大象传媒

My Grandfather was a great man. He would have been somewhat ticked off with me for writing this, but his story is incredible and must be told. To all our sorrows he died 6 weeks ago as a healthy man, very suddenly. We were obviously shocked and it hit us quite hard. He was always very upset and affected by his experiences at war, and as you will read who can blame him. Before I go into detail, the main parts are as follows; Granddad worked in the mines as a teenager, then he was called up at 20 years old. After basic training he was posted to North Africa. He was captured by the Afrika Korps at Tobruk. The Germans shipped him and his comrades to Northern Italy as POWs, he escaped to be recaptured by the Germans, where, without a uniform risking execution as a spy he told the Germans he was RAF aircrew. He was then imprisoned at Stalag 4b Muhlberg nr The Elbe. After 2 more daring escapes, he was successful and collected by the Russians, who then handed him to the Americans. He was our hero. The story is amazing and is littered with acts of heroism. It begins in a small Welsh mining community in the Rhonda Valley 1919. My Grandfather was born Daniel O鈥橪eary on 24th September 1919, the third youngest of 9 children, from Irish immigrant parents. Life for many people of their type at that time was very hard, more so than any of us can imagine today. He lost his Mother through illness when he was 4, his 1st older brother at 11 years old and his father when he was 14. His Father was a drinker and Granddad and his siblings were raised by his eldest sister.

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