| VE day 07:54 - May 7 with 2949 views | saint22 |
What’s everyone doing to celebrate the freedom of Europe from tyranny in isolation on our isolated island separated from Europe? |  | | |  |
| VE day on 08:16 - May 7 with 1542 views | Yarman |
I think you will find that it was the fact that Great Britain was isolated from Europe that enabled Europe to be freed. | | | |
| VE day on 08:45 - May 7 with 1479 views | saint68 |
| VE day on 08:16 - May 7 by Yarman |
I think you will find that it was the fact that Great Britain was isolated from Europe that enabled Europe to be freed. |
He rather shot himself in the foot there didn't he, I expect he would of also shot himself in the foot to avoid frontline duty.....
Or more than likely a conscientious objector. | |
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| VE day on 09:39 - May 7 with 1455 views | Yarman |
| VE day on 08:45 - May 7 by saint68 |
He rather shot himself in the foot there didn't he, I expect he would of also shot himself in the foot to avoid frontline duty.....
Or more than likely a conscientious objector. |
I think this is what happens when you let your political leanings colour the way you see past history, you cant change the past just because it doesn't fit with your present day sensibilities or even lack of knowledge. | | | |
| VE day on 09:45 - May 7 with 1436 views | saint68 |
| VE day on 09:39 - May 7 by Yarman |
I think this is what happens when you let your political leanings colour the way you see past history, you cant change the past just because it doesn't fit with your present day sensibilities or even lack of knowledge. |
He certainly is a tad odd in his thinking, maybe it's all that aviation fuel he's been subjected to. [Post edited 7 May 2020 9:46]
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| VE day on 10:02 - May 7 with 1405 views | Yarman |
| VE day on 09:45 - May 7 by saint68 |
He certainly is a tad odd in his thinking, maybe it's all that aviation fuel he's been subjected to. [Post edited 7 May 2020 9:46]
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Well now that zoom and con calls are the future all the high flyers on here should be a lot calmer.... | | | |
| VE day on 10:04 - May 7 with 1399 views | saint68 |
| VE day on 10:02 - May 7 by Yarman |
Well now that zoom and con calls are the future all the high flyers on here should be a lot calmer.... |
I wouldn't bet on it🤣😂 | |
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| VE day on 11:15 - May 7 with 1327 views | kernow |
VE Day +50 was a joyful occasion, street parties, balloons, bunting, cakes and nibbles, flowing wine etc. The kids were young and impressionable, a great occasion of commemoration, celebration and gratitude for the suffering and sacrifices of all our Mums and Dads.
VE Day+75 will be one of quiet reflection of the past and thinking of what the future holds.
Will probably raise a glass in commemoration and gratitude and watch Flo Bonner on BBC Spotlight South West singing Vera Lynn in double harmony.
On the subject of conscientious objectors. My late father in law was conscripted into the British Army in 1939, he served in western Europe. An idealistic young man, conscientious objector and member of the CPGB. He tore up his card in 1956 after Budapest. An ambulance driver who never picked up a gun, he saw more death and destruction than most. His unit walked into Belsen in 1945. Unsurprisingly, he became an atheist.
Even though you may not share another person's point of view, courage of conviction and standing up for your beliefs are admirable traits in my book. | | | |
| VE day on 11:26 - May 7 with 1313 views | Bison |
| VE day on 11:15 - May 7 by kernow |
VE Day +50 was a joyful occasion, street parties, balloons, bunting, cakes and nibbles, flowing wine etc. The kids were young and impressionable, a great occasion of commemoration, celebration and gratitude for the suffering and sacrifices of all our Mums and Dads.
VE Day+75 will be one of quiet reflection of the past and thinking of what the future holds.
Will probably raise a glass in commemoration and gratitude and watch Flo Bonner on BBC Spotlight South West singing Vera Lynn in double harmony.
On the subject of conscientious objectors. My late father in law was conscripted into the British Army in 1939, he served in western Europe. An idealistic young man, conscientious objector and member of the CPGB. He tore up his card in 1956 after Budapest. An ambulance driver who never picked up a gun, he saw more death and destruction than most. His unit walked into Belsen in 1945. Unsurprisingly, he became an atheist.
Even though you may not share another person's point of view, courage of conviction and standing up for your beliefs are admirable traits in my book. |
Fine piece that Sir. You seen film Hacksaw Ridge ? |  |
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| VE day on 11:31 - May 7 with 1301 views | RednWight |
| VE day on 11:15 - May 7 by kernow |
VE Day +50 was a joyful occasion, street parties, balloons, bunting, cakes and nibbles, flowing wine etc. The kids were young and impressionable, a great occasion of commemoration, celebration and gratitude for the suffering and sacrifices of all our Mums and Dads.
