worked in a munitions factory, dad's mum was at home with his older sister and did cleaning.

one was a teacher, so taught.
one went to Burma and never spoke about it, so we don't know what he did really.

My maternal grandfather was in the army in WW2 in North Africa firing big guns. I always presumed he was partially deaf through old age but apparently it was damage from the loud guns during the war. He was one of 5 brothers and 2 died in the Navy during the war

Paternal grandfather spent a lovely WW2 in Orkney peddling about on his bike.

Ooh! So many different things

Gran1: munitions worker
Grandad1: said he was a clerk in Egypt.. transpires he was a bit more than that, secret squirel wise.

Gran2: Housekeeper in a big house turned hospital
Grandad2; Dishonourably discharged after being found walking home... after having been taken off a troop ship home and beng sent back to the trenches... having been blown up in a foxhole with his best mates and having just had a metal plate put in his head in an army hospital - Army never did admit they made an error, or give him a pension!

One of my grandmothers brothers went to Burma and ended up a prisoner of war. He was never the same and apparently never spoke about it either.

Dhs grandfather was also a POW in Austria. Again apparently never spoke of it, but suffered from what must have been PTSD after the war. He apparently was not a particularly nice father either. Distinct parallels with Patrick Stewarts experience with his father by all accounts.

Grandad1s brothers were a bit of a mixed bag too.

1: had a club foot but wangled his way into the airforce as a mechanic
2: Known as The Hollywood Hearthrob, I've seen the pictures he was singularly handsome, shot dead aged 18
3: was one of the pilots brother 1 mechanicked for. Claims he shot down Baron von Richtofen
4: Disappeared without trace after the war.Turned out he was almost drowned, mistaken for a Canadian and reptriated there. Lived a normal life, married, kids etc until the 70s when he was in a car accident... and just like in the movies, he regained his memory!

My maternal Grandad was in the army and drove a tank in WW2, he got injured and had to come home.

My maternal Nan was a landgirl.

Not sure about my paternal Grandparents

I was born in 1943 in temporary accommodation as most of our street had been destroyed in the Blitz (Bristol) three years prior and very little had since been built. When that had happened, my mother had been heavily pregnant with my sister and had my elder brother as a toddler.
My father was recruited very shortly after my sister was born and served 2 years before being sent home with serious injuries.
My mother was a nurse and helped treat the massive influx of patients brought on during the Blitz.