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Posted By: granny WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 10:35am
As time moves on memories fade, although a few will stay very vivid in our minds.
When people leave this world, many take with them invaluable information which they have never found an outlet for.
Some members on this site I am sure must have memories relating to
World War II.
Little snippets come out from time to time but it would be great to have them all under one topic too. Would it be possible for you to post them on Wiki, to enable us to share and try to understand your experiences in a better way and also to have first hand records of them for the next generation?
Posted By: Snodvan Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 11:16am
Gran

A worthy thought.

We do our best to collect memories from WW2. Mum is 94 in a couple of weeks and has marvelous recall. Heck, I am too near 70 for comfort and even I remember tiny events such as the sirens on St Georges Rd School, AA guns and searchlights from the late stages (probably troops practicing rather than actual alerts).

The problem with trying to capture memories from mum is that they come up as parts of other conversations and the "snippets" may last only a minute or seconds. ME REMEMBERING what she said so I can write it down is then the issue. It is not practical to carry the mini tape with me "just in case". Anyway, by the time I had switched it on the story has past and mum is talking about something else.

I have tried initiating general local history conversations with me/ the tape all prepared eg "hey mum what do you remember of when Darly Dene was bombed?" (THAT conversation trigger always works because she was just 200 yards away and remembers helping rescue amongst the carnage) or "do you remember the police hut at the top of Leasowe Rd?" (then we argue because she thinks it was in a different position from where I think it was). Those sorts of snippets I do have recorded/ transcribed.

The very BEST way to initiate conversations about memories etc is to show PHOTOGRAPHS. I have a fair sized collection of copies of photos from the family, old Wallasey Village and Wallasey generally. One of my pass times is to (slowly) "fiddle" with those using PaintShop to remove scratches/ blemishes and rebalance contrast/ sharpness etc. Every so often I pull out a sub-set eg family or "top end of the Village" and show them to mum. THEN I get all the stories and I do try to capture them - which is a bit like trying to capture a greasy pig!!! The conversation jumps/ changes/ wanders off subject like you have no idea.

For ME the important info to capture is family history. Given an appropriate memory trigger such as a photo or the outline family tree she will be off with stories etc. For example it was just by chance that I learned that Aunt Ivy (mums aunt) was previously Ivy Landsborough - of the well known Landsborough family from the Dock Cottages area.

I agree with you that Wiki could benefit from having somewhere that folk can simply "dump" the odd snippet of recalled memory - that would involve the poster (now almost certainly a younger relative) transcribing the memory. The FORMAT for such items would have to be accepted "as is" ie we cannot expect folk to write fully coherent blocks of information - "warts/ errors & all" would have to be the way.

The issue then is WHO is going to try (eventually) to put some structure into what we collect? I guess a key index item would be geography ie where things happened, but there are probably others.

Snod
Posted By: Snodvan Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 12:10pm
Oops!

In above post that should have been Aunt Cis ie Elizabeth Landsborough, not Aunt Ivy.

See, us old b******s get it wrong all the time

Snod
Posted By: nightwalker Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 1:21pm
Nice idea, granny. I seem to remember that there was a suggestion on here last year about getting some of the old(er) Wallasey folks together so they could bounce reminiscences off each other (and they could be recorded). Unfortunately, I don’t think it got off the ground.
Posted By: chriskay Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 2:34pm
One of the most powerful memories I have was at the end of the war, when all the streetlights, which had been off during the war, were switched on again. I remember going outside and marvelling at all the little "stars".
Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 2:36pm
Nightwalker and Snod.
It would seem, I suppose, that the bulk of the work is for the offspring of those who lived through the war then. Didn't really think that many would be suffering from dementia, although quite often they can rmember those events better than any others.My mother died a couple of years ago aged 90 but she had the most remarkable memory for facts and dates. It is one huge regret, that over the years none of us had taken the time to really get it all down. Same with dad coming from Wallasey, he told so many tales about old Wallasey and Liscard etc. As you say Snod, our own memories start to fail also.
I still think it's worth a try to capture what's left before it is far too late. Let's give it a go. Back in a while.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 2:55pm
An underlying thing here is that we - and I particularly include myself in this, don't/didn't pay heed to what our parents said about past events and just the world in general way back when. (boring ????)

I try to prompt my 2 sons to ask their Dad about past events etc. This is hopefully before I pop my clogs or just end up howling at the moon! Then commit the information to paper or to one of these new fangled gramophone-like Edison cylinder or disc speaking machines!!!

Future generations WILL thank you.



