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

[ejcmartin]

My gandmother on my mother's side was a saint. My grandmother on my father's side was a cantankerous old b---h!

Question begs, which genes did you inherit?!

[nittenman]

My maternal grandmother brought me up. A wonderful woman. My paternal grandmother was so interested in me I had to introduce myself to her every time she saw me! I made such an impression she couldnt remember my name or face! I kid you not.

Keith

[2lewis's]

professional soldier........ docker

shipyard worker...........docker

[eric e]

Hi Caryl,

Am I going to come clean with my father? To be honest after 35 years I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. If not for his health then certainly for mine.

As for the statue, if the story is true it's probably sitting on a mantlepiece somewhere. Or maybe it's a trophy at the regimental museum, perhaps I should ask them.

Cheers,

Eric.

[Beau Geste]

My maternal grandmother brought me up. A wonderful woman. My paternal grandmother was so interested in me I had to introduce myself to her every time she saw me! I made such an impression she couldnt remember my name or face! I kid you not.

Keith

Sorry Keith for trespassing on your posting area. For some reason internet explorer wont let me respond to EJCMartin's message in the field above.

I don't know. I'd like to think I take after my maternal grandmother but I'm sure that my wife would tell you there's a bit of both in me. Funny though, my paternal grandmother was a sweetie until she went to live in the USA with her other son. Maybe it would have happened anyway but she certainly changed.

Harry

[CarylW]

Grandmothers: (good idea)

Maternal grandmother (nee Carney), from Dublin was the daughter of a soldier/military pensioner. Her five brothers were educated at the Royal Hibernian Military school in Dublin, and joined their fathers old regiment (15th foot-EYR) as boys, and I have read somewhere that daughters of soldiers also attended the school, so maybe she and her sister went there too. Their mother died and the father remarried and Christina did not get on with her stepmother so she ran away from home and came over on a cattle boat to Liverpool, lodged with a friend and worked in the Bryant & May matchworks in Liverpool before marrying my grandfather. During the Great War with two small children also to care for, she nursed, at the family home in Bootle, (a two up, two down terraced house) her brother Sgt John Carney, who lost his eye at Ypres 1915, and was medically discharged from the army, he later died in 1918 of pneumonia. Christina went on to have three more children, and lost one tragically at a young age

Paternal grandmother Rose (nee Hore), from Birkenhead, was the daughter of a staunch Roman Catholic Thomas Hore, an Irishman from Cork (according to family he was a fenian rebel and former member of an organisation). Rose married my grandfather Alfred a Protestant in 1916 and was disowned by her father for marrying out of the Catholic faith, as far as we know, he never spoke to her again. The children were brought up as C of E. Rose died aged 36 (syncope and heart failure) in 1928 leaving my grandad to bring up four small children in difficult conditions during the depression (my father was 8, the youngest child 4) Rose's father Thomas Hore was last seen by family members standing under a tree, some distance away from Rose's burial at Flaybrick cemetery on the day of the funeral

Hard Times

Caryl

(Eric I understand)

[jemimajane]

My paternal grandmother was bringing up the youngest of her 9 children - her husband and brother in law ran their cabinetmaking business from part of the family home in Clerkenwell.

My maternal grandmother (daughter of a head cowman) was in service - at one time with the Addinsell family (whose son wrote "Warsaw Concerto")

In the Second World War, when all women had to register for work , my maternal grandmothers occupation was written down as "Unpaid Domestic Duties"!( a humble housewife)

Jan

[SilverSoldier]

Groom, Soldier and then Landscape Gardener on retirement 1950's.

Tally Clerk, Marine, Works manager until Death late 1930's.

Terry W.

[PBI]

Grandad 1 was a Baker before The Great War.Died due to the effects of His Wartime Service in 1941

Grandad 2 was a Pro Boxer before The Great War,Worked for London County Council after the War,Fathered 15 Children,and Died in His Sleep,Aged 86.

[JOSTURM]

Having started off this topic which seems to be appealing to Pals, I'm going to add some more on Grandad Harry and Grandpa Joe.

Harry loved being in uniform from his Bermondsey youth in the Boys Brigade (c.1911-12) to the 13tH East Surreys (discharged under age in May 1916) to the Royal Marines Light Infantry (1916-20 shrapnel discharge)

to 22nd London TF..to St John's Ambulance..to Pilot Officer ATC (c.1940) to Sub Inspector , Deptford in the Special Constabulary. Then after all that he fell down the stairs at work in 1946 and broke his neck, but plodded on into early retirement in Broadstairs and Brighton.

Joe left the LRB in 1919, joined the City of London Specials and on his retirement as a Sergeant in 1962, he became a Baptist Vicar at Brownhill Baptist Church in Catford.

Interestingly their fathers, my great grandfathers - could have served at a push.

Harry's dad was Jack Leonard (1868-1950) who had demobbed from the Border Regimment in 1902 after 18 years on and off service. In 1914 he would have been 46 and certainly could have trained men at home. Presumably he didn't because of age, fitness and work etc.

Joe's dad was George (1874-1937) lived Lambeth and worked as a GPO Telegraphist. Maybe in this line of employment, he was engaged in necessary war work anyway.

So, here's a new spin - what did your Great Grandfather do during WW1 - did he serve well over age, or was involved in a necessary indiustry at home ??

