My Dad

I was 6 when the war started. My father was already in the Army when the war broke out as he had been a regular soldier joining after the First World War, and in 1939 was a reservist. He went to France with the expeditionary force and was evacuated successfully at Dunkirk. After his leave he returned to his regiment which was in Liverpool. He was mentioned in despatches and awarded oak leaves for heroism on the beaches. In November he wrote to say that he had to go into hospital for a minor operation. He went in on 18th December 1940 and died on 19th December during a operation to have his tonsils removed. How ironic. My mother then had to go to work to keep two youngsters and so in effect we lost both our parents for the duration of the war.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.