20th Century Stories about WW1 or WW2 you have been told about your grandparents or great-grandparents

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When my father-in-law was recruited into the Army in 1941 they were raising the Australian 8th Division. He ended up in the the 2/26 Bn HQ Coy as a signaller. As we know the 8th Division ended up being deployed to Singapore where he was taken as a POW and spent the rest of the war in Changi prison.
He survived of course but from what my wife has said of him (sadly he died very young) he suffered greatly from survivor guilt. So many of his friends didn't make it home.

Also at Singapore at the same time was my Great Aunt. She was a Nursing Officer with the Indian forces there. She helped manage the evacuation of the wounded out of Singapore as it was under attack. For bravery under fire she was awarded the Imperial Royal Red Cross Medal.
She was awarded it a second time whilst serving in Burma under the command of General Slim.
 
Found this a few moments ago, my father flew Lancasters over Europe in late 44/early 45, and I was fortunate enough to meet all of the crew growing up.
One incident involved a mid air crash with another Lanc resulting in most of the crew baling out, & the pilot & engineer staying to take the plane out to sea to drop the bombs before crash landing on the closest strip.
The guys didnt ever forgive the father, they always claimed if he was too frightened to jump out, they could've stayed too = none of them ever took up parachute jumping after the war.

They all very rarely mentioned the ugly parts of the war, though the V1s* landing on England drew a few mentions. Doodlebugs they were called & apparently you stopped when you heard them, went on after they passed over but if the motor stopped, you dived for cover.

*https://migflug.com/jetflights/the-v1-flying-bomb/
 
Where do I start?

My great grandfather fought in both World Wars. He lied about his age for both. I think he was part of the Rats of Tobruk - he definitely fought in Libya. Interestingly my dad recently found some memoirs he wrote and it includes a detailed description of how the drug trade worked in Libya. I think he was somewhat fascinated by the Middle East and maintains the most beautiful women he ever saw was while he was on duty. I think he went for the adventure rather than for any patriotic reason.

My dad's father fought in Borneo. I reckon it probably screwed him up a bit. I think we've ascertained he made at least one kill and I think be most likely carried that guilt with him for his whole life. He was an animal lover and his favourite war stories involved monkeys stealing soldier's watches.

My mum's dad fought in the French Army or possibly as part of the Serbian partisans. He was captured early in the war and sent to Germany as slave labour. Luckily for him, he ended up on a farm working for a family who were not Nazi supporters. They couldn't let him go as they would have been at risk but he served out WW2 better than a lot of others.

My mum's mum was captured by the Nazis at the age of 14 - her father had expressed anti-Nazi sentiment at a bar and the Ustase came looking. She was sent to a work camp where she escaped with the aid of a Frenchman. She was subsequently recaptured and sent to a concentration camp till she was liberated by the Americans.

Interestingly enough, despite my pop's pride of serving in WW2, when it came time for my dad to be called up for service in Vietnam, he encouraged him to do whatever he could to get out of it. He understood the realities of a war.
 

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Rusty Brookes said:
I think he was part of the Rats of Tobruk - he definitely fought in Libya.
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My grandfather fought at Tobruk, was captured by the Italians and sent to a work camp in Piedmont. When Italy surrendered in September 1943, he was one of many Australian POWs who used the ensuing chaos to escape from German-occupied territory and make a break over the Alps into Switzerland. There he remained until repatriated at the end of the war.

Whilst in Switzerland, Allied POWs received training in alpine combat (to allow them to assist in the Swiss national defence in the event of invasion). As a result my grandfather became an avid skier, something he passed on to his children - and ultimately resulted in my parents meeting during a ski holiday in Falls Creek.

There is an Australian travel company that runs a nine-day, 100km hike over the Alps retracing one of the main trails followed by the northern Italy POWs. It is from all accounts very well done. I was supposed to be doing it in August, but unfortunately COVID interfered.
 
My mums got the paper work, and need to get hold of it and scan and transcribe it but my mums grandfather fought in Europe in WW1, but from what ive seen he fought in France at Villers-Bretonneux. he was awarded medals for capturing German machine gun post/trench and then turning the gun on the germans.

