"Now and thens" from your hometown or holidays

Skipper · #1 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 08:38 AM

Hello chaps, I thought it was about time to open a specific thread for "Now and thens". Many of us have scattered these around in several threads. They are mostly interesitng but hard to find back. Sometimes some of the newbies put them in their introduction mesage and we never see these pictures again. Therefore those who wish to post these can do so here. Besides those who have already posted some of them are welcome to post a link to the repsective now and thens. You may post pictures from you home town and/or your holidays. I knwo not all of you live in a former war zone, but I'm sure even behind the lines many interesting pictures can be found and taken. So go ahead!

For a start here are some pictures form the city of Orleans in France.

This is the statue of Joan of Arc. Possibly ythe only one not stolen by the Germans who took the other monument to melt them .

the second comparison is the same square from another angle

A third angle with the former Soldatenheim that was latera bar and now a shoe shop

Number four is a angle from the George V bridge at the Tourelle. Notice the bullet holes in the modern picture.

Number five is the townhall which in 1940 became the Kommandantur

Enjoy! I hope others will post comparisons too. If you like these I have several more.

Mats · #2 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 10:38 AM

Skipper!

Do I have to say more than "P L E A S E"

Best regards / Mats

Skipper · #3 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 11:19 AM

No problem Mats, allow me some time to scan them and sort them out. I took the modern pictures yesterday. I took Mrs skipper with me on a "forced March" . We had two hours between the moment I got home from work and had to be back to pick up the kids. I knew exactly where to go, so basically it was , a picture, a run until it was time to go. We stopped for a beer though.

**Ron Goldstein** · #4 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 12:05 PM

In May 2007 (just checked that !) my wife and I had a good break in the Venezia Giulia area in Italy.

We started off with three days in Trieste followed by seven days in Venice.

As a "camera-aholic" I obviously looked for some "before & after" type shots and thought you might like to see a couple of pics.

The original Venice shot was taken in 1945, the original Trieste one in 1946.

Skipper · #5 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 01:01 PM

Thank you Ron, these are not only interesting , but coming from a Veteran makes these pictures all the more appreciated.

**Ron Goldstein** · #6 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 02:16 PM

Skipper

Glad you approve.

I've always been a sucker for these "Then & Now" pictures that's why I had this one taken in 2003.

The occasion was an annual meeting of the Cambridge & Bethnal Green Old Boy's Club.

The club, started in 1925, still meet once a year and I usually take along a bunch of snaps to show my old friends what we looked like in those happy days.

Look how the years have treated us.....the first snap was taken in 1935 when I was twelve years old, the latter one in 2003 at our reunion when I was just about to become an octoganerian.

Skipper · #7 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 03:30 PM

Excellent I hope I can take a similar picutre o fmy pals when I get 80!

Here is one of the Cathedral street in Orleans called Joan of Arc Street.

1941 and 2008

**Ron Goldstein** · #8 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 05:15 PM

Skipper
Just tried to upload two more Trieste "Then & Now" photos but found that there is a limit of 5 per article so am using this posting to prove that some places never change.
Two pics, one is a postcard of Piazza Goldoni in Trieste, in my Army Album and definitely before 1945. The second pic was taken by me in 2007 of the identical spot and there is virtually NO change !

bigfun · #9 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 05:38 PM

Great idea Skipper!
All great photos gentleman! Orleans is a beautiful city Skipper!
Ron, I'm amazed at those pcitures, that there is nominal change at best, in this country, we knock everything down to build new!
Thanks for those! I'm gonna have to dig around to see what I can find over here!

Skipper · #10 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 10:28 PM

Great comparisons. So the older picture must have been during the Allied Military Goverment (AMG)occupation in Trieste.

**Ron Goldstein** · #11 (**permalink**) June 11th, 2008, 10:59 PM

Skipper

Spot on..... read all about it here:
BBC - WW2 People's War - Trieste, October 1945 to January 1947

Ron

Slipdigit · #12 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Goldstein

Skipper

Glad you approve.

I've always been a sucker for these "Then & Now" pictures that's why I had this one taken in 2003.

The occasion was an annual meeting of the Cambridge & Bethnal Green Old Boy's Club.

The club, started in 1925, still meet once a year and I usually take along a bunch of snaps to show my old friends what we looked like in those happy days.

Look how the years have treated us.....the first snap was taken in 1935 when I was twelve years old, the latter one in 2003 at our reunion when I was just about to become an octoganerian.

Great Pics, Ron. Did these men also serve during the war?

**Ron Goldstein** · #13 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 05:48 AM

Jeff

I would guess about 75 % were of the right age to be involved.
My own family would, I guess, demonstrate how an average East End family in 1939 had children of the "right" age to serve in the Forces:
BBC - WW2 People's War - One family, Five Sons, All Serving in H.M.Forces
As you will read, my eldest brother was aged 30, I was just 16 and by 1944 all five of us were serving.
The club, as you may have discovered, is one of my favourite subjects, see: Cambridge and Bethnal Green Old Boys Club
and we had some famous old-boys amongst our ranks such as Lewis Gilbert (as the Club annual report of 1986 reported)

Cheers

Ron

Skipper · #14 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 09:51 AM

Some more addtions , this is getting nice. I enjoyed reading the Trieste story too.

Today one more comparison with the St Paul church in Olreans. Joan of Arc Prayed there after her Victory on the English. In June 1940 the church was oblitererated by the Luftwaffe. Only the porch remained and the sanctuary where Joan of Arc prayed.

As you can see the city was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe in 1940 and by the Raf and the USAAF in 1944. This is a 1940 picture so you see the damages caused by the Germans

Slipdigit · #15 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 12:34 PM

I was looking at the picture you and your brothers and it made me think of my grandmother. She had 10 brothers and all but two (too young) went to serve and all made it home. One was "gone" for 3 1/2 years and was never stationed more than 200 miles from home.

Do you have "after" pics of your brothers?

bigfun · #16 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 04:07 PM

Very nice! Great stuff Ron! I always enjoy your stories! Keep them coming!

Skipper · #17 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 06:29 PM

the city of Orleans was bombed a certain number of times between 1940 and 1944. It's history is not as famous as other European cities, but let us not forget that 22% of all air bombs dropped on the west front fell in France an dthe city was heavily damaged.
Besides a Bomb load was dropped on accidentally by a crippled B-24 in May 1944. There were several RAF night bombings of the Marshalling yards, but also USAAF D-Day preparation bombings on targets like bridges and transports. On one of these nights a bomb blew up an amnunition train at the very moment it crossed a German reinforcement train. The result was an absolute massacre. I still don't know the exact amount of German victims. I'm pretty certain the Raf does not know how accurate their bombing was that night, but they got a whole bunch of SS troops too.
Then when the city was liberated there were some more combats when the Germans occupied the South bank of the Loire River and the Americans moving east, they left a small number of soldiers with artillery with the FFI fighting the Germans pockets on the other side of the Loire. There were many artillery duels which blew up other parts of the city. Dozens of Resistants were kIA , tortured and executed by the Germans during the Summer of 1944. Among these Resistant fighters were also some British SOE troops.

C.Evans · #18 (**permalink**) June 13th, 2008, 08:39 PM

Hi Ron, Skipper, thank you both for these cool photos. Im looking forward to seeing and reading more. I don't know if I can find them or not but, after my move, i'll see if I can find some pics I took when I was in Wilhelmshaven-of some bomb-damaged buildings that were still left over from the war. One building in particular I THINK was either a factory or a hospital. I don't have any comparison pics of these few shots-that were taken during the war.