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Brothers Stanley and Frank Shires were born and brought up in Leeds. When war broke out Stan was already in the Territorial Army and was therefore immediately called up for active service, shortly afterwards Frank also found himself enlisting in the Army. Stan joined the Royal Signals 22nd Guards Brigade whilst Frank joined 212 Company RASC (Army Transport).
My father Frank did not speak of his war experiences for many years, but eventually he would make odd comments which enabled me to piece together some of his story. He, by his own admission, had 'a very good war'. Although he was one of the many evacuated from Dunkirk he saw little of the carnage of war and certainly never fired a shot in anger. His job was to keep track of, and ferry, supplies around this country and abroad, he rose to be a Sergeant before being de-mobbed. He even had time to meet and marry my Mother whilst stationed near Lostwithiel during the preparations for the D-day landings. After the war he was able to return to his job working for Timpson's Shoe Retailers.
Stan however, found himself as part of the Western Desert Force, which consisted of troops from various parts of the world including South Africa. He was transported to Egypt via Cape Town and Bombay, to face the Italian Army. In 1941 his unit was sent to work behind enemy lines, unfortunately their messages had been decoded by the Germans, they were intercepted and he became a prisoner of war.
Shortly after he was taken prisoner he caught a stomach virus, which left him severely debilitated. He spent sometime in a POW hospital but recovery was slow, he was moved to Italy and then to Stalag 344 near Lamsdorf Germany by the Polish/ Czech borders. With the Russians advancing they were then force-marched across Germany with few rations or protection from the weather, in 1945 he was freed and returned to Leeds. Stan eventually met his wife Mair and settled down but his war experiences continually affected his well-being. Many years were to pass before he was diagnosed as having post-traumatic stress syndrome and received proper help and official recognition of the difficulties he had faced. he has been able to write and talk about his experiences.
Both men found themselves in extraordinary times and met the challenges that were placed in front of them. They both had a quiet strength, which saw them through

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