VE Day+75 will be one of quiet reflection of the past and thinking of what the future holds.
Will probably raise a glass in commemoration and gratitude and watch Flo Bonner on BBC Spotlight South West singing Vera Lynn in double harmony.
On the subject of conscientious objectors. My late father in law was conscripted into the British Army in 1939, he served in western Europe. An idealistic young man, conscientious objector and member of the CPGB. He tore up his card in 1956 after Budapest. An ambulance driver who never picked up a gun, he saw more death and destruction than most. His unit walked into Belsen in 1945. Unsurprisingly, he became an atheist.
Even though you may not share another person's point of view, courage of conviction and standing up for your beliefs are admirable traits in my book. |
Well said.
Many conscientious objectors in First World War were considered to be amongst the bravest men They were the ones crawling into no mans land under fire to rescue the injured |  |
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| VE day on 11:32 - May 7 with 1296 views | kernow |
| VE day on 11:26 - May 7 by Bison |
Fine piece that Sir. You seen film Hacksaw Ridge ? |
No I haven't, a must see I guess? | | | |
| VE day on 11:41 - May 7 with 1286 views | Bison |
| VE day on 11:32 - May 7 by kernow |
No I haven't, a must see I guess? |
DescriptionThe true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms during WWII on religious grounds. Doss was drafted and ostracized by fellow soldiers for his pacifist stance but went on to earn respect and adoration for his bravery, selflessness and compassion after he risked his life -- without firing a shot -- to save 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. | |
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| VE day on 12:54 - May 7 with 1250 views | A1079 |
| VE day on 11:15 - May 7 by kernow |
VE Day +50 was a joyful occasion, street parties, balloons, bunting, cakes and nibbles, flowing wine etc. The kids were young and impressionable, a great occasion of commemoration, celebration and gratitude for the suffering and sacrifices of all our Mums and Dads.
VE Day+75 will be one of quiet reflection of the past and thinking of what the future holds.
Will probably raise a glass in commemoration and gratitude and watch Flo Bonner on BBC Spotlight South West singing Vera Lynn in double harmony.
On the subject of conscientious objectors. My late father in law was conscripted into the British Army in 1939, he served in western Europe. An idealistic young man, conscientious objector and member of the CPGB. He tore up his card in 1956 after Budapest. An ambulance driver who never picked up a gun, he saw more death and destruction than most. His unit walked into Belsen in 1945. Unsurprisingly, he became an atheist.
Even though you may not share another person's point of view, courage of conviction and standing up for your beliefs are admirable traits in my book. |
Well said Kernow and your lost point and sentence is even more poignant given that the freedom to have a point of view and to be able to express it without fear of retribution is one of the main staying points in any fight against tyranny. | | | |
| VE day on 13:21 - May 7 with 1240 views | 1885_SFC |
I spent the whole day (nearly forty years ago now) at the Bergen-Belsen camp. Anne Frank was murdered there by the way. I was so taken aback with the place and the fascination it held (being in my late teens at the time) that my day there inspired me to learn everything I could about WW2 and which later in life was the springboard to me becoming a dealer in WW2 memorabilia.
A very influential place & one that I would encourage anyone to visit if you ever get the chance. |  |
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| VE day on 13:56 - May 7 with 1220 views | SteveMoron |
85 million died. Not a lot to 'celebrate'. |  | | |
| VE day on 14:13 - May 7 with 1203 views | 1885_SFC |
| VE day on 13:56 - May 7 by SteveMoron |
85 million died. Not a lot to 'celebrate'. |
It's not a celebration of those that died. It's a celebration of the day that prevented even more dying. | |
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| VE day on 14:17 - May 7 with 1194 views | JaySaint |
| VE day on 13:56 - May 7 by SteveMoron |
85 million died. Not a lot to 'celebrate'. |
bit of a loner, are you? | |
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| VE day on 16:28 - May 7 with 1151 views | DorsetIan |
| VE day on 13:21 - May 7 by 1885_SFC |
I spent the whole day (nearly forty years ago now) at the Bergen-Belsen camp. Anne Frank was murdered there by the way. I was so taken aback with the place and the fascination it held (being in my late teens at the time) that my day there inspired me to learn everything I could about WW2 and which later in life was the springboard to me becoming a dealer in WW2 memorabilia.
A very influential place & one that I would encourage anyone to visit if you ever get the chance. |
This is a massive question, but what would you say you learnt most in your studies of WW2 ?
