- Contributed by听
- derbycsv
- People in story:听
- Oswald Irwin Collier, Zoe Collier (nee Richardson) Patricia Smith (nee Collier)
- Location of story:听
- Burton on Trent, Scotland, France, Belguim and Antwerp
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A4667466
- Contributed on:听
- 02 August 2005
Oswald Irwin Collier -Royal Engineers The medals are 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45
Part One of this story can be found at bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/a4660454
As well as receiving his medals, my Dad sent two maps that gave the places where the V1 and V2's fell on Antwerp to the Imperial War Musuem, and was sent a thank you letter from them.
The one thing that I always loved him telling me was this-
After France they pushed forward through a twenty mile gap into Belguim, then onto Antwerp. He told me this was a living hell. I think Germany was intent on moving everything there.
My Dad has said one afternoon he remembered going for a long walk, it was about five miles to the Railway Station, and he was walking under a bridge when he heard a plane near by and looked across to this Railway Station and at that moment the plane's engine cut out. He ran to an old lady to pull her under the bridge, just as the buzz bomb hit the station.
My Dad lived to tell the tale, but not many did. As he said you took your cloths off and they were wet and you would just put them back on in the same condition the next morning. He also remarked about the billets in Antwerp. They had just moved from there and the Germans hit them.
My Dad must have had a guardian angel looking after him. I am glad I took this down as my Dad died in January 2001.
During wartime his brother Frank was with the paratroopers, and my uncle went into the Navy.
I also remember when Fauld went up. I must have been around three and a half years old then. It was as if the room at my Grandparents home cocked up, I slid from one side of the room to the other and we lived on Gordon Street, Burton.
My Dad's mother worked at Fauld and closed the doors there and it was said that if it had not happended all of Burton would have gone. My mother's Uncle Harry worked there too.
This story was submitted to the site by Alison Tebbutt, Derby CSV Action Desk, on behalf of Patricia Smith. The author has given her permission, and fully understands the stie's terms and conditions.
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