His brother, guess that makes him my Great Uncle, fought in both both gallipoli and the western front he was twice recommended for the Military Cross for bravery. then back it up and was a leader in WW2, and was knighted... not bad for a humble s**t kicker from the bush.
 
The Sultan said:
My mums got the paper work, and need to get hold of it and scan and transcribe it but my mums grandfather fought in Europe in WW1, but from what ive seen he fought in France at Villers-Bretonneux. he was awarded medals for capturing German machine gun post/trench and then turning the gun on the germans.

His brother, guess that makes him my Great Uncle, fought in both both gallipoli and the western front he was twice recommended for the Military Cross for bravery. then back it up and was a leader in WW2, and was knighted... not bad for a humble sh*t kicker from the bush.
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Plenty to be proud of, worth making sure the documentation is kept together for all the family, medals too.
 
Not first hand but just saw Nuremberg trials on SBS.

Seems all those top nazis tried to squirm out of it. Only Rudolph Hoss who was commander of aushwicz was truthful and took full responsibility
Which probably took all the others down.

Not that I’m commending him, but if the others were so proud, why try to avoid their inevitable fate? Scum
 
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Pessimistic said:
Not first hand but just saw Nuremberg trials on SBS.

Seems all those top nazis tried to squirm out of it. Only Rudolph Hoss who was commander of aushwicz was truthful and took full responsibility
Which probably took all the others down.

Not that I’m commending him, but if the others were so proud, why try to avoid their inevitable fate? Scum
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Goering knew his fate. Look up what he did to get out of getting hung.
 
Pessimistic said:
Not first hand but just saw Nuremberg trials on SBS.

Seems all those top nazis tried to squirm out of it. Only Rudolph Hoss who was commander of aushwicz was truthful and took full responsibility
Which probably took all the others down.

Not that I’m commending him, but if the others were so proud, why try to avoid their inevitable fate? Scum
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Did they also mention that he had his testicles crushed and his family threatened?
 
Pessimistic said:
Not first hand but just saw Nuremberg trials on SBS.

Seems all those top nazis tried to squirm out of it. Only Rudolph Hoss who was commander of aushwicz was truthful and took full responsibility
Which probably took all the others down.

Not that I’m commending him, but if the others were so proud, why try to avoid their inevitable fate? Scum
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I think hoss was replaced at Auschwitz because he wasn't "efficient" enough.

Just shows how depraved things got.
 
My grandfathers were fighting for the independent state of Croatia against the communists (America's & England's allies) and nationalist Serbs.
It's funny because the Croat people are not communists, so I don't know how a stupid communist can have the best interests of the Croatian people at heart. Fighting against the nationalist Serbs at least makes sense, but what the f*** was communism's problem?

Like Zelenskyy said to Russia: "look after your own people." And Croats are not communist people.

But ww2 was a conspiracy.
 
Istina said:
My grandfathers were fighting for the independent state of Croatia against the communists (America's & England's allies) and nationalist Serbs.
It's funny because the Croat people are not communists, so I don't know how a stupid communist can have the best interests of the Croatian people at heart. Fighting against the nationalist Serbs at least makes sense, but what the f*** was communism's problem?

Like Zelenskyy said to Russia: "look after your own people." And Croats are not communist people.

But ww2 was a conspiracy.
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The tribes of Europe fighting amongst themselves is 'old hat'. The rest of the world should not be suckered in to their squabbles.
 
One of my grandfather's (NZ) was at Gallipoli but was evacuated out sick. Other grandfather was a captain in the UK territorial / pioneer corp on the western front involved in logistics and supplies , his records were destroyed in the second world war so a bit of a gap in knowledge there.
Mum was born in 1938 in London one of her first memories was sitting in an Anderson shelter eating cucumber watching an air raid. She also remembers the doodle bugs(V1) rocket attacks. Another memory was at the end of the war kids being given bananas to eat but never seeing them before tried to eat them skin and all !
 

