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)

Grandma was a Morse code operator , Grandad sat on the end of a runway observing ( hostile or not) incoming planes and relaying messages back so similar used Morse code - Great Aunt sat in a hut in Dover looking for incoming hostile aircraft - her obituary was in the Times - Great Uncle was a pilot - shot down over Iceland ( he survived - wrote a message with his co pilot in the snow -they were both eventually picked up)

Grandad was in the RAF in North Africa, grandma worked for the Admiralty in London as a translator, and then was a kings courier for a bit. Other Grandad was a farmer so protected occupation & grandma ran the dairy.