Posted By: Wench Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 3:07pm
It's only in the past 20 years or so that I've wanted to pull up a sandbag and hear my Dads tales. Sadly, I can't do that anymore. He rarely spoke about the majority of his time in the Army, he "edited" it all so as not to upset us. Having spoken with a lot of men that fought in all the wars since WW1, I can understand why he didn't tell us all.

I have a few friends (vast age ranges) who are regularly invited to speak in schools on what they went through in WWII, the Falklands, the Gulf and Afghanistan. I could happily sit and listen to one in particular all day and night as he fought alongside my Dad. We've found out all sorts of things that we didn't know about him. It makes me burst with pride smile

Personally, I think we NEED to make sure what they went through is NEVER forgotten.

Posted By: BandyCoot Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 3:16pm
My old man was in tanks in N. Africa and then up through Italy but he never spoke of it except to tell us about the wine they used to liberate in Italy, he was in Perugia some of the time and that's about it. Started doing my autobiog for the grandkids down south and it's still growing, got it on disk and send down the updates. Don't know who is enjoying it more, me, the daughter or the grandkids. Amazing what you can dredge up from the memory when you try, lots of long forgotten stuff.
There's an old RAF rear gunner, lied about his age to join up, but he never tells us anything either, I've tried.
Posted By: CVCVCV Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 4:29pm
Oh good grief Snod, what a memory you have! The Police Hut at the top of Leasowe Rd, YES! I had forgotten all about that but now you mention it, YES remember it!!! Wasn't it just alongside the big enclosed bus shelter on the left (if you walked around the corner from Roberts' butchers, past the grocers that later became Tesco (was it Irwin's?) - actually, was it about where the "new" Co-op was built?
Posted By: bri445 Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 6:09pm
Originally Posted by Pinzgauer

Then commit the information to paper or to one of these new fangled gramophone-like Edison cylinder or disc speaking machines!!!

Future generations WILL thank you.


Edison has been superceded by the Digital Voice Recorder! Like the latest mobile phone, this one is 4 x 1.5 x 0.7 inches and hardly shows in the top pocket, if the interviewee is a bit put off by a shiny mic in front of them. The mic on these is in the top edge, though a better-quality one (provided) can be plugged in the top. The recording can be checked on head-phones and edited to computer or hi-fi. Takes AAA batteries, no mucking about with chargers or power packs, records hundreds of hours.
The cheapest at Argos is £27, on offer now.

Edison would be impressed!


Description: Digital Voice Recorder
Attached picture IMG.jpg
Posted By: Snodvan Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 6:27pm
CVCVCV

That was the NEW Police hut!! I definitely remember that one. The piece of land is still there as a mega patch of weeds.

The old one was sort of diagonally opposite, on the Village just along from the bottom of St Johns road. That is more or less where the carpet shop (Castle Carpets) is now. Mother tells me it was over the Village road where the Recruitment Training office was until recently (now Property Rentals) - but I think that was the Library. we are going back a LONG way

Sorry, but I am not bright enough to know how to insert a link to Streetview

Snod



Posted By: Snodvan Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 6:46pm
Originally Posted by Wench
It's only in the past 20 years or so that I've wanted to pull up a sandbag and hear my Dads tales. Sadly, I can't do that anymore. He rarely spoke about the majority of his time in the Army, he "edited" it all so as not to upset us. Having spoken with a lot of men that fought in all the wars since WW1, I can understand why he didn't tell us all.

I have a few friends (vast age ranges) who are regularly invited to speak in schools on what they went through in WWII, the Falklands, the Gulf and Afghanistan. I could happily sit and listen to one in particular all day and night as he fought alongside my Dad. We've found out all sorts of things that we didn't know about him. It makes me burst with pride smile

Personally, I think we NEED to make sure what they went through is NEVER forgotten.



Hun, you are aware that my dad wrote up all his wartime memories and that I put them out on the web as

http://sites.google.com/site/continuacs/home

Although they have been there for some years now the link still mostly works - just the links to some of the Appendices now give a 404 error

Dad also wrote up his "business career" memoires but since he was rather scathing about some colleagues he asked that I did not put them on the web until "after he had gone". Well, dad died last year so maybe I should collate them all and 'publish and be damned'

Snod
Posted By: CVCVCV Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 8:36pm
I find it very hard to remember the village beyond St Johns Rd in its former state, I do just barely remember it was very narrow in spots (weren't there places where you had to pretty much walk in the roadway?) Big Yard and all the small cottages and shops on the right (as when heading towards Sandy Lane) were still there... Most of it was demolished and the road was widened when I was very small, I suppose (I was born in '52)... either that or my memory is just crap (which it is, of course)...! <grins>
Posted By: Snodvan Re: WWII Reminiscences - 23rd Jan 2012 9:26pm
You are quite correct ie back in the '50s the Village between St Johns & Sandy Lane was still quite narrow. As you walked from St Johns then on the right were was Big Yard and all the associated market gardens with a few cottages on the road side.