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My father was a wireless operator on a Liberator in the last year of the war flying out of Darwin. My uncle was Bill Doolan of the 'Driver Doolan' story. Song of Bill Doolan's Last Stand, Gull Force, Ambon, WWII, 1942 What the exact truth of the events is difficult to know. He was married to Aunty Kath, who was with child, which adds to the pathos. He died long before I was born and for a number of reasons this was kept secret in my family. I had 3 other uncles who served in WWII, one fought in Tobruk & Alamein then PNG, another was taken POW in the fall of Singapore and returned to Oz 4 stone in weight and the last was badly injured fighting Germans somewhere and lost his arm. They never talked about so there are no 'stories' as such.

WWI is even more sketchy. I had one Grandfather shot in the shoulder and repatriated home from Gallipoli and another who sounds like he was 'shell shocked' after serving in Europe.
 
My Grandfather turned 18 in 1917, enlisted, trained and sailed to Europe to join the big party. Spanish flu had ripped through the troop ship and a third of those onboard died and the war was effectively over when he arrived in 1918. .
 
jim boy said:
My Grandfather turned 18 in 1917, enlisted, trained and sailed to Europe to join the big party. Spanish flu had ripped through the troop ship and a third of those onboard died and the war was effectively over when he arrived in 1918. .
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Check of he was given the medals he was entitled to. You can still apply for them if not.

My great grandfather got sick on the way there (as did his buddies) and spent a while in England recovering.. so similar boat (no pun intended)
 
In August 1994, my grandmother was living on a farm about 10 miles from Cowra with my infant father and my great grandfather. My grandfather was in airforce at Darwin guarding an airfield at that time.

Japanese POW's broke out and my great grandfather joined the effort to round them up. Leaving my grandmother alone. She told me she was fightened as to what the japanese could do to her and my father should they raid the farm. The stories people were being told about the Japanese were horrific. She hid my father in his crib in a closet, did not leave the house and carried a loaded shotgun with her until they were all recaptured.
 
I had a beer and a conversation with a WW2 VC winner at ANZAC Day in the early 1990's. He was a fairly quiet sort of bloke, but his old shipmates who were with him told about him and Roberts climbing into the casing and disarming live bombs on a submarine at sea.

Thomas William Gould - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Elroo said:
I had a beer and a conversation with a WW2 VC winner at ANZAC Day in the early 1990's. He was a fairly quiet sort of bloke, but his old shipmates who were with him told about him and Roberts climbing into the casing and disarming live bombs on a submarine at sea.

Thomas William Gould - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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I got to know this old boy when he was a regular in the bookshop I worked at.
en.wikipedia.org

Nicholas Winton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Am related to Sir Stan Savige, he was involved in both world wars and regarded as one of the greatest australian soliders. highly recommend the book about him, "ANZAC Sniper". Despite all this, as well as founding Legacy, hes is not spoken about a hell of a lot.

Article that was in the Age the other day, it was hidden behind the paywall but have de-walled it.

 
Baldur said:
In August 1994, my grandmother was living on a farm about 10 miles from Cowra with my infant father and my great grandfather. My grandfather was in airforce at Darwin guarding an airfield at that time.

Japanese POW's broke out and my great grandfather joined the effort to round them up. Leaving my grandmother alone. She told me she was fightened as to what the japanese could do to her and my father should they raid the farm. The stories people were being told about the Japanese were horrific. She hid my father in his crib in a closet, did not leave the house and carried a loaded shotgun with her until they were all recaptured.
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That’s a long time to have held POWs.
 
My grandad flew hurricanes in the battle of Britain. He was shot down over Dunkirk and e and e’d, nicked a sail boat and sailed home to blighty.

He came from a naval family who were disgusted with his defection to “those ridiculous contraptions”

The other grandad was a signaler - morse code weapon.

6 grand uncles were in various infantry units in the pacific, 4 died in captivity- the other two were released as emaciated skeletons and had shortened lives as a result.

My father and my brother are the only two male members of the family to have not served in the military since that family tree can remember.


Pretty sure the military would have preferred that i made that three.
 
My heritage is Greek, specifically Cretan. As a nation we've been fighting for thousands of years. Recently though i was told by my father that his father fought in the Balkans war in 1912. He was stationed there for 7 years. I don't have anymore details but i was shocked and proud upon hearing this.
 
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