What are you all up to

The plaques explain their significance.

And as they say, the rest is history

On the subject of people in WW2 not being willing to talk about their experiences, my Father was the same. It does seem as if the older they got the more willing they were to unburden themselves of their experience. I also suspect when their children were younger they were perhaps not so interested and it was only later in life us "baby boomers" started to think about asking questions and by then for many it was too late? I do know that during the blitz he was in the Army Fire Service. That in itself is not really a correct description as basically you had an NCO in charge of the fire tender and the rest of the crew were civilians. We have quite a few photos from that period of his time doing that. However as far as D Day was concerned, apart from it being his birthday, no information what so ever. I suppose it would be possible to find his war record but he didn't talk about it. 

David

Millie said:- Our tumble dryer died last week and it now looks as though our dishwasher is going to join it. Why does everything happen at once!

Tumble dryers seem to last forever. Our old one was still working after about 20 years but in the end we got fed up with the venting as we had to put the tube out the window or door. (our garage is not attached to the house so putting it in there wasn't an option) We got round the venting problem by buying a Bosch condenser model which is more convenient, not that we use it a lot! Our question mark is over our washing machine, another Bosch product, which from memory is 12/14 years old and still working OK. 

David

So glad you got away successfully WN, a huge boost to the system. Conway Castle is fabulous, we enjoyed our revisit there back in December. The town is nice as well, particularly the delicious Deli (forgotten it’s name for the moment).

Thats an interesting and historic place Nellie. Well done to you Millie, I must try and get down for a Cathedral tour, it is a beautiful place.

My immediate family, parents, grandparents were lucky enough to be either to young, or too old for both WW service, although my paternal grandfather was called up aged 17 in July 1918. He got as far as Ireland, as a Navy wireless operator. Both Dad’s brothers, and his sister did serve in WW2, with his sister’s husband captured by the German’s. He never spoke about it, thankfully survived. Mum’s brother was out in the Far East in the 1950’s.

Very fraught day yesterday with Mum, but we got the medical help we needed, some reassurance, and we finally got away late afternoon, booking another night at Burrs on the roll. M62 was really good, we avoided the M1 by going via Huddersfield, again traffic much lighter than we anticipated, so not a bad journey at all. Burrs is nice, only small. It seems to be occupied mainly by gents of a certain age, all getting excited about steam trains😁 we are looking forward to our afternoon tea train ride. Might just stay around site today, just have a look around Burrs CP. A day relaxing.

A lazy day today reading Isabella Tree’s fascinating book about Rewilding. Very interesting and informative it is too.

Coincidentally I’ve just had this pop up on my iPad, is AI spying on me? 😉  Anyway, I watched the trailer for the soon to be released movie and it looks good.
https://www.wildingmovie.com/

I’m sure all of us interested in Nature and Rewilding will enjoy this informative movie based on the lives Sir Charles Burrell and Lady Burrell (Isabella Tree). The young couple who turned their ancestral farms and estate into a rewilding haven. The movie tells the story from inception, into fruition and explores the future for the estate. What an inspirational couple they are. If you are less than interested it might be an opportunity to discover move about the subject and the truth about what our world is facing and restore hope.

My Mum served as a civilian in the London fire service during the war. She never said much about it. I think she just wanted to put the war behind her once Dad was demobbed and I was born. The only thing she did mention was that she hated the V2 bombs as they heard them coming and then it went silent and they didn't know where they were going to land. Also she had me by that time. Dad served in the army as a searchlight operator mainly based in the west country. He was on the searchlights the night Exeter was bombed. He was then sent to Palestine for about a year at the end of the war. He didn't talk about the war much either. I have got my Dad's war records. I applied for them a few years ago. I think then it cost about £25. They didn't tell me all that much, apart from a lovely letter from his commanding officer when he was demobbed.

Millie

I have my Dad's service number so I suppose it would be quite easy to get his records but from what you say they don't seem tell you much? My Dad was in an out of the Army for 23 years on and off, not sure he ever adjusted to civilian life? As a young soldier, well before WW2, he went to India. During the war he was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. I think he was stationed in Wrexham when he got the instruction to attend a fire service training course. After the war he remained in the Army and was based at West Moors in Dorset. I think he was finally demobbed when I was around 12 years old. 

David

On the subject of WW2 my dad went in on Gold beach after D Day,I seem to recall late July, he was just 19. He then walked all the way to Berlin. He very ocassionally said something about it. Generally if he was a bit 'merry', which wasn't often. I recall him saying they were lying under a hedge on a bank and they could feel the bullets thudding into the bank. He also said it was a choppy crossing.

I've yet to get his service papers. I wanted to wait until.my mum had passed before doing so. Then Covid hit, we moved and it's been on the back burner! Might be a nice winter project.

If you want to know about their actual service and battles etc you need to apply for the diaries. Can't remember the proper title, 😱 6 years without use of that part of the brain. Maybe battalion or regiment diaries. A friend did it for her father, he was still with us at the time, and they all retraced his steps.

WW1 records are more patchy. They were stored at Southampton and hit by an incendiary bomb in ww2 Couldn't get my dad's dad's records but did my mums. He was a driver, not looked at them for years, but went AWOL a couple of times.  We have my OH's dad's dad's navy discharge papers. My father in law was on the frigates. Torpedoed twice and I never heard him speak of it. must put that on the to do list, too.

My dad's mum lost her fiance in WW1 eventually marrying my grandfather who died during WW2 but not as a result of war. Both my dad and his elder brother, both serving, got 48h hours leave for the funeral. That had to include getting across the channel and back!

This stuff must be kept alive within families and not left to interested historians.

Foot off the gas here. Started bright and beautiful. Now grey and breezy. But dry. Actually some of the plants in the garden could do with moisture 😱😱😱. It's been a drying breeze constantly.

I've weeded the greenhouse, must have sown triffids! Neighbour has pruned our plum tree. That's when RHS says to do it. Sacrificed no end of plums. Summoning the energy to remove the smaller fallen bits.

Now on the sunlounger, awaiting a break in the clouds 🤞

Sounds like folk have had nice breaks/visits/stays etc. I'm loving the photos.

Big day tomorrow - it's the annual pilgrimage to Wembley for the rugby league Challenge Cup Final. Sadly no teams from the right/east side of the pennines in the main event this year, but Leeds are in the women's match and Sheffield play Wakefield in the later championship final. A great day's entertainment  - 3 very competitive looking matches - £15 for a seat high up in the stands and return coach travel from Wiltshire to London for under a fiver! 

It'll also be a great opportunity to pay our respects to Rob Burrows - there's going to be a minute's applause 7 minutes into each game  (his playing position was number 7) to remember him.

Weather looks decent too! 

There was a tribute paid to Rob Burrows at the England game last Monday as well, standing ovation. So sad, dying so young, with a lovely young family left behind. But he certainly left an outstanding legacy.

We have had a thoroughly enjoyable walk along the River Irwell and around the CP here at Burrs. Some great looking wild swimming spots, but you wouldn’t venture in, the river is obviously not free from pollution. Disgusting just how bad water pollution has become these last few years. It was horrendous when we were children, then a real big environmental push saw many waterways cleaned immensely. Seem to be reverting back to poor conditions again☹️🤢

Looks like an interesting triple header, Moulsey. As far as the men’s main event goes I’ll be supporting the Cheshire side. 😇 Although partisan spectators they are always good natured and friendly events, enjoy the day!