大象传媒

My Grandfather, my fathers father, was born at Dudley Hill, Bradford, Yorkshire on 17th March, 1924. In 1936 when he was 12 he joined the local Boys Brigade & joined the band where he carried & played the big drum. Around 1940 when he was 16 he joined the Home Guard (possibly it was known as the L.D.V then). Then when he was 17 and a half he & 3 friends decided to join up before they were called up. My Grandfather wanted to join the Marines while his 3 friends wanted the Navy. They arranged to meet one Saturday morning, however when he arrived at the meeting place his friends hadn't turned up so he went by himself to Leeds to join the Marines. When he got there the recruiting officer told him to have a walk around as he might change his mind, but he was adamant that he wanted to be in the Marines so he wouldn't change his mind. He was posted to Lympstone barracks in Deal in Kent when he was 18. Later he was posted to Devonport near Plymouth. He became a Sergeant & loved the life. Then in June 1944 he was in the D-Day landings. He was a coxswain on a landing craft. He fought in Europe & was wounded on May 7th 1945, not by the Germans but the Russians in some sort of trouble in a hospital. He met my Grandmother at a dance in the village she lived in at a celebration for wounded ex-servicemen. He was wearing a suit called hospital blues with a horrible red tie. He died in 1976, two years before I was born. I'm sorry I never knew him. Andrew Davidson.

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