WWII Photos - Taken / Collected by Family Members

[PADDY]

An amazing thread!

 

[PADDY]

One of my Uncles in the RAF during WWII (in the centre).

 

[PADDY]

A few more during wartime.


He's on the left with the dog. SOE on Crete.


At RAF Leeming prior to redeployment to Scotland for bombing the Tirpitz in Norway.


Middle East. Targetting Crete.

 

[PADDY]

 

[PADDY]

Not sure if you can read this log book page. I tracked down a member of the crew in the Halifax Bomber that was behind my Uncle Joe's plane as they approached Crete to bomb various targets.
This is 'his' log book noting what happened during that raid which had consequences for my Uncle.
Note that this gentleman saw FIVE ME109's (single pilot fighter planes) attack. He told me in person that he saw my Uncle's plane get hit by the 109's and it catching fire then starting to bank. He visually saw 'two' parachutes deploy (only two crew got out of the burning plane). One was Joe, the other was a chap called McFarlane. They both subsequently worked for SOE in German Occupied Crete once the resistance picked them up.

Strange how one incident can have a knock on effect you weren't expecting that changes your life course. Post War, instead of becoming an Accountant (he was chartered), he took up the offer of staying in the RAF. Having discovered a flair for languages and other skills (from his surpise excursion on Crete) he later worked in the postwar 'Cold War' in other aspects of Intelligence.

 

[PADDY]

His brother Frank (my uncle) as a Petty Officer on board HMS Edinburgh . She was sunk in the Baltic near Murmansk in 42. He was picked up 'very' quickly and surived. Survival time in that cold water was 'minutes' so he was 'very' lucky to live through it.

 

[Smithy]

Wonderful photos Paddy! You must be terribly proud of them.

I'll try and dig out some photos of some of my rellies for the thread.

 

[ingineer]

My brother found a photo never seen before in his effects.
My father on the right a Petty Officer on Saipan, WWII 121seabees, 20th'Marines, presidential unit citation for combat work with the 4th marine division.


Richard

 

[Good Ol' Days]

I don't know too much about the history of my granddad (maternal) and g/grandpa (paternal) during WW2. I do know that my maternal grandpa joined the South African Navy at 16 years of age, and that he was fighting up in North Africa (so I'm told). He never mentioned anything about his time in the navy, and I didn't ask (which I now regret as he's passed away!).
This is one taken by my grandpa, but I don't know the story behind it.

This is one of my paternal g/grandpa, and all I know is that he was in Italy, in Lake Como. He is in the middle.

here he is on the far right (bottom picture).

this I believe is a postcard of Mussolini's death. I found this picture interesting.

 

[Frk.W]

Bit different:


My grandfather with his air defense regiment, Lv5 in Sundsvall, Sweden, sometime in the early 1940's. Grandpa at in the back, at the very top of the group. Mixed bag of Swedish uniforms; most of them are in m/1939, but there are a couple of m/1923 too, easy to spot at the bottom right corner.


Grandpa as a lieutenant in m/1939. I think this is one of the portraits taken at his and grandma's wedding, 1942 or 1943, off the top of my head. He ended up a captain.



...and grandma, second from right, in the Swedish Women's Voluntary Defense m/1931 organisational dress. The Lotta Corps had a lot of members during the war years and performed a variety of civil defense duties in cooperation with the Swedish military. I think grandma probably just did some entry-level basic training or a few months on duty with them, which was common; she didn't really remember much about it. This dress was issued by the organisation to all members and worn as a dress uniform as well as on duty. Staff members and members on active duty with the military wore either bits and pieces of men's uniforms, especially in the early years, and from 1942 on a female uniform issued by the military. This photo was probably taken before her marriage to grandpa above.

 

[PADDY]

Frk! Thank you for sharing this piece of your family history Your Grandfather looks good in uniform !!

 

[Frk.W]

Thank you! He did, and I'm very fond of those WWII era Swedish uniforms. I should scan a few more, pretty sure there's a full-figure one in dress uniform from the wedding, and one taken in the field during the winter, too, with a snow blouse of some sort.

 

[MarieAnne]

These are from Rescued Film Project. Although the article is in French, the video on the page is in English. This man's hobby/project is to develop old rolls of film. He found 31 rolls of film (mostly undeveloped) that belonged to the same man and are from WWII. Very cool!
http://www.vincentabry.com/il-achet...tresor-quil-y-trouve-en-les-developpant-47230

 

[Widebrim]

Some really great photos, ladies and gents!

 

[MikeKardec]

My Uncle Parker, Mexico then WWI with the North Dakota National Guard then WWII.





He was briefly head of security at the port of New Orleans then somehow got out or on detached duty and covered all the Four Power conferences for Scripts-Howard (his old employer, he'd been their foreign desk editor) and wound up as the Secretary to Pat Hurley when he was Ambassador to Chang Kai Shek's Government just prior to their retreat to Taiwan. A crazy military career.

Here's what they thought a tank destroyer was when my Dad graduated from OCS, before long they had the M-10 but ... well, pretty pitiful!

 

[MikeKardec]

One more. Dad, just after getting his black panther (Tank Destroyer) Patch, Camp Hood, TX. Amazing to think that not too much earlier they hadn't wanted him because he didn't have enough teeth ... the regs on teeth must have been fairly strict but I guess they didn't want to pay for dental work during the depression.

 

[Widebrim]

More great photos! Thanks, MikeK.

 

[MisterCairo]

I have both photos below printed off and taped up in my cabin. A young sailor came by for some legal advice, noticed the top photo and asked "who's that in the Civil War uniform?".

I laughed....

Two more from the collection:

Sgt. Raleigh, Royal Fusiliers seconded to the RAF Levies, Iraq:

Lance Corporal Raleigh, Royal Fusiliers, on leave London, with his step aunt, mother, step father (WO Hearnden, RAF) and little brother George (who is now 75!):

 

[Call Me Joe......]

 

[MisterCairo]

This I think is the "coolest" shot of my dad during the war. Northern Italy. Too bad about the condition of the photo, and his being mainly backlit.

But that jacket, the hair, the smoke in his hand, the pose!