Does anyone have any family/close friends that have served in battle during world war 1? If so do you know what there background was in the military?
Interesting, i havent but i would like to hear from others who have. How do i find out if i had relatives in world war 1?
The only thing I know of is that my ex-husbands great grandfather had served in the WWI. Other than that all I can say is that since then his family has had other members serve in the wars since then and even in the gulf war where my ex served.
My Great Grandpa Doucette fought in WW1 in the cavalry in France. His parents were French-Canadian, so he was stationed over there because he already knew the French language. I believe he was injured after being hit with mustard gas. That's pretty much all I know. (He died a year before I was born)
My Uncle lied about his age to get into World War one. He went to France, and talked about it for the rest of his life. It was his highest moment. he was 16 years old when he joined .i:
It is good to hear that your Uncle chose to speak up about his War Service Echos, let us all thank him and all Soldiers for their service and for teaching us the values of life. :thumb:
Yes, Let us all remember Veterans Day and give a huge Thankx to those who have served their country.:thumb:
Family in WW1 Hi, This is my first post. I am quite unusual in that I was born in 1950 when my father was 58 years old. When I was a young lad at school all the other boys talked about what their fathers had done in the War, meaning WW2. When I said that my Dad had been in WW1 they did not believe me, even the teachers thought I was making it up. My father was born in 1892 one of 7 children.When he was 8 years old his father died and he was fostered out which he hated;so in 1907 when he was 15 he joined up at Woolwich Barracks near where he was born, as a Bandsboy. All I know is that he eventually joined the 1st Battalion, the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and when war was declared in August 1914 he was part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that fought at Mons. These original 100,000 soldiers of the BEF were later called by Kaiser Wilhelm, "that contemptible army", and so the tag the "Old Comtemptibles" became part of history. I don't know much about what he did in the war as he died in 1963 when I was 13 and he did not talk much about it. My questions were the usual stupid ones like,"how many Germans did you kill" which prompted a look of disdain on his part. I do know that he was wounded 3 times; the first was a flesh wound in the upper arm; the second was a bit unusual as he suffered a stomach wound and when he was sent back to the medical unit he was told that the bullet had gone in and out and they just sewed him up. Fast forward to the 1950's and his Doctor sent him for a routine X-Ray and when the results came back the doctor told him he was Ok apart from the bullet lodged near his kidneys. This was the first my father knew about the bullett. Anyway the doctor said it was too dangerous to try and remove it and anyway it had been there for 40 years and unless it moved it was safer to leave it; anyway it was there until he died. The third wound happened in August 1918. My father was on a patrol with his platoon when a shell dropped near them and my father suffered a severe leg wound. He was lying in a field for many hours before they found him and the pain he was in must have been awful. Anyway that was the war over for him and his Army career. He has a steel bolt inserted in his ankle and walked with a slight limp and stiff leg for the rest of his life which was a shame as he was a keen sportsman. He did want to sty in the Army but the only job they offered him was as a clerk with the Black and Tans in Ireland and he didn't fancy that. he spent the rest of his working life in the Post Office retiring in 1957. He was Mentioned in Depatches but I do not know what for, I must try and find out one of these days. One last thing. His medals just lay in the back of a draw and he never wore them not even on Remeberance Sunday. He said they were not that important and they were not presented to him but just handed out at the Pay Desk with his wages. He did join the Old Contemptible's Association after WW1 but stopped going after a few years as he said that he was fed up of all the "bullshitters" who had spent the whole war in Aldershot going on about their war experiences. Unfortunately this still goes on today.
Thats an amazing story Dale, recieving the medals the way your Father did is easy to understand why they were left in the back of a draw. If you have pictures or stories about your Father's service we would love to hear them. :thumb:
Daleblue that is an excellent account of your fathers story, i for one would love to hear more, sounds like your father was a stuborn Gentlemen (meant in the nicest way) with strong views which i very much respect. This post should have its own thread.
Yes an excellent story, told straight. I guess that your father - as somebody who must have gone "over the top" many times - was one of the lucky ones. Still, it's sad, & no way for man to have to live his life. Agree with Joe about this having it's own thread. Jim can we look at this please, maybe have "Family" as a subforum of the WWI forum? I also have something to add. :thumb:
That is definitely an interesting story. Man! 58 years old? Must be something in the water back then...
My friends dad was in WWII he told great stories I will have to remember some. He had wonderful stories to tell. I am glad he never shared some of the stories I know he can.
Joe try this! If you're in the UK, Channel 4 has published the names of all the fallen as listed on UK war memorials. Type in family names, and maiden names etc. and see what comes up near your location.... Channel 4 Lost Generation I got some interesting results so good luck !
