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Message 2 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 10 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Dear Mr Allen --

Hallo, and welcome! I must concur with Bob; you seem to be brimming over with stories to tell.

There is no problem if you would like to submit several stories; some people have quite a portfolio.

Why not perhaps start with a short paragraph or two on your military background, and then write about your experiences on the searchlight unit? What were your duties; what were the sights and sounds? You could certainly submit a valuable contribution on that duty alone.

If you feel a bit shy about 'how to get started' may I suggest that you write a little something about yourself on your 'About Me' on your personal page? You could tell us here about your military background, and perhaps a summary of your various duties and assignments during the war. It's very easy to edit the 'About Me' page on your own, so in a way, you might feel a bit more confident about writing if you can post and 'erase' as you go!

Once you've set down your brief biography, I think you may find that your stories will flow easily, cos each sentence really gives us a chapter or story title -- such as in your comments here in the writing workshop; each item you describe could easily be the title to a story.

Do please have a go, as we would be appreciative to have your contributions! And as you can see, we are quite nice, and would be willing to help you along the way.

cheers,
Carey

Message 3 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 10 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo Bob
Thanks for the reply. It is my intention to add some material to the site.
In the meantime you mention that you sailed on Bibby Line troopships.
When I sailed from Rangoon on the Derbyshire it was for demobilisation. We had been out in the Far East TOO LONG TO QUALIFY FOR LEAVE. Others who were posted out later qualified for 1 months leave after an interval of 1 year, I think, out there.They were, I believe, flown back home. This was official!! Likewise when THEY decided to use age and service instead of just service that meant that many people, myself included, were kind of first in, last out.
Anyway, that was a long time ago, and this is not the place for moaning.
When I sailed it was on Draft No. HU12 Python 31 as Draft Conducting Warrant Officer.
Writing of ships, you may be interested in a reply I have just sent
to Altair625 concerning the sinking of the troopship SS Oronsay.

All the best

Ron

Message 4 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 10 January 2004 by Ron Allen

PS to messeage just sent.
What is a Writing Buddy?

Ron

Message 5 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 11 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Dear Mr Allen,

Hallo!

The Writing Buddies on the site are volunteers such as myself and Bob who look over the stories that have been submitted. We are here to help you write your stories, whether it's to help polish a final draft, or get you started by asking questions and offering encouragement whilst you gather your thoughts, or perhaps so you might add more detail to your story.

I hope this answers your question!

Thank you very much,
cheers,
Carey

Message 6 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 11 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo Carey

Many thanks for the helpful reply. I intended to reply to it after Bob's, but found there was not time. Thanks also for your second reply concerning Writing Buddies. It confirmed my thought that it might be the case.
I thought of beginning with the lead up to war and why I joined the TA. Then follow on as far as possible in a historical sequence, perhaps as kind of chapters. I realise that it may not be possible to adhere to this pattern all the time - my reply to Altair625, for example - hope he gets it.
The way I would like to do it, would be to put my thoughts down in Microsoft Word, then copy and paste into my personal space, having edited before doing so. I have tried, as an experiment, but it does'nt seem to work, since there seems to be no menu to paste into the personal space. Is it possible to do this in some way?
Many thanks for the help.

All the best

Ron

Message 7 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 11 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Hallo, Ron!

I think your plan for your story portfolio sounds fine. Writing in chapters will also help focus the reader on each particular phase of your career in as much detail as you wish to add.

Do not worry about feeling 'trapped' into writing simply chapters or that you must write in a sort of chronological order -- it is your story and history, so of course you may write as you wish!

As for the Microsoft Word editing -- it is an excellent idea to have all of your stories on your own computer in a file so that as you work on them and edit them to your satisfaction, you will have copies of them.

I must admit, however, that I am somewhat stymied at the moment by the Personal Page myself -- I have gone to edit my own this morning, both copying and pasting from Microsoft Word and also simply typing the entire entry by hand, and absolutely cannot get any of my text to come up! Hmmm... In preview for plain text, it looks just lovely, and then when I hit 'save' all one sees of my nice 'About Me' is only the title. When I hit preview in GuideML text, the text editor insists that there is an 'Invalid at the top level of the document.'

I will ask my director Helen what to do about this, as your plan to add and edit stories (and my hope to update my Personal Page) seem to be in a bit of bother at the moment!

Will soon have it sorted out, I'm sure.

Til then, do keep writing your stories.

cheers,
Carey

Message 8 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 12 January 2004 by Bob Gibb - WW2 Site Helper

Hi again Ron!

I was fascinated by your explanation of the 'Python". It was just the other day I was telling someone about being in Malaya and going into the urinal. There was a Seaforth Highlander, and least 6ft 4in tall leaning his head against the wall and crying.