Regards

Peter

[dycer]

Peter,

You're stretching that one a bit re Grt/Grandfathers

Only Grt/Grandfather I know anything about was born in 1815 and died in the 1870's.I kid you not

George

[Peter Beckett]

My paternal Grandfather was a builder and here is a pic of him and his future brother-in-law, Fred Palastanga somewhere in the Le Havre / Rouen area building billets for the BEF in Dec 1914.

L-R Bill Beckett, Fred Palastanga, unknown friend

It is ironic that he probably used some of them as he enlisted in the Royal Engineers in April 1915

Peter

[johnharper]

My maternal grandfather was a regular soldier before the war and a tram driver after.

My paternal grandfather was too young for the first war. Before the second he was a pert time professional footballer and shipyard worker, and a shipyard worker after.

John

[Matt Dixon]

Great Uncle William was an RSPCA inspector in Cardiff before the war, and something of an accomplished amateur jockey. He died of wounds in 1914, having served with the 9th Lancers at Mons.

Arthur was a miner, and then a butcher. He survived the war and opened a butchers shop in Oxford. He was killed in 1920 when he fell off the back of a trolley bus and was run over by a horse and cart on George Street.

Great grandad who was in the South Wales Borderers was a miner and the south wales collieries darts champion for 8 years on the trot. He died in 1923 from sulphur poisoning to the lungs, brought on by mining.

[Jim Clay]

So, here's a new spin - what did your Great Grandfather do during WW1 - did he serve well over age, or was involved in a necessary indiustry at home ??

Peter

Like George (dycer), though not as extreme - G/G'dad Clay, a master bootmaker from Leamington Spa, died in 1912, G/G'dad Elton was a long-retired Birmingham publican, G/G'dad Price was a retired roadman in rural Herefordshire and G/G'dad Webley, a waggoner, had died in an accident with his horses in 1908, in the same part of Herefs.

Jim

(But you young fellers may well have some Great War involvement by your Great Grandparents )

[Chunkeroo]

I had two Grandfathers (nothing unique there then ?) Both survived the war.

Harry Leonard (ESR & RMLI) started as a Van Boy for Jaeger Clothing Company in 1913 aged 14, and rejoined in 1920. I have his 20 year service gold watch given in 1933 when he was 34.

Joe Sturmer (LRB & Artists) worked in the City of London in Men's Outfitting Shop called 'Copestakes Crampton'. He joined after demob in June 1919. he also became a lifelong 'Special Constable' from 1921 until 1962.

What's your story ?

Pete

My grandfather, Mervyn Berry (MGC), was a baker in his fathers bakery after the war. Later on he went to work on the Gloucester Meteor in Barnwood, Gloucester. Funnily enough, my father in law saw the first Meteor rolled out of the hanger when he was a schoolboy. Mervyn was also in the Home Guard during WW2.

Clare

[alpoole1]

My maternal Grandfather was injured at Cambrai with the KSLI, he later became Shrewsbury Town Crier

[helen2807]

My Grandpa Shortridge was a joiner before WW1, a signaller during the war and a master builder afterwards. He also ran a cinema in the early 20's.

My Grandpa Clarke was a miner who broke his ankle/foot in the Charity mine before the war so he didn't join up but ran the family coal higgling business for the rest of his life - still mucky but in the fresh air.

Helen

[punjab612]

My maternal grandfather, George Thorneycroft, pre-war Cpl 1st Bn Northumberland Fusiliers spent 10 years overseas in Mauritius and India returning in November 1913. Picture is first one sent to my grandmother as they met by correspondence.

Post war, not his full time job but I love this picture I found by chance last year. Officer in Charge of Westbury, Wiltshire Fire Brigade. He later ran a poultry experimental breeding farm at Bilton , Hull.

Sadly died when I was only 2 ½ so never had chance to talk about his experiences.

Peter

[buxboy]

Grandad Albert Lawson was a merchant seaman pre war and served as a deck hand on HMS Vanessa until discharged when he joined the Aberdeen fishing fleet until his death in 1957

[Rory Reynolds]

One from the Colonies -

My maternal grandfather, Albert Percy Rapson was a Bank Clerk at Eshowe on the North Coast of Natal pre-war and, thereafter a hugely successful sugar cane farmer and landowner after the being a pilot in the RFC. Unfortunately he took to drink and used to go on "binges" for 2 or 3 days whereafter things returned to normal. He died in 1945 (not war related)

My paternal grandfather was a clerk for a Sugar Company in Durban pre-war and, as far as I'm aware retired as such in the 50's. He apparantly used to suffer terribly from "trench feet" (can someone tell me more?) They both died before I was born.(must have had a premonition I was on the way..)

[nittenman]

This should help re trench foot.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...showtopic=18673

Keith

[Milner]

My grandfather William Milner was a 1st Officer in the merchant Navy before ww1, during the war he was an officer in the RNR on the destroyer Simoom, later tranfered to the Royal Engineers Inland waters and docks division.

After ww1 he was the harbour pilot at Troon in Scotland, he died in 1926 aged 39 of TB. I never met him, but my father looked very much like my grandfather from the pictures I've seen.

regards

Phil

[Borderman]

I have no idea what my Grandfather did before the war. Although his family lived around the mills in Carlisle, his father was a drover. After the war he bought a post office/shop in a little village outside Carlisle. He delivered the local post on his bike until 1956 when he was run over by a car and left die.

He served with the 2/6th Kings. He lost a brother at 3rd Ypres and named his son, my father after him.

[djcrtoye]

I have no idea what my ggranda George Devan did bfeore the war, but when he was de-mobbed he went straight into the pits as a miner. He was in the Seaforth Highlanders.