I remember during war time and just after going with mum to Big Yard carrying the pig swill bucket. Everyone was issued with a small bucket having a swivel fitting lid. The idea was to collect waste food to be fed to the pigs. You never forget the smell of Big Yard

Triggered by the thread I have delved into my archive and come up with a load of pics showing Wallasey Village 1930s to wartime (and some a lot older). There were in my "to be done" file ie to be cleaned up with Paintshop - I'll do it one day.

Snod





Attached picture Big Yard Piggery - wartime 1.jpg
Attached picture Big Yard Piggery - wartime 2.jpg
Posted By: cmw2a Re: WWII Reminiscences - 24th Jan 2012 6:53pm
Some of my dad's wartime photos of his time in the Birkenhead Auxilliary Fire Service:



Attached picture Arthur in AFS 2.jpg
Attached picture Arthur in AFS 1.jpg
Attached picture fire Brigade 2.jpg
Attached picture Arthur's AFS badge.jpg
Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 24th Jan 2012 6:58pm
What a fantastic account your father has given of his war years Snod. I was so gripped whist reading it. You must be very proud.

The following account I managed to obtain last night from my uncle when he was evacuated in 1939.

School term at Holt School, Liverpool should have started on 5th September 1939 and war broke out on the 3rd September 1939. The school was closed and at some point taken to be used for Admiralty purposes.
The day after school should have started, the parents were told to take their children at a certain time to Limestreet station. My uncle did not know what this was about although he assumed that his mother must have had some knowledge. Each child was given luggage label with their name on and a bag. They were put on a train to Shrewsury.
On arrival the children were lined up like sheep on the pavement outside the station. There was a system where the cars drove in at one side of the station and drove straight out at the other end.
A proccession of cars, mostly chauffer driven, slowly drove along past the children until the occupants of the car hand picked the children they wished to take home. The children were bundled into the cars and then driven off to their new homes.
The remainder were then either put into taxis or on buses. My uncle was put into a taxi with another boy and taken to their new home. A knock on the door and an introduction of 'here's your two'. and that was it.
He didn't go into any tales from days of evacuation but said they went home for Christmas and some other holidays.
After 12 months, as there had been no bombing in Liverpool, the parents of the children said they wanted their children home again.
They were returned home and he pointed out that after that, they lived through the blitz and everything else that was going on!

Just one small account but he will be following up with more.
Posted By: Vanmanone Re: WWII Reminiscences - 25th Jan 2012 10:09pm
[/quote]Hun, you are aware that my dad wrote up all his wartime memories and that I put them out on the web as

http://sites.google.com/site/continuacs/home

Although they have been there for some years now the link still mostly works - just the links to some of the Appendices now give a 404 error

Dad also wrote up his "business career" memoires but since he was rather scathing about some colleagues he asked that I did not put them on the web until "after he had gone". Well, dad died last year so maybe I should collate them all and 'publish and be damned'

Snod [/quote]


I enjoyed that,The bit towards the end scares me though.

[If there was a breakthrough there was little behind the front to stop them reaching the beaches and this would have changed the situation dramatically. Thanks to brilliant leadership and the steadfastness of our troops this did not happen but the feeling of unease I had, when I had the time to think, was probably shared by many others who knew enough to appreciate the situation. If in such case the invasion had faltered I wondered if the French, as a nation, would have maintained their support. I had little doubt about the people of Normandy and no doubt at all about the Maquis or the members of the underground, their courage and commitment were complete, but France had earned the reputation of holding back until confident they were backing winners. Thank goodness it was not put to the test]

It does make you wonder about France and winning sides
Thanks for sharing smile
Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 29th Jan 2012 12:58am
This extract is taken from the link at the bottom.
Absolutely staggering!
All I can think is that we, as a country were so very lucky, thanks to our fighting forces and those in command.
I wonder how many ended their lives in psychiatric hospitals, there must have been many. How could those people who survived the Holocaust, witness and bare so much pain and continue a normal life?



....... There were thousands of victims during the Holocaust. Many victims survived and many did not. The victims described here are those who died during the Holocaust or immediately after as a direct result of mistreatment during the Holocaust. Victims of the Holocaust are those groups of people targeted for immediate death by the Nazis and their accomplices, or treated in such a way so as to knowingly lead to their eventual deaths. Victims come from many countries throughout Europe and are not limited to strictly victims in Germany during World War II.