I said to him: "Hey Jock, can I help?"
"Naebuddy can help me. They're transferring me tae the Gordon Highlanders!"

"Why's that?" I asked. He said, still sobbing: "The Seaforths are gaun hame, but I havenae finishe m' python so I canna!"

"That's a shame," I said, "Ye're not bein' allowed hame."

"It's nae that," he said. ""Ah'm gaun tae hiv tae change m'
tartan!"

Anway . . . your difficulty with the Word system. Why don't you put your stuff into Word and e-mail it to me on bobgibb@beeb.net? I should be able to call it up, have a look and get back in touch.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Bob

Message 9 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 12 January 2004 by Helen

Message 10 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 12 January 2004 by Helen

Hi Ron, Bob and Carey

This looks really exciting and I can't wait to read more from Ron.

Thanks for all the hard work.

Best wishes,

Helen, WW2 Team

Message 11 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 12 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Well, that seemed to work (see below) so will try the next stage.

Ron

Reply to Bob Gibb

Many thanks for your reply. As an experiment, I am typing this in Word and will then cut and paste to see if I can reply this way. If I can do this, I will then try pasting into my Personal Space again.
If that doesn’t work, I will certainy take you up on your suggestion to use email, thanks. I hope I can paste Word in some way as I am quite familiar with it and it will speed up my contributions.

Best wishes

Ron

Message 12 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 12 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Bob
Me again. Just tried pasting into my Personal Space, this time successfully. So I can make my contributions this way. Don't know why I couldn't before.
Will be in touch
Ron

Message 13 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 23 January 2004 by Helen

Hi Ron, Carey and Bob

I've left this message for you Ron:
F1665984?post=4745909

- to give an explanation of how the personal page works and how to get your stories added to the archive.

This would apply to all users, Carey and Bob - just in case this comes up again. Plus there seems to be a bit of a gremlin attacking the 'About me' sections of some users' personal pages. We are working hard to figure this out.

Cheers,

Helen, WW2 Team

Message 14 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 24 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Hallo, Helen -- as always, thank you for a useful link!

I'm sure the About Me page glitch will be sorted out quickly; no worries!

Hope all's well.

cheers,
Carey

Message 15 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 27 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo again Carey
I have managed the first bit of my story, under the title "Reahearsals for War" and submitted it to the Editorial Desk.
I wonder if you would like to have a look at it and give an opinion?
I have read since submitting it that the next installment should have the same title but with Part 2 etc added, but it seems to be inappropriate to the title I have used?
I am copying this to Bob Gibb.

Message 16 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 27 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo again Bob
I have managed the first bit of my story, under the title "Reahearsals for War" and submitted it to the Editorial Desk.
I wonder if you would like to have a look at it and give an opinion?
I have read since submitting it that the next installment should have the same title but with Part 2 etc added, but it seems to be inappropriate to the title I have used?
I am copying this to Carey.
PS You have mentioned Aberdeen. It so happens that I am into Family History and believe the male branch of my family comes from there, but not sure whether it is City or Aberdeenshire.
All the best
Ron

Message 17 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 27 January 2004 by Helen

Hi Ron

You don't have to give your stories the same title, unless they are part of the same narrative. If they 'stand alone' (and don't need background info' from one of your previous stories), then do just go ahead and give them different titles.

I look forward to reading them,

Helen, WW2 Team

Message 18 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 27 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo Helen
Many thanks for your helpful comments concerning the next part of my story.In a way, it's a continuous narrative, which at the moment, I see as being the lead up to 3 September 1939 (done), followed by anti-aircraft/Battle of Britain/Blitz on London (and Kent). Next followed by the Far East and the Burma Campaign.
I could do a little recap of the final part of the previous section, leading into the new one. Would there be any problems with this approach, do you think?
If you have time and glance at my "Rehearsals for War", I could lead in to the new narrative with where I was on 3 September 1939 and a reference back to "Rehearsals for war" to tie the two together?

All the best

Ron

Message 19 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Hallo, Ron!

Yes, absolutely, I shall have a look at your story, and look forward to reading it -- if I delay a wee bit in replying, it is because I am about to step away from the comp for a short trip to snowy Baltimore thence to Florida for a couple of days -- in the meantime, Bob I'm sure will take a look, and then you can have two opinions (one can have never too many opinions).

Hope you are all right; I think the bit of weather what just came up the East Coast here has been paying a call on the British Isles of late...

cheers,
Carey

Message 20 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Helen

Hi Ron

Carey left this message for you in the forum at the end of your story:

===
Hallo, Ron -- fantastic beginning for your personal chronicles -- thank you for setting it to paper. Impressive that you still have your diaries, and also that you have looked up newspaper records -- the amount of detail you have included is lovely, as it is both informative for visitors here, and, one hopes, inspirational in that such detail might trigger off memories for someone else to contribute or write.

