What did Grandad do during the war?

margarita bennett hits the the nail on the head; there are no winners out of war. The Russian (not Communist, Socialist or anything else) people suffered brutally under the Nazi onslaught and it's actually difficult to get your head round the total figures of slaughter in Russia. On a more humanitarian note, my father served with the RAF during WWII, as a humble aircraftman/driver. In the latter stages (1945) he entered Germany as part of the occupying forces. He came from a less well off family and could not bear to see any child going hungry and often shared what he could out of his own rations
with desperate German children. He only told the family this shortly before his own death. I think there's a message there for all of us.

my uncle was in the welsh guards 1st battalion his name was sgt g.p.hill he was a regular soldier and joined up before war broke out,he was killed by mortar fire digging out on august01 1944 aged 32 yrs he is buried at banneville-la-campagne war cemetry grave ref xv1.c.30.if anyone knew him or knows anything about him would be grateful for any info at all.

My grandfather, who has sadly died, told me a story of when he arrived at Gold beach during the D Day landings. He was a dispatch rider and by the time he had disembarked from his landing craft on his motorbike, the remainder of his regiment had moved on. Just to add to his problems, he gained a puncture in his front tyre, which he then spend the next hour fixing before moving on down the road towards a town called cabourg to catch up with his regiment. After about 15 minutes of riding, he stated that 2 British Tommy's leaped out from the side of the road and waved him down, asking where the ****** he was going. After explaning to them what had happened they told him he was going the wrong way and to get out of there fast as they were laying in wait setting an ambush for a columb of German half tracks that were about half a mile down the road. My grandfather said as he was turning his bike around that he could hear them coming and off he sped. He never did find out what happened to the 2 soldiers who stopped him, but if they hadn't, then he would have rode straight into the German half tracks and probably have been killed.

My name is Margarita Bennett. I am Russian, but married to British husband and live in UK for long time. I would like to share with you the my biggest impression when I came to England..... I sure, nobody will guess! The biggest my surprise here was to see the lots of elderly COUPLES ! Yes, that's right. If you would visit Russia , you would never ever meet actually the war-time couples, there are just elderly women and they are all single from last war time. Those women if they have lost their men in last war, they would never have had a chance to remarried because ALL men population in Russia was totally destroyed. All of them, from 14 years old till eighties. Women who have never been married, also could not have a families or children simply due to absence of any men from 12 till 75. If there were surviving men coming back home from the last war, they often were the heavily disabled ( without arms or legs). So, it was very very hard to restore a new generation of Russian people and life in general. If there were not man left after the war, the Russian women had to re-build a new life by themselves: a destroyed industry, houses to live, roads, railways, schools, hospitals and start life again from the ashes. Yes, the ashes, this is that exactly what has left after 5 years of staying German army at Russian territory. Over 20 million people has died fighting at battle fields, and an other 20 millions has died from starving, hunger, diseases, and in concentration camps around Russia and outside. Nearly every child has lost their parents and become homeless, every house was turned to ashes and EVERY family in Russia has lost somebody during the war! I just thank God that I don't live in that time and my children have a chance to live in peace! Many nations did suffered during last war, but the pain of human lost has no nationality. British family which have lost their loved ones during the war did felt the pain the same way as Russians did. This is that remind us that we are all the same, Western and Eastern; and all differences and barriers are created by politicians for their own games. We are all created by one God, and he would not judge people according to their nationalities. So, sorry for being so long, but this is what firstly amazed me on British land, the scene you would never see in Russia, the elderly COUPLES, walking together holding their hands!!!

William Jones VC My ancestor fought in the Anglo Zulu Wars of the 1870's in the Cape Frontier War, then at the famous Battle of Rorke's Drift. I am a descendant of this man and his name was 593 Private William Jones VC. His role in the battle was immortalized in the classic film 'Zulu' which launched the directing careers of Sir Stanley Baker and acting career of Sir Michael Caine. William's part was played by the Welsh actor Richard Davies. William Jones was decorated with his Victoria Cross by Her Majesty Queen Victoria at Osborne House on 13th January 1880. William had to unfortunately pawn his VC when he fell on hard times in the 1890's. The medal is now housed in the South Wales Borderers' Museum, Brecon, Wales. William contracted rheumatoid arthritis, which he caught from sleeping out in the cold and wet at Rorke's Drift after the battle. Unable to work on occasions, he took to acting and starred in the stage spectacular Hamilton's Pansterorama in the 1880s and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the 1890s. William was one of the few survivors of the battle to live into his 70s and died on 15th April 1913. William's grave is located in Philip's Park Cemetery Manchester section D-887 and a large blue commemoration plaque adorns the wall of the disused church, alongside another plaque to commemorate WWI hero, George Stringer VC.