We often just think of the people who lost their lives - terrible as it was to lose a loved one there were those that survived but were never the same. My own father came back blind in one eye and deaf in one ear from an explosion whilst in Italy, so being born after he came back I never really knew the dynamic man everyone said he was and he died when he was only 48. I was emailing with one of my cousins recently and she told me her father was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in Singapore for 3 years - I can't bear to think of the suffering he must have endured there. I've tried to find details of both men on the web but cannot find anything. Can anybody advise where I might find details? Paul ________________________________ From: Pam Hillier <pamhillier24@virginbroadband.com.au> To: eng-surrey@rootsweb.com Sent: Tue, November 10, 2009 9:42:25 PM Subject: Re: [SRY] Lest we forget - Rememberance Day beautifully put Michael Pam from Adelaide Australia >I REMEMBER: > > My dad's brother Ted (Edward W. H. Clifton) was a British Commando in WWII > and his brother-in-law, George Elson, was in the RAF Ground Forces and > Barrage Balloon barges on the Thames.  My paternal grandfather, Edward > Clifton, was apparently an Air Raid Warden, [all three former names of > Surrey relevance] and my maternal grandfather, George Bradbury, was first > a courier (on motor bike) till injured and then became a cook, serving the > forces in Italy during WWII.  I also have an "uncle" (really my mom's > cousin by marriage I believe) who was in the Polish underground fighting > the Nazi's; lost a leg, but saved his own and many lives I garner. > > Add to that all the other survivors, particularly the women who kept the > home fires burning, who served and worked in ways they never imagined > would be needed to preserve hearth and home and support their soldiers, > whose love, prayers and hope never failed.  And the children, who > experienced fears and wonders they never invented or desired, who bore the > scars of childish perception of horrible things, and who lived on to > remind and raise the rest of us. > > Blessed be the memory of those who, whether through ignorance or wisdom, > by choice or by force, ultimately gave of themselves so that others could > have the hope of freedom and peace.  "Greater love hath no man than this, > that he lay down his life for his friends." > > > Michael Clifton > Canada *************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. List Admin can be contacted at:  Eng-Surrey-admin@rootsweb.com.   ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-SURREY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Paul, and all Professor Jay Winter read out a moving essay of his about the war wounded.  Another 12 minute tribute. Do check the Radio 2 pm blog site fior a transcript, or listen on Radio 2 on the BBC iPlayer. Richard ________________________________ From: Paul Eggleton <tenniseggpaul@sbcglobal.net> To: eng-surrey@rootsweb.com Sent: Thu, 12 November, 2009 5:27:05 Subject: Re: [SRY] Lest we forget - Rememberance Day We often just think of the people who lost their lives - terrible as it was to lose a loved one there were those that survived but were never the same. My own father came back blind in one eye and deaf in one ear from an explosion whilst in Italy, so being born after he came back I never really knew the dynamic man everyone said he was and he died when he was only 48. I was emailing with one of my cousins recently and she told me her father was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in Singapore for 3 years - I can't bear to think of the suffering he must have endured there. I've tried to find details of both men on the web but cannot find anything. Can anybody advise where I might find details? Paul :=>< SNIP

Paul, Took me years to get information out of my dad about the war years. I wouldn't say he was traumatised in the medical sense of the word, but the memories of the things he saw were traumatic. Even the thought of the people he was killing in the Anti Aircraft (AK AK) brought sadness I think......even if you know they are trying to kill you, you still know you are depriving a child of a father, a father of a son. I wish more people had my fathers compassion and perhaps there would be no more wars. cheers Pam from Adelaide Australia We often just think of the people who lost their lives - terrible as it was to lose a loved one there were those that survived but were never the same. My own father came back blind in one eye and deaf in one ear from an explosion whilst in Italy, so being born after he came back I never really knew the dynamic man everyone said he was and he died when he was only 48. I was emailing with one of my cousins recently and she told me her father was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in Singapore for 3 years - I can't bear to think of the suffering he must have endured there. I've tried to find details of both men on the web but cannot find anything. Can anybody advise where I might find details? Paul