A few year back, I did a lot of reading around the subject. Really wanted to get a handle on how things like the holocaust and some of the things that the Japanese did could have happened. Not sure I reached too many conclusions and there is only so much of that sort of thing that you can read before it all gets a bit too much.
If you haven't read it, one of the best WW2 books I read was Masters and Commanders by Andrew Roberts about the relationship between Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshall and Allenbrook. Four exceptional individuals. The other one I would recommend in Bloodlands by Timonthy Snyder, just about the sheer amount of death that fell in the region between Berlin and Moscow in the first half of the twentieth century. That's a really tough read, but one that every extremist [p.s. not calling you an extremist there!] could do with reading - and it's as much about the evils of Stalin as Hitler.
We had GI's based in our village during WW2. They had left America to go first to fight in North Africa, then they had fought their way up Italy and then they came to Dorset around December '43. It must have been such a shock for them to come from all that to sleepy, rural Dorset. They were here for about 6 months before they left again on D-Day. I will be remembering them tomorrow. [Post edited 7 May 2020 16:29]
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| VE day on 16:42 - May 7 with 1139 views | Sadoldgit |
It’s quite a shock how little many young people know about what went on in the last century. We lived in my grandmothers house for the first 10 years of my life and there was plenty of stuff lying around from WW2. There was a gas mask in the hall stand and many draws were stuffed with old photographs of war ships or soldier’s badges or bits of shrapnel collected from the streets outside. There were always war films on TV and we spent our time making Airfix Spitfires etc. When I went to school I covered the two world wars in both Modern History “O” levels and “A” Levels. A maths teacher was off sick one day and the history teacher covered for him. He didn’t know any maths so he read to us from a book about the holocaust instead. You could have heard a pin drop in that class. I’ve see young adults not be able to answer basic questions about the world wars on quiz shows recently. Events like tomorrow’s are crucial in making sure that people remember what happened and why. Soon there will be no more Captain Toms or others who lived through those awful days and can talk, first hand about their experiences and we need to treasure them while we can. |  | | |
| VE day on 16:42 - May 7 with 1138 views | dirk_doone |
| VE day on 16:28 - May 7 by DorsetIan |
This is a massive question, but what would you say you learnt most in your studies of WW2 ?
A few year back, I did a lot of reading around the subject. Really wanted to get a handle on how things like the holocaust and some of the things that the Japanese did could have happened. Not sure I reached too many conclusions and there is only so much of that sort of thing that you can read before it all gets a bit too much.
If you haven't read it, one of the best WW2 books I read was Masters and Commanders by Andrew Roberts about the relationship between Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshall and Allenbrook. Four exceptional individuals. The other one I would recommend in Bloodlands by Timonthy Snyder, just about the sheer amount of death that fell in the region between Berlin and Moscow in the first half of the twentieth century. That's a really tough read, but one that every extremist [p.s. not calling you an extremist there!] could do with reading - and it's as much about the evils of Stalin as Hitler.
We had GI's based in our village during WW2. They had left America to go first to fight in North Africa, then they had fought their way up Italy and then they came to Dorset around December '43. It must have been such a shock for them to come from all that to sleepy, rural Dorset. They were here for about 6 months before they left again on D-Day. I will be remembering them tomorrow. [Post edited 7 May 2020 16:29]
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" I would recommend in Bloodlands by Timonthy Snyder, just about the sheer amount of death that fell in the region between Berlin and Moscow in the first half of the twentieth century."
Antony Beevor's books are also outstanding.
Another brilliant read is The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer [Post edited 7 May 2020 16:46]
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| VE day on 16:44 - May 7 with 1132 views | saint68 |
| VE day on 16:28 - May 7 by DorsetIan |
This is a massive question, but what would you say you learnt most in your studies of WW2 ?
A few year back, I did a lot of reading around the subject. Really wanted to get a handle on how things like the holocaust and some of the things that the Japanese did could have happened. Not sure I reached too many conclusions and there is only so much of that sort of thing that you can read before it all gets a bit too much.
If you haven't read it, one of the best WW2 books I read was Masters and Commanders by Andrew Roberts about the relationship between Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshall and Allenbrook. Four exceptional individuals. The other one I would recommend in Bloodlands by Timonthy Snyder, just about the sheer amount of death that fell in the region between Berlin and Moscow in the first half of the twentieth century. That's a really tough read, but one that every extremist [p.s. not calling you an extremist there!] could do with reading - and it's as much about the evils of Stalin as Hitler.
