family in the war

I'm sure we've had this topic before...

Anyway:

My Dad's parents both drove lorries for the RAF.

Grandma drove the aircrew to their planes with 158 SQN at RAF Lisset (the Halifax squadron that had the famous 'Friday 13th' bomber).

Grandad started off at Drem airfield (one of his jobs was lighting the flarepath during fog - which was quite hair-raising at times!), then was sent to North Africa (on a convoy around Africa) where he drove lorries from Egypt to Palestine. After the war he was transferred back to Britain, and met my Grandma on an airfield.

My Mum's parents:

My Grandad was in the Black Watch - but I know next to nothing about his actual war record. He died when I was 8.

My Grandma was some kind of important secretary type - again, I have no real idea of what she did, as she never really discusses the war.

 

I've been looking on the internet (damm, we have very few pages about WW2. looks like nobody in our country is interested in that part of our history) and i found some pages.
could you please give me your grandfathers name. maby i can find something about him on the internet.[/quote]

Louis Declercq

 

Yes I would like to see some pics

 

I it is really difficult to talk to my grandfather because he has alzheimer so I have to ask this to my grandmother and other family members. But sometimes he has clear moments and than he likes to tell things about what has been.

 

Louis Declercq[/quote]

i'll see what i can find about him

 

My Grandpa was in the American Navy in WW2, he served in the Pacific theater, and was the first ship to shell Japan from the sea.
I think it was a cruiser he was on? not sure though, and I think it started with an I. His ship also suffered no casualities from the enemy.

Little story
The first shell they fired at Japan hit around its target, they could tell since they had a recon plane observing where they hit, so they fired another shell, but this one went a few miles of course and hit a Japanese farmhouse.

If someone wants to they can figure out what ship it was.

 

I found some papers about my grandfather at the attic and I would love to post them but I do not know how to translate some of them I hoe roel can help me...

 

this is what I found

Helper tweede klasse van de inlichtings en actie diensten
--> 2nd class helper of the intelligance en action services

De medaille van werkweigeraar
--> ????????

La medaille de la Résistance
--> the resistance medal

Medaille Commémorative de la guerre 1940 -1945
--> ??????

Herrineringsmedaille van den oorlog 1940 - 1945
--> memory medal of the 1940 -1945 war

Ridder in de kroonorde
--> Knight in the kingsorder ???

Ridder in de leopoldsorde
--> knight in the leopoldsorder ???

Ridder in de Leopold II orde
--> Knight in the leopold II order ???

Ereteken van de arbeid van eerste klasse
--> ???????????????????????????

That is it and I hope roel can help me with this.
And I will try to scan in the papers of this honours

 

Ereteken van de arbeid van eerste klasse
--> ???????????????????????????
honnoursign of labour in the first class

De medaille van werkweigeraar
--> ????????
medal of the labourrefuser (he might got that because he refused to work in germany during the war)

 

hey another belgian guy! thanks for the help

 

Medal for Forced Labour Refusal

The same as the Remembrance Medal for the War of 1940-1945, but in French

Knight in the Order of the Crown / of Leopold / of Leopold II.

Your grandfather seems like a genuine resistance hero to me! Chapeau!

 

but i can't find anything on the net. i always find staf de clerq who was the leader of the flemish collaboration and of louis paul boon, a writer who lived and wrote over those days

 

thank you

 

I finaly found them and I am working on a translation

 

Grandfather on mom's side was US artilleryman in the ETO. 270th Field Artillery Battalion equipped with 240mm howitzers. Is still alive and is a wealth of information (cannot believe that some don't think holocaust happened, he saw the camps with his own eyes). Am currently designing an interview with him to preserve his account and knowledge of his service during the war.

Grandfather on dad's side was US medic in PTO. I do not know his unit yet...am currently researching both men. Passed away before I could learn much from him...hurts me to this day.

 

Wow, I didn't even know this gun existed. Seems obsolete next to the Long Tom and 8inch guns...

 

Bringing this forward from WAY back, but does anyone know if this interview happened and if there is a site to view/listen to it?