I have found it of interest that your parents' generation, the ones who remembered and lived through the horror of the Great War, were anti-war, anti-military; I have read this elsewhere in other contributors' stories. It is, of course, no surprise given the terrible events of that war and the impact of the 'Lost Generation' -- and I think younger visitors and reader to these stories, many of whom have questioned some wars of recent years, may be interested to know that such protests and anti-war sentiment are not new -- sometimes I think people feel that 'long ago' is completely inaccessible and alien to 'modern' thought, but it's not so, is it really...

One anticipates your subsequent contributions of your experiences, and perhaps of your wife's as a WRN...

cheers,
Carey
===

I also read your story and really enjoyed it, for many of the same reasons as Carey. I hope you don't mind, but I broke up the paragraphs so that it is easier to read onscreen.

I felt that I was reading part of a larger narrative, so I would be tempted to use the same title for each part, but with either chapter numbers or a subtitle tacked on.

Does that make sense?

I really look forward to more. And like Carey, I think it would be great to have your wife's story on the site - if that were possible.

All best wishes,

Helen, WW2 Team

Message 21 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Helen

By the way, Ron - I can also add links at the bottom of each 'chapter' so that they link to each other. You will need to let me know (leave a message on my personal page) when you are ready for me to do this.

To create spaces between your paragraphs - and make your articles easier to read - you need to hit the return two times.

Enjoy the writing - you have a lovely warm and detailed style, very readable.

Best wishes,

Helen

Message 22 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo again Carey and Helen

Many thanks for your replies. Hope you have a good time in Baltimore and Florida, Carey. My son and daughter-in-law in this weather (your weather) make tracks for the ski slopes near (in USA terms) them. Both Baltimore and Florida have cropped up in their eMails and attached photographs to my wife and I.

With regard to the diaries, I can't remember what caused me to start them but have kept them up to now. Unfortunately, those that cover the Battle of Britain era went missing when I was posted abroad, so I shall have to rely on memory and some research I have done for family history, reasons when I cover what I was up to then. There are other gaps within the diaries, sometimes for a few days sometimes for a week or two. There are times in war when you are rather busy and diaries are not at the top of the agenda.

Again, with regard to the newspapers, I have a number of copies for the war period, have looked some up and have the Daily Mail Centenary CD Rom which also includes the period.

I would also like to include my wife's memories, but will first have to persuade her that she has anything of interest to tell; "interview" her and get her memories down on paper or tape; then type it in on the computer because, unfortunately, she fairly recently became partially sighted and cannot see to write or read.

I have not looked at the modified paragraphs before writing this, Helen, but I am sure they will be OK.

Best wishes

Ron

Message 23 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Ron Allen

Hallo again Helen

This is by way of a PS to the posting I have just made to you and Carey. Having posted it I found your posting about the paragraphs. Most importantly, thank you for your remarks about writing style - much appreciated.

With regard to the paragraphs, I deliberately sent them this way, because I thought the narrative was getting a bit long and using a lot of space. I normally write as you suggest in anything, letters, family history, eMails etc. Glad I can continue because I agree, spaces are quite important.

I will certainly let you know when each 'chapter' ends. Thanks for that.

Cheers

Ron

Message 24 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 28 January 2004 by Carey - WW2 Site Helper

Hallo, Ron! Am on the road, but on line...mod cons. Very enjoyable drive, and I mean that because I am mad as a balloon -- most people would not have ventured out as part of the route was quite icy. I have never slid UPhill before (about 100 feet), but it was great fun. I enjoy driving.

Do please check out the feedback discussion on your story, as one of our very nice researchers has also left you some comments; I think you may have some history in comment with you.

By all means, it would be lovely if you would persuade your wife to tell you some of her stories. It is ALL of interest; you may reassure her that everyone here would be most interested...but there is no rush, of course, especially in that you would be transcribing her story.

Keep up your good work!

cheers,
carey

Message 25 - Your 'Brief History'

Posted on: 09 February 2004 by Bob Gibb - WW2 Site Helper

Hi Ron!

Sorry I've been a bit out of touch of late . . . rather busy. Apart from still being a self-employed journalist, I'm a community councillor and also help out the Cyrenians (looking after the homeless). At the moment I'm also preparing to abseil down one of the highest buildings in Aberdeen in aid of the blind. (I'm going to be the oldest going down, and I do it because I'm terrified of heights!)

Anyway, all that aside . . . I'm going to take a good look at your latest contribution and will get back to you ASAP!

Regarding your Aberdeen connection . . . can you give me any details at all?

Will be in touch.

Bob