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My grandads war.

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    #1

    My grandads war.

    Hello everyone,

    This is something I have been meaning to do for a long time. I am full of flu so thought while I was lazing around I would start. I will be adding to this over time as I have many interesting pictures and some sad stories but also some funny ones.

    My Granddad Thomas Harland served in the RAF as an Armourer on Spitfires from 1942 till 1945. From 1945 to 1947 he worked as a store man. After 1945 there wasn’t a need for a lot of Armourers so that was why he was transferred. He joined up on his 18th birthday in 1942 with four of his friends in Middlesborough England. My granddad and 3 others came back but one of the lads was killed in Asia. Tom originally wanted to be a Gunner on Bombers but his brother who served from 1939 to 1945spending most of his time in the jungle begged him not too. He couldn’t stand the thought of his kid brother being killed in a bomber, because as we all know air crews didn’t have a high survival rate.

    He is a great guy who loves a few beers and a good few whiskeys. He drives me mad telling me stories of all the things he collected then gave away when he left Germany. He didn’t smoke and hated coffee at the time. So the coffee and smokes he didn’t sell he would gave the guy in charge of the gun cameras in exchange for getting his films developed

    The first picture is of him when he had just finished basic, In peace time the Armourers course was 6 months in 1942 it was 6 weeks!.

    tom1.jpg
    Tags: None
    #2
    Heres a picture of all the lads on the Armourers course this is in Filey in Scotland. Tom is second from the right on the bottom row with legs crossed

    2.jpg
    Last edited by A H; 06-10-2007, 01:06 PM.

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      #3
      After basic training was over the co came in and asked for 2 volunteers my granddad and another lad stood up. They were both assigned to 317 Polish Squadron which supported the Canadians through out the war and operated Spitfires. Six other British Armourers joined them as time went on. They were the only eight British men in the whole Squadron. He said the Polish lads treated them very well. If they came across any Germans it was a different story.
      Heres a picture of the eight of them in Lille France September 1944 tom is front and centre

      france 1.jpg

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        #4
        Heres another one in france with one of his mates. Tom is on the right

        france 2.jpg

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          #5
          I am starting to feel a bit worse for wear lads!. So this is the last one for tonight. It is a bit out of sequence but it’s a fantastic picture taken by Tom and a very good story.
          The house in the back ground is where they stayed for the night. The polish mechanics had stolen some fuel from one of the spitfires added some sugar and some fruits and left it for a few days. All the guys in the photo got hammered drunk and passed out. The next day when one of them went to walk through the gate this was stood in there way!. Nobody had even heard it during the night!!!!!!. All I can say is that they were very very lucky men. This was near Brussels in belguim

          Tomorrow I will add more picture of France Belgium Holland and Germany along with some more stories and events . Also some good picture of Spitfires and a few 109's


          v1.jpg

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            #6
            Lucky they survived the booze they made. Must have been alcohol for the cooling system they mixed the fruit in but I don't think it was gasolene they used.

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              #7
              Yeah it seems that would be lethal.

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                #8
                Very nice pictures, I havent seen anything like it in a while, it is very fun looking at the pictures that your grandfather took, because you are basically seeing things he saw, and things through his point of view. It is very fun.

                BTW, I wouldve brought that buzzbomb back if I were him.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by pzrwest View Post
                  Lucky they survived the booze they made. Must have been alcohol for the cooling system they mixed the fruit in but I don't think it was gasolene they used.
                  They didnt drink pints of it haha, it was more like 2 or 3 shots. I have heard of large amounts of that stuff killing people. Like Absinthe but 10 times worse.

                  Regards Adam

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                    #10
                    Should have said from 1942 to 1944 he was based up in Filey in Scotland and somewhere in the middlands I forget where. The first they knew of D day was when they woke up walked out side and saw the Spitfires with the black and white lines painted acroos each wing. I dont have the pictures of the spitfires with the black and white wings at the moment as my mum has nice placed them Here some pictures of spitfires a month or two after D day.



                    Fighters 1.jpg

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                      #11
                      Messing around with Bombs

                      Bombs.jpg

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                        #12
                        More Spitfires

                        Fighters 2.jpg

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                          #13
                          6 of the British lads From 317 Squadron In La Deluriande? France 1944 Tom is front left

                          france.jpg

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                            #14
                            Then to Belgium. Tom took this at deurne near antwerp on October 4th 1944. A very damaged 109

                            109.jpg

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                              #15
                              A few of winter 44/45 near Brussels Belguim. Tom took this one also The british lads mixed in with the poles. Last man on the right is a polish Pilot. Tom doesnt remember his anme any more, but the pilot gave Tom a nice keep sake at the end of the war for his hard work.

                              belgium.jpg

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