Heroism/great deeds of interest

Normal Rob · Jun 6, 2016

Seeing the D Day thread made me think of this, but i did not want to hi-jack a thread dedicated to that great feat.

What things have your family members done? either in the service for their country, or in any other form.

My Grandfather worked alongside Sir Barnes Wallis on the construction of the bouncing bomb (of Damn Busters fame). His specific job was to calculate how strong to make the concrete coating surrounding the explosive so that it would not explode when it hit the water, but would when it struck the damn.

What more have we got?

daveinprague · Jun 6, 2016

My father was captured twice in the same place, Tobruk
As I understand it...
Axis troops captured Tobruk
Allies, took it back.
Axis troops took it back again, before he was evacuated.

Tyrone Biggums · Jun 6, 2016

One of my ancestors hung himself so that the English would not take his house and lands from his wife and child.

hans kraay fan club · Jun 6, 2016

Not heroism in the military sense, but my great-great uncle, Harry Baldwin, played in goal for the Albion, and saved five consecutive football league penalties.

Mowgli37 · Jun 6, 2016

My grandfather was shot down twice during the Second World War whilst serving as a flight engineer on planes patrolling the channel.

And as a child my other grandfather painted a swastika on his front door so that the Nazis would leave his family alone if they invaded :lolol:

KZNSeagull · Jun 6, 2016

My Uncle, after making an estimated 2000 parachute jumps during WWII (he was an original member of the Paras but was not, thankfully, sent to Arnhem), helped set up the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Gabbafella · Jun 6, 2016

My family aren't worth talking about.

hans kraay fan club · Jun 6, 2016

KZNSeagull said:
My Uncle, after making an estimated 2000 parachute jumps during WWII (he was an original member of the Paras but was not, thankfully, sent to Arnhem), helped set up the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Apart from that though?

Taybha · Jun 6, 2016

KZNSeagull said:
My Uncle, after making an estimated 2000 parachute jumps during WWII (he was an original member of the Paras but was not, thankfully, sent to Arnhem), helped set up the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Just as well , my dad managed to land his glider 12 miles away from where he was supposed to have landed , He never spoke about it much but shortly before he passed he said son it was'nt my fault it was the tracking :lolol:

BBassic · Jun 6, 2016

My grandfather filled in holes at bombed out airfields.

Not glamorous but he did his bit.

Goldstone1976 · Jun 6, 2016

Not heroism; not even a great deed; but perhaps of interest. My maternal grandfather survived three torpedo-caused sinkings. One in the NA on convey duty and twice in the Med. I imagine it's relatively rare to survive three?

hans kraay fan club · Jun 6, 2016

Goldstone1976 said:
Not heroism; not even a great deed; but perhaps of interest. My maternal grandfather survived three torpedo-caused sinkings. One in the NA on convey duty and twice in the Med. I imagine it's relatively rare to survive three?

I believe its rare that the rest of the crew allow such a JONAH on board, after the second time.

Goldstone1976 · Jun 6, 2016

hans kraay fan club said:
I believe its rare that the rest of the crew allow such a JONAH on board, after the second time.

I hadn't even thought about that; but you could well be right!

Hillian1 · Jun 6, 2016

Grandfather was evacuated from Dunkirk after fighting with BEF, fought in Africa (8th Army), then Italy, landed on Sword Beach and was Invalided out in Market Garden.

To say I looked at him as a Hero is somewhat of an understatement.

Hillian1 · Jun 6, 2016

Goldstone1976 said:
Not heroism; not even a great deed; but perhaps of interest. My maternal grandfather survived three torpedo-caused sinkings. One in the NA on convey duty and twice in the Med. I imagine it's relatively rare to survive three?

Was his name Albert?

daveinprague · Jun 6, 2016

Hillian1 said:
Grandfather was evacuated from Dunkirk after fighting with BEF, fought in Africa (8th Army), then Italy, landed on Sword Beach and was Invalided out in Market Garden.

To say I looked at him as a Hero is somewhat of an understatement.

Rightly so

Tom Bombadil · Jun 6, 2016

One grandfather gassed in the trenches. Other Grandfather did bomb disposal on the home front in WW2. Great Uncle killed when ship went down in the Med WW2. Another Great Uncle was a tale end charlie on a Lancaster, didn't make it home one sortie, rest of the plane did. Great great great ( not sure how many greats) Uncle it is claimed stayed behind in Ukraine during a pogrom to protect the family business and was burned alive in the shop. Not sure of the truth of the last one to be honest, may be more a family legend thats grown in the telling.

Triggaaar · Jun 6, 2016

On more than one occasion I've rescued friends and family from spiders.

Thunder Bolt · Jun 6, 2016

My Dad joined the Navy aged 15, served on HMS Hood from 37-39, did Atlantic & Arctic convoys, was there offshore at D Day, involved in the Suez crisis, and finally got demobbed in 1968.

Seagull58 · Jun 6, 2016

My Stepfather was in the SAS in the war and went into Arnhem in the first drop. He was promoted to Captain in the field at Arnhem. He was captured but escaped from POW camps twice and got back to the UK. He then worked for special forces and was involved in 2 operations behind enemy lines; 1 to capture a Nazi officer in Southern France and the other to release a French Resistance leader. On the second operation one of his colleagues was seriously injured so he stayed with him in the forest with the resistance for 3 months until he was well enough to escape by sea. After the war he worked for MI6 and was a good friend of Lionel "Buster" Crabb, the MI6 diver who disappeared in 1956 while checking out a soviet cruiser in Portsmouth Harbour. My stepfather was the third man on that mission, the one who was never named and who ripped the page out of the hotel guest book.
He was awarded the Military Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.

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