The Holocaust was more than a Jewish event. Records kept by the Germans prove they exterminated millions of Communists, Czechs, Greeks, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, mentally and physically handicapped, Poles, resistance fighters, Russians, Serbs, Socialists, Spanish Republicans, trade unionists, Ukrainians, Yugoslavians, prisoners of war of many nations, and still others whose identity may never be recognized.(1) Their victims, according to one survivor of four different concentration camps, "were of some thirty nationalities, from Nepalese to Andorrans, and of a variety of racial and linguistic stocks ranging from Basques to Buriats and from Ladinos to Lapps".(2) When people were not immediately exterminated, they were sent to work and/or concentration camps. There the prisoners were divided into six penal categories and given patches on their clothing for identification purposes. Ordinary criminals were assigned green; political prisoners wore red; black was worn by asocials (slackers, prostitutes, procurers, etc.); homosexuals wore pink; conscientious objectors wore purple, and the Jewish people wore yellow.(3)

http://www.ukemonde.com/holocaust/victims.html

Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 31st Jan 2012 11:03am
Another tragedy to relate from my mother, which she spoke of many times.

The morning after one of the air raids on Liverpool, my grandmother got on a bus.
At the next stop, a lady also got on and looking dreadful.
Someone asked if she was alright and could they help. She replied, telling them that she had lost 7 children the night before!
Posted By: woodley Re: WWII Reminiscences - 31st Jan 2012 11:46am
Originally Posted by Snodvan
Originally Posted by Wench
It's only in the past 20 years or so that I've wanted to pull up a sandbag and hear my Dads tales. Sadly, I can't do that anymore. He rarely spoke about the majority of his time in the Army, he "edited" it all so as not to upset us. Having spoken with a lot of men that fought in all the wars since WW1, I can understand why he didn't tell us all.

I have a few friends (vast age ranges) who are regularly invited to speak in schools on what they went through in WWII, the Falklands, the Gulf and Afghanistan. I could happily sit and listen to one in particular all day and night as he fought alongside my Dad. We've found out all sorts of things that we didn't know about him. It makes me burst with pride smile

Personally, I think we NEED to make sure what they went through is NEVER forgotten.



Hun, you are aware that my dad wrote up all his wartime memories and that I put them out on the web as

http://sites.google.com/site/continuacs/home

Although they have been there for some years now the link still mostly works - just the links to some of the Appendices now give a 404 error

Dad also wrote up his "business career" memoires but since he was rather scathing about some colleagues he asked that I did not put them on the web until "after he had gone". Well, dad died last year so maybe I should collate them all and 'publish and be damned'

Snod



Snod - after I read your Dad's memoirs, I was so touched that I printed them off. My husband (a Vietnam vet) was very impressed and has lent them to some of his buddies who thoroughly appreciated the read.
My fondest memory is of my Dad coming home. Whilst he was "away", if we were good Mum would say "Ah - wait till Daddy gets home". When we were naughty Mum would say "You wait till your Father gets home".
To cut a long story short we went to Crew station to meet him and this very tall (knickname of Lofty) almost black (tanned) man with a handlebar moustache walked towards us and I took off screaming. I was totally convinced that this was "Father" and not "Daddy".
My Dad laughed about this for years after.
Posted By: jabber_Ish Re: WWII Reminiscences - 31st Jan 2012 3:33pm
Originally Posted by Snodvan



Hun, you are aware that my dad wrote up all his wartime memories and that I put them out on the web as

http://sites.google.com/site/continuacs/home

Although they have been there for some years now the link still mostly works - just the links to some of the Appendices now give a 404 error



Snod


having just sat and read this for the last couple of hours id personally like to thank you for posting the link Snodvan, i get pleasure from reading personal accounts from the era, sometimes its good to feel humbled
Posted By: BandyCoot Re: WWII Reminiscences - 31st Jan 2012 4:18pm
Remember being told about a woman who lived in Livingstone Street, can't remember her name at the mo'. Anyway, her hubby was away fighting so she used to have the bed downstairs in the front room, this is in the houses that used to be down towards Corpy Rd. One night there was a raid and they hit the flour mills, the flour acting as an explosive caused even more destruction. She was laying there listening to it all and suddenly she ended up in all kinds of mayhem. A whole flagstone had been blown through the window and landed in bed beside her, wrecking the bed of course and there was little else damaged but she was a very luck woman that's for sure.
Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 3rd Feb 2012 4:33pm
cwm2a, you got left behind a little but your pics are never the less a great contirbution. The chaps look quite happy with their lot.
Thanks for sharing them.
Posted By: granny Re: WWII Reminiscences - 3rd Feb 2012 4:43pm
Should I be putting these up here? I don''t know but never the less very poingant.

From The Armed Man..Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins. Conducted by Karl Jenkins


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyF2-4eVE4U&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VlZOg9iv4
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