We had GI's based in our village during WW2. They had left America to go first to fight in North Africa, then they had fought their way up Italy and then they came to Dorset around December '43. It must have been such a shock for them to come from all that to sleepy, rural Dorset. They were here for about 6 months before they left again on D-Day. I will be remembering them tomorrow. [Post edited 7 May 2020 16:29]
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Maiden Newton? | |
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| VE day on 17:17 - May 7 with 1102 views | 1885_SFC |
| VE day on 16:28 - May 7 by DorsetIan |
This is a massive question, but what would you say you learnt most in your studies of WW2 ?
A few year back, I did a lot of reading around the subject. Really wanted to get a handle on how things like the holocaust and some of the things that the Japanese did could have happened. Not sure I reached too many conclusions and there is only so much of that sort of thing that you can read before it all gets a bit too much.
If you haven't read it, one of the best WW2 books I read was Masters and Commanders by Andrew Roberts about the relationship between Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshall and Allenbrook. Four exceptional individuals. The other one I would recommend in Bloodlands by Timonthy Snyder, just about the sheer amount of death that fell in the region between Berlin and Moscow in the first half of the twentieth century. That's a really tough read, but one that every extremist [p.s. not calling you an extremist there!] could do with reading - and it's as much about the evils of Stalin as Hitler.
We had GI's based in our village during WW2. They had left America to go first to fight in North Africa, then they had fought their way up Italy and then they came to Dorset around December '43. It must have been such a shock for them to come from all that to sleepy, rural Dorset. They were here for about 6 months before they left again on D-Day. I will be remembering them tomorrow. [Post edited 7 May 2020 16:29]
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Over the years I have learnt so much about the whole of WW2 - the weapons, field gear, insignia, basically everything 'material' that was used by the Allies. That's where the core of my business is - house clearances, antique/military fairs & car boots, etc - finding & locating treasures from the era. It's true what antique dealers say; 'you never stop learning in this game'. I know several dealers off the telly personally that you see on daytime TV, including the big Pompey fan John Cameron who runs Nesbits Auctions in Southsea & Pompey girl Karen Dalmeny. Then there's Henry Nicholls who runs a shop in Worthing. They contact me or I them if they find anything in my line or I meet up with them at Kempton racecourse antiques fair twice a month (well worth a visit if you're looking for something unique or interesting btw!).
Having spent 12-years at sea, I had all the time in the world to read books & have lost count of how many I have read. Not all war stories or military of course (I'm a big fan of Frederick Forsyth, Wilbur Smith & the horror genre too), but read many books about the war by many 'ordinary' people who fought in it. I have read much about the politics & campaigns of the war... but the one thing, above all else, that always intrigues me & fascinates me is the personal accounts of the ordinary men that fought in it. I guess I have a special particular interest in the air crews - especially the RAF and USAF long range bomber crews and the horrific missions many of them flew. I'm not sure why, but they hold a special place in my soul (without sounding over dramatic). I have owned many WW2 RAF flight logbooks over the years that make fascinating reading; entries from young lads who flew RAF bombing missions on the Fiat factory in Italy for example or industrial factories deep into Germany. They make far better reading than any military author could write!
I never tire of reading & learning about it - and I'm forever amazed at what still turns up at auctions & car boots on my travels even today. It's an exciting field of interest to be in & one that beats a 9-5 office job (which I'm just not cut out for)! | |
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| VE day on 17:31 - May 7 with 1095 views | Yarman |
| VE day on 16:42 - May 7 by Sadoldgit |
It’s quite a shock how little many young people know about what went on in the last century. We lived in my grandmothers house for the first 10 years of my life and there was plenty of stuff lying around from WW2. There was a gas mask in the hall stand and many draws were stuffed with old photographs of war ships or soldier’s badges or bits of shrapnel collected from the streets outside. There were always war films on TV and we spent our time making Airfix Spitfires etc. When I went to school I covered the two world wars in both Modern History “O” levels and “A” Levels. A maths teacher was off sick one day and the history teacher covered for him. He didn’t know any maths so he read to us from a book about the holocaust instead. You could have heard a pin drop in that class. I’ve see young adults not be able to answer basic questions about the world wars on quiz shows recently. Events like tomorrow’s are crucial in making sure that people remember what happened and why. Soon there will be no more Captain Toms or others who lived through those awful days and can talk, first hand about their experiences and we need to treasure them while we can. |
I don't think is being taught in schools any more... for whatever reason... we seem to be ashamed of our past. [Post edited 7 May 2020 17:32]
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| VE day on 17:38 - May 7 with 1063 views | Occasional_Showers |
We are having front garden parties. We are having a barbecue with champagne, followed by Black Forest gateaux. Nom nom. |  |
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| VE day on 17:59 - May 7 with 1069 views | Sadoldgit |
| VE day on 17:17 - May 7 by 1885_SFC |
Over the years I have learnt so much about the whole of WW2 - the weapons, field gear, insignia, basically everything 'material' that was used by the Allies. That's where the core of my business is - house clearances, antique/military fairs & car boots, etc - finding & locating treasures from the era. It's true what antique dealers say; 'you never stop learning in this game'. I know several dealers off the telly personally that you see on daytime TV, including the big Pompey fan John Cameron who runs Nesbits Auctions in Southsea & Pompey girl Karen Dalmeny. Then there's Henry Nicholls who runs a shop in Worthing. They contact me or I them if they find anything in my line or I meet up with them at Kempton racecourse antiques fair twice a month (well worth a visit if you're looking for something unique or interesting btw!).
