´óÏó´«Ã½

Families grow up with their very own stories. Conversation often sparks the re-collection of an ‘all too familiar tale’, repeated for the umpteenth time, nevertheless, we’re always happy to hear them and to laugh along and share the memory.

If the subject of war ever arose, mum (born in December 1934) was 4 at the outbreak of WWII and 10 and its end, remembers relatively little about it. She says her father was away for the war (serving in the RAF, in Holland), she still has a china headed doll that he bought her home.

In recent years I’ve become very interested in the World Wars, and have become particularly moved and bothered by the sacrifices of so many young men. This has spurred me to question the role of members of my own family

I don’t claim to be an expert in the subject at all, however, knowing what little I do... the story of my grandfather being in Holland for the duration, cannot be true, can it?

As I understand it, Holland was Nazi occupied until 1944 until the Brits and the Americans liberated the people there. And, unfortunately, with so little to go on - how could I begin to find out about my grandfathers situation for the whole of the war?

Thomas Stubbs, born October 20th, 1908 an upholsterer by trade, resided in Norwich, Norfolk. Husband and father of two, was in his thirties at the beginning of WWII, so was possibly too old for a fighting role? Mum seems to think he was ‘office based’ at one time. Where would that office have been? On pressing mum further on the matter, she doesn’t seem to know.

Tragically, my grandfather died of cancer just 5 years after the wars end. He was only 41 years old. My grandmother died in her early eighties, spending over half of her life as a widow.

Certainly, as a child born in the 60’s, there was certainly very much a feeling of putting the wars behind us and looking forward not back. This new generation was uninformed, naive and indifferent, easily dismissive of any talk of wars that took place ‘so long ago’.

Thankfully, the WWI and WWII is now part of the National Curriculum. And I think it is imperative that we continue to educate the future generation of this significant time in recent history.

At Key Stage 2, my children are interested and inquisitive by the stories of The Peoples War - especially of life on the Home Front. They are always happy to review the subject by visiting a museum or by reading of a book, be it fictional or factual. They will appreciate a drama or documentary and have a natural curiosity of chronological order.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.