What was your grandfather's job etc before & after the war ?

[rogerb40uk]

My maternal grandfather had a livery stable, and my father's father was a Suffolk farmer, with 14 children.

I don't think that either of them was in the Services during the war... Father's father was certainly too old.

My father was training as a teacher, at St Lukes College, Exeter 1911- 1913, joined the Army in '14 and I believe was medically discharged as a result of his wounds.

It took him a long time to recover, as I recounted elsewhere, and I think he worked for an oil company for a while, before becoming a schoolteacher(mid-Twenties), retiring in '54 having been a headmaster for most of his teaching days.

[Kate Wills]

Railwayman, along with virtually every other member of the male population of Wolverton. He was a fitter in the Carriage works.

[Hindoo Stan]

Fred Petty, Apprentice Tinsmith and Woolsorter in Bradford.

[DaveBrigg]

A bicycle delivery boy before the war (and maybe something else too) A Spell in the Yeomanry, and then the cavalry must have had an effect, because he worked in a racing stud for a while afterwards.

[daveo]

Great Gramp worked in Winchcombe for GWR definitely after the war but not sure about prior to. He survived the war and passed away in 1973.

Gramp Large worked on various Farms in Winchcombe then went into the Marines in 1943 as he put it "because there were no b****r left in winchcombe so yur 'ad to do something" came home worked at Gloster aircraft company then moved to Smiths Industries in cheltenham for 35+ Years working as he described it "as an aircraft technician"

[Michael Johnson]

Grandfather Johnson worked in a pharmaceutical factory, eventually rising to foreman - not bad considering he started work before he was 14. We have his watch from Rolls & Darlington.

Grandfather Darte was a metallurgical engineer, who came out from Fraance to run a plant in Welland Ontario. Recalled to the French Army in 1914, he ended up as an interpreter at #2 Advanced Park, R.E., until frantic pleas from the company to Ottawa, and Ottawa to France got him released to go back again, since his plant was supplying almost all of the ferro-silicon used in munitions work, as well as being a leading producer of shrapnel shells.

[Jan Nix]

One was a printer's compositor and the other an electricity supply worker.

[snminc]

My Maternal Grandfather was a miner before joined the 6th Btn DLI (TF) After being invalided home (Gas attack and TB) He tried to start a vegetable wholesalers business but was denied funding so is believed to have retrain as a cobbler. During WWII he worked as a fitters mate in the munitions works at Newton Acyliffe as well as being an ARP Warden and a Special Constable

He died in 1958 aged 70 Which wasn't bad considering his estimated life expectancy during his convalescence.

[Pete L]

What's a Tackler?

Tacklers repaired broken looms

My paternal GF was a regular who enlisted on his 18th birthday to get out of the mines. Family history has it that he tried to enlist sooner, but was found out. He fought in the Boer War and WW1, was commissioned after 25 years in the ranks, and left 5 years later to a job as a bookkeeper in a shipping company. Eleven of his children served in WW2.

My maternal GF enlisted in 1914, but was discharged to return to his job as a ship repairer. He told me he made anchor chains for battleships.

Pete

[dycer]

Paternal Grandfather was a Rifle Range Keeper/Bill Poster who saw two of his Sons go off to War in 1914.Both were killed.

Maternal Grandfather was a Journeyman Sign Writer before the War and served on Minesweepers.Returned to his trade post-War but like many of his generation took any job he could during the Depression including signing on as a Merchant Seaman or as a deck-hand on the Mussel Boats that caught the bait for Arbroath Smokies.

George

[Auimfo]

My Grandfather (and his father and brothers) were all boilermakers working in the railways.

Tim L.

[Beau Geste]

Grandfather Richard Lofthouse was "a clogger"

[shinglma]

Paternal grandfather was born 1907 so presumably at school during WW1.

Maternal grandfather was born 1897 served with 135 SB RGA. Prior to the war he was a Railway Fireman and after the war an Engine Driver at the local colliery.

Mike S

[Jim Clay]

Grandfather Richard Lofthouse was "a clogger"

Come on, what is a clogger?

[tracy21020]

My maternal grandfather was a labourer in a glass works before the war. After he went back he had a variety of labouring jobs including digging the foundations for Wembley Stadium. He was in a RAF Balloon squadron in WW2 and was killed in a bombing raid in 1940 aged 42.

I don't know what my paternal grandfather did before the war. When he came back he worked for the post office. He was very involved in trade unions and the labour party.He was in the Home Guard during WW2, he died in 1942 aged 48 of pneumonia.

Tracy

[Beau Geste]

Come on, what is a clogger?

I was waiting for someone to ask - he made clogs! He lived in Bolton, Lancashire and the area he lived in was surrounded by mills. People used to wear hard wearing clogs at work. I suppose today he would be a shoemaker

Harry

[Jim Clay]

I was waiting for someone to ask - he made clogs!

Thanks, Harry - I thought it might be! My Gt-Grandad was a master bootmaker and his son, my Grandad (mentioned above) trained as a bootmaker, but went into grocery - probably because factory-made shoes meant there was little need for the handmade version.

Cheers,

Jim

[demgbr]

My son's Grandfather was a schoolmaster before the war and also after where, using the knowledge of wireless that he gained during his service life he formed the first Birmingham schools 'Aerial Club'.

[mcderms]

Maternal great-grandpa was a highly skilled gunsmith in the B'ham Gun Quarter. Too old to serve, he had two sons serve in WW1 and another two in WW2 and sadly we lost one KIA in each.

Maternal grandpa was just the right age to miss both wars and was in the Home Guard/reserved occupation.

My paternal GG was a professional soldier in the 2nd Royal Warks until invalided out (wounded twice) in 1916. Then until his death he was a storeman in brass foundry.

Paternal G was a professional navy man, demobbed in '46 and then worked as an engineer. Brother KIA in WW2.

[jemimajane]

My paternal grandfather (cabinet maker etc) was too old for WW1 - of his 7 sons ,one was a sergeant in the RAMC , one in the 4th London regt - and one in the Army of Occupation - the other 4 were too young.

My maternal grandfather was an ex-regular army soldier, who left in 1913 only to be recalled August 1914. He was a chauffeur at the time WW1 began. After the war, he was temporarily employed - as chauffeur - by Major Hurt of Alderwasley Hall, Derbyshire. It only lasted less than a year. He then worked as a van driver for the railways - LMS.

Jan

[JOSTURM]

Grandfather Richard Lofthouse was "a clogger"

What's a Clogger ?

Peter

[spike10764]

My Great Grandfather was a miner before he joined up, which surprised me he was never drafted to work on mining. I presume he kept it quiet enough or was killed before the call for underground workers had been issued.

[Jim Clay]

What's a Clogger ?

Peter

Do keep up, Peter - explained in post #66.

Jim

[eltoro1960]

My Grandad Duncan finished his apprenticeship as a baker in 1915 and enlisted with the RAMC, he became a baker for the Co-operative after the war and set up his own business in 1923 and was nearly finished by the strike of then and 1926 when the miners were out. He ran the business until his early death from lung cancer in 1951, a combination of being gassed, too many fags and lots of flour.

My Grandad Donlevy was born in 1913 and exempt from service in WW2 as he was a miner, ironically he was killed down the pit in 1946 when a roof fall took his leg off. He left 3 young kids, my Auntie Mary was 8 days old, my uncle John 4 and my mum was 9. My Granny got 10 bob a week for a widows pension.

[ejcmartin]

This is a great thread. It just goes to show how diverse the British Army was. It is also amazing that in a few short years this ragtaggle group of Cloggers, Miners, Farmers, etc became the formidable force it did.