My Fathers Memoirs

[medwaymud]

My father (early 90's) has sent me and the rest of our family - his memoirs from early life, wartime and up to about 1948.

I think this is the right Forum and I cannot find another Thread that exactly covers this.
Much will obviously be touched on in many other Threads.

I am not going to Post it right now - he is still alive and I don't yet have his permission - but I reckon our parents testament can be so important for many generations afterwards.

Post Memoirs here

 

[Just_plain_you]

Ask if you can send a copy to the Imperial War Museum

 

[brettarider]

My father (early 90's) has sent me and the rest of our family - his memoirs from early life, wartime and up to about 1948.

I think this is the right Forum and I cannot find another Thread that exactly covers this.
Much will obviously be touched on in many other Threads.

I am not going to Post it right now - he is still alive and I don't yet have his permission - but I reckon our parents testament can be so important for many generations afterwards.

Post Memoirs here

Send it to Al Murry and James Holland they are working together to get stuff like this recorded.

 

[medwaymud]

Ask if you can send a copy to the Imperial War Museum

It might be crap !

What I mean is - if you know anyone related to you, not just father- anyone who has decided to pen their memoirs ....

Post it here.

Arrse will decide if it is good or bollockxs

 

[medwaymud]

Send it to Al Murry and James Holland they are working together to get stuff like this recorded.

My bladder gets me up by 2.30 - 3.30 am and then I listen to We have Ways etc for an hour or so.

I am up to Episode 230 + right now

 

[RangdoOfArg]

I think it will be of interest. It’s all part of our history, and builds on that.
For every reticent guy and girl (my grandparents) there are some who had lots to say.
Not everyone was a fighter pilot but a lot of everyday folk turned their lives around for the greater good (some might not have known it at the time).
It’s an addition to what we were, and where we are from.

 

[medwaymud]

I think it will be of interest. It’s all part of our history, and builds on that.
For every reticent guy and girl (my grandparents) there are some who had lots to say.
Not everyone was a fighter pilot but a lot of everyday folk turned their lives around for the greater good (some might not have known it at the time).
It’s an addition to what we were, and where we are from.

Absolutely, but it has to be in their words.
Written, on tape, on video - all valid.
No second hand stuff.

 

[Ravers]

My father in law was interviewed by the IWM about his war experiences (D Day, East Riding Yeomanry).

I‘ve been trying to get a copy but you have to physically go to the museum to listen to it. Something to do next time I’m in London.

 

[medwaymud]

My father in law was interviewed by the IWM about his war experiences (D Day, East Riding Yeomanry).

I‘ve been trying to get a copy but you have to physically go to the museum to listen to it. Something to do next time I’m in London.

I have heard that - due to Covid - those previous restrictions have been altered.

Look again online ...

 

[RangdoOfArg]

My father in law was interviewed by the IWM about his war experiences (D Day, East Riding Yeomanry).

I‘ve been trying to get a copy but you have to physically go to the museum to listen to it. Something to do next time I’m in London.

Quick Q: why is it not in the public domain?

 

[brettarider]

My bladder gets me up by 2.30 - 3.30 am and then I listen to We have Ways etc for an hour or so.

I am up to Episode 230 + right now

Not listend for a few weeks to let it build up then will do a bulk listen.

 

[jmb3296]

My father (early 90's) has sent me and the rest of our family - his memoirs from early life, wartime and up to about 1948.

I think this is the right Forum and I cannot find another Thread that exactly covers this.
Much will obviously be touched on in many other Threads.

I am not going to Post it right now - he is still alive and I don't yet have his permission - but I reckon our parents testament can be so important for many generations afterwards.

Post Memoirs here

My father shared some anecdotes in the final months of his life. wewere delighted to get them, some we knew some we didn’t
my regret was he was very ill at the time and he had so many tales but was unable to share all that many. As he has gone they are largely lost with him and the stories left behind are very precious to us.

i have intermittently written some of my anecdotes down for my future grandchildren.

It is important to record your fathers stories for posterity, even to keep in the family. The memories are literally irreplaceable

and if he gives permission to share them, there are many on here and elsewhere keen to read them

 

[Ravers]

Quick Q: why is it not in the public domain?

It is in the public domain, it’s just on an old cassette recording somewhere, probably along with thousands of other recordings. They haven't digitised It.

 

[Ravers]

Here’s an interesting one...

We found this among my grandfather‘s stuff when he died. It had a post it note on it saying it was for me to read and then throw away.

That was it, no context behind it. I didn’t throw it away.