Having spent 12-years at sea, I had all the time in the world to read books & have lost count of how many I have read. Not all war stories or military of course (I'm a big fan of Frederick Forsyth, Wilbur Smith & the horror genre too), but read many books about the war by many 'ordinary' people who fought in it. I have read much about the politics & campaigns of the war... but the one thing, above all else, that always intrigues me & fascinates me is the personal accounts of the ordinary men that fought in it. I guess I have a special particular interest in the air crews - especially the RAF and USAF long range bomber crews and the horrific missions many of them flew. I'm not sure why, but they hold a special place in my soul (without sounding over dramatic). I have owned many WW2 RAF flight logbooks over the years that make fascinating reading; entries from young lads who flew RAF bombing missions on the Fiat factory in Italy for example or industrial factories deep into Germany. They make far better reading than any military author could write!
I never tire of reading & learning about it - and I'm forever amazed at what still turns up at auctions & car boots on my travels even today. It's an exciting field of interest to be in & one that beats a 9-5 office job (which I'm just not cut out for)! |
Not much of a story but a small one to add to your RAF collection. Not sure of the date, could have been during the Battle of Britain. My aunt married a chap called Angus who was a Spifire pilot. When flying back from a sortie one day the chap flying next to him saw his wife in their garden and dipped his wing to say hello. They must have been flying too close to each other because his wing tip hit Angus’s cockpit causing both planes to crash, killing both pilots. Bad enough being killed in action, but in such a silly accident, heartbreaking for the family. I would have loved to have known more about Angus but it wasn’t the done thing to talk about the war, so as an inquisitive child I just had to keep my mouth shut. | | | |
| VE day on 17:59 - May 7 with 1068 views | Yarman |
| VE day on 17:17 - May 7 by 1885_SFC |
Over the years I have learnt so much about the whole of WW2 - the weapons, field gear, insignia, basically everything 'material' that was used by the Allies. That's where the core of my business is - house clearances, antique/military fairs & car boots, etc - finding & locating treasures from the era. It's true what antique dealers say; 'you never stop learning in this game'. I know several dealers off the telly personally that you see on daytime TV, including the big Pompey fan John Cameron who runs Nesbits Auctions in Southsea & Pompey girl Karen Dalmeny. Then there's Henry Nicholls who runs a shop in Worthing. They contact me or I them if they find anything in my line or I meet up with them at Kempton racecourse antiques fair twice a month (well worth a visit if you're looking for something unique or interesting btw!).
Having spent 12-years at sea, I had all the time in the world to read books & have lost count of how many I have read. Not all war stories or military of course (I'm a big fan of Frederick Forsyth, Wilbur Smith & the horror genre too), but read many books about the war by many 'ordinary' people who fought in it. I have read much about the politics & campaigns of the war... but the one thing, above all else, that always intrigues me & fascinates me is the personal accounts of the ordinary men that fought in it. I guess I have a special particular interest in the air crews - especially the RAF and USAF long range bomber crews and the horrific missions many of them flew. I'm not sure why, but they hold a special place in my soul (without sounding over dramatic). I have owned many WW2 RAF flight logbooks over the years that make fascinating reading; entries from young lads who flew RAF bombing missions on the Fiat factory in Italy for example or industrial factories deep into Germany. They make far better reading than any military author could write!
I never tire of reading & learning about it - and I'm forever amazed at what still turns up at auctions & car boots on my travels even today. It's an exciting field of interest to be in & one that beats a 9-5 office job (which I'm just not cut out for)! |
Great post 'sfc,' you are a lucky man to do this for a living... l have a big interest in WW2 and try to get Normandie as much as possible. Stayed in Colditz castle and went to Stalag luft 111 last year for the 75th anniversary of the Great escape, as well the D-day Celebrations.
Do you own a shop near a railway line by any chance?. | | | |
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