Not sure who's reading this but here I go !.Both my grandparents were in the war one Grandad was a RAF engineer, the other was a GPO engineer who did secret work for Winston Churchill amongst others. My GPO grandad was involved with things at Bletchley Park , worked in the cabinet war rooms and other secret underground tunnels around London. He never really did say what went on because of the official secrets act and even when he could say things he didn't , he was old school. I never really blog too much about my family history not sure who'd want to read it anyway. All I know that without people like my grandparents the world would not have been such a safe place to live in.
Another sad family fact was that the GPO grandad grew up without a dad his dad had been in the Great war and it really affected him. For years I had been lead to believe he had died of a burst appendix, one of those family secrets that rattled around. But when my Nan died she told me that My GPO Grandad dad had hung himself in a church, how sad. Without the scarifices of all these brave men , women etc We would not have the world in which we live today. It may not be perfect but it really could have been so different.
Another sad family fact was that the GPO grandad grew up without a dad his dad had been in the Great war and it really affected him. For years I had been lead to believe he had died of a burst appendix, one of those family secrets that rattled around. But when my Nan died she told me that My GPO Grandad dad had hung himself in a church, how sad. Without the scarifices of all these brave men , women etc We would not have the world in which we live today. It may not be perfect but it really could have been so different.
Oh that's really sad, I'm so sorry. I am sure that he was not the only man to have done that at the time, there was at least two generations of people affected by the atrocities of the Great War and WW2, who knew what PTSD they all suffered. A lovely tribute to your grandparents. My paternal grandfather was an engineer in the airforce while my maternal one was in the Desert Rats in North Africa.
ReplyDeleteIt affected so many people and I am remembering them today.
DeleteOh that's really sad. These people made such hug sacrifices and there was shame in talking about it and in suffering the after effects of it, so many of these secrets went to the grave. I know my Grandad never talked about what he did in the war either. A beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteThat is really sad but I wish we had known these stories when were younger. I always knew my Mum's dad was active in the war, it had been kept from me that my other Granddad had been in prison during the war as a conscientious objector. I don't think it was a deliberate thing but I wish I would have known I admire both men equally for doing what they believed and would have found it fascinating to talk to them about their experiences. Both men lived a ripe old age.
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