It details a post war trip to Germany where the author gets flown by the RAF, first in a Dakota, then a Mosquito and finally a Storch.

It’s a very interesting perspective on early air travel, back when flying was the preserve of the very wealthy or military only.

Can‘t be sure who wrote it, I don’t think it was my grandfather because he was on National Service immediately post war. It also mentions seeing the first ever motorcars as a child. He was born in 1928 so cars would’ve been common in his childhood.

Could be his father, my great grandfather who was a WW1 veteran and later became a judge. I know he was a training officer in the RFC after he got wounded on the first day of the Somme. He was a KC, QC and High Court judge, it’s possible he got out and about on a few adventures.

No idea to be honest, might not even be a family member. Very interesting read though:

 

[Ravers]

I have heard that - due to Covid - those previous restrictions have been altered.

Look again online ...

Just checked and it’s still not online. It says there are 6 reels of his recordings from 1995. Presumably they were made for the 50th anniversary of D Day.

 

[Old Stab]

My grandad never wrote anything down. He was a miner, saw what was going on and joined the RN , he was a Pom Pom gunner.. Quad Oerlikon.. Out on deck giving it big licks at incoming aircraft.

His one standout for me..

"Over my dead body will you go underground"

 

[Joshua Slocum]

While we are on this particular thread
I have a question, do any forum users speak Dutch, preferably as a Dutch national due to dialects ?
A chap I know has been trying to translate a wartime diary, it belongs to his neighbours, and it was the neighbours Uncle ( fathers Brother)
the chap wrote and published a Diary of his time in the concentration camp at Amersfoot camp

Amersfoort Concentration Camp

Encyclopedia of Jewish and Israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from anti-Semitism to Zionism.

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

The Writer must have self published it, as I can only locate a handful of copies, all of which are in university libraries
he wrote a few books later in life about art
my contact has the book photocopied and perhaps afterwards we can ping the English version up here
it is only 100 pages,
he did ask a german lass who spoke Dutch to help, but I think she found it too traumatic, it woudl be lovely to present the family with a translation
I did see some reference to the camp at Overloon, but I could not translate the titles, and I did not have a smart phone to read the QR codes for english translation

 

[medwaymud]

My father in law was interviewed by the IWM about his war experiences (D Day, East Riding Yeomanry).

I‘ve been trying to get a copy but you have to physically go to the museum to listen to it. Something to do next time I’m in London.

Apologies Ravers, I mixed up IWM with National Archives

Free access to digital records - The National Archives

We are making digital records available on our website free of charge for the time being, as our reading room service is suspended in line with national

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

 

[bohs_man]

While we are on this particular thread
I have a question, do any forum users speak Dutch, preferably as a Dutch national due to dialects ?
A chap I know has been trying to translate a wartime diary, it belongs to his neighbours, and it was the neighbours Uncle ( fathers Brother)
the chap wrote and published a Diary of his time in the concentration camp at Amersfoot camp

Amersfoort Concentration Camp

Encyclopedia of Jewish and Israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from anti-Semitism to Zionism.

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

The Writer must have self published it, as I can only locate a handful of copies, all of which are in university libraries
he wrote a few books later in life about art
my contact has the book photocopied and perhaps afterwards we can ping the English version up here
it is only 100 pages,
he did ask a german lass who spoke Dutch to help, but I think she found it too traumatic, it woudl be lovely to present the family with a translation
I did see some reference to the camp at Overloon, but I could not translate the titles, and I did not have a smart phone to read the QR codes for english translation

View attachment 542673

PM sent.

 

[kelvin_273]

While we are on this particular thread
I have a question, do any forum users speak Dutch, preferably as a Dutch national due to dialects ?
A chap I know has been trying to translate a wartime diary, it belongs to his neighbours, and it was the neighbours Uncle ( fathers Brother)
the chap wrote and published a Diary of his time in the concentration camp at Amersfoot camp

Amersfoort Concentration Camp

Encyclopedia of Jewish and Israeli history, politics and culture, with biographies, statistics, articles and documents on topics from anti-Semitism to Zionism.

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

The Writer must have self published it, as I can only locate a handful of copies, all of which are in university libraries
he wrote a few books later in life about art
my contact has the book photocopied and perhaps afterwards we can ping the English version up here
it is only 100 pages,
he did ask a german lass who spoke Dutch to help, but I think she found it too traumatic, it woudl be lovely to present the family with a translation
I did see some reference to the camp at Overloon, but I could not translate the titles, and I did not have a smart phone to read the QR codes for english translation

View attachment 542673

A job for DaMan possibly?