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Message 1 - Cable Street war.

Posted on: 05 April 2005 by John Phillip Thornton

5-5-05

Dear Bucksevacuee

A fine tale of you and your Aunt attending the 1936 battle of Cable Street. My father Philip and two of his brothers all in their early 20s and living in Deptford and Poplar heard about the problem in the East End as they were measured for new suits 鈥� ready for dads marriage to my mother Kathleen.

Their Jewish tailor closed his shop because of the problem and they all walked round the corner into Cable Street to witness the parasitical idiot Mosley and about 20 of his black shirt fascists surrounding him as he voiced his propaganda. A fight ensued and as you rightly say, Mosley and his crew were escorted away from the area, somewhat damaged.

It was this that had my father understanding the dangers of fascism enlist In 1939 and fought with Britain鈥檚 7th armoured division in North Africa, subsequently with the 8th army in Cyrenaica, Libya, Tripolitanaia and Tunisia, across the Mediterranean Sea and through Sicily to the mountains of Italy. The American 5th army joined in at Salerno (better late than never). Then came the battle of Normandy, each invasion followed by ferocious inland battles.

Although dad was wounded a number of times he was able to fight on following rest and treatment. I was pleased when he returned home in 1946 and I listened as a child when he told tales to his brothers who hadn鈥檛 been in action.

Unfortunately dad died in 1952 in a motorcycle accident on the way to his employment but I was proud of him, and his stand against those fascists and I still am.

I; like you, have put my story into the WW2 People鈥檚 War section and I enjoyed your contribution

Fraternally

John Phillip Thornton ID 785835

Message 1 -

Posted on: 07 June 2005 by John Phillip Thornton

Dear bucksevacuee

With reference to you鈥檙e excellent 鈥渋t started in Cable Street for us鈥� article. My parents have also passed away, like your auntie Betty 鈥� god bless them, but I penned a piece for my local newspaper about the 60th anniversary of VE day.

To my surprise, it received 700 positive replies (also 3 negative). The newspaper has now closed said correspondence.

I penned this in my contribution entitled the cruellest, war in Europe, as set out below.

Cruellest war in Europe

Sixty years ago history records the ending of the cruellest war in Europe. World War Two was a war like no other. Six long years of carnage and barbarianism, courage and heroism, sacrifice and death.

It cost an estimated 70 million deaths, many were civilians. Russia alone, which fought three-fifths of Hitler鈥檚 armies, lost around 30 million people, 75% of them soldiers.

Britain declared war on Hitler in September 1939. The Russian鈥檚 entered the war in June 1941 because they had to, Hitler鈥檚' army were already on their way to rape Russian natural resources.

The USA in December of the same year. They saw the writing on the wall and knew they were in for a hiding by Hitler with German rocket technology and the Japanese Bushido warriors if Britain and her group of allies were overcome by Germany. This was a war that for the first time, everyone was involved, anyone could be killed at any time, and there was no hiding place from bombs and bullets.

As the first day of celebration known as Victory in Europe (VE) day, passed, the world discovered the horrific extent of humankind鈥檚 capacity for cruelty.

How, people asked, could such a civilised people that gave us Beethoven and Goethe commit such acts 鈥� starving, beating, torturing, burning millions of men, women and children prisoners because they were communists, gays, gypsies, invalids, Jews, Poles, Russians and trade -unionists?

We also learnt other barbarities: how British and US planes had destroyed, using bombs and firebombs the people of Dresden and Hamburg.

鈥楾he wars over鈥� children like me cried on VE-Day. And 'Adolph Hitler鈥檚 dead.鈥� I came trooping home from my three-year evacuation to meet with my mum and sister who had remained in the London hellhole and were lucky to be alive. What were my thoughts as I viewed the rubble and ruined buildings that littered London?

They were about getting back to normal. Enjoying a (small) bag of rationed sweets, a Tizer lemonade drink. Real instead of dried eggs, Bacon instead of tinned processed meat from America called Spam. Bread and margarine and jam. No more drone of German bombers, no more diving into air-raid shelters no more sirens and gas masks.

What does the war mean to young people today? Nothing, to some, as evidenced by Prince Harry dressing in a German Nazi uniform for a fancy dress ball shows.

Even our government has blocked efforts to create a medal for the heroes such as my wife鈥檚 father and her uncle's who took part in the artic convoys supplying weapons etc to enable our Russian allies to hold back the German hordes on the eastern front.

There aren鈥檛 many veterans left nowadays, but as we waved our flags at the kids celebration parties 60 years ago, with our jellies and cakes and bunting, we remembered them. And we said 鈥� Thank you for our freedom, comrades. God bless you mate.鈥�

Sincerely

John Phillip Thornton