Remarkable V.E day(and aftermath) images

[Humberto]

World War 1 was started by belligerent, incompetent, toff dick-heads. The peace settlement the same (treaty of Versailles). Hitler was a monster and thank fuck that generation just about saw him off in time. But I think a lot of the painful lessons learned by that generation have been discarded.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Great pics on this thread. Love them all!...I have some aftermath story/pics to share. that spans a generation...

ETA: The rest moved to it's own thread. (Y)

 

[Hollis]

Sightly gate-crashing the thread but on a related note.. this is an image of a dog-fight taken above Portsmouth in Sept 1940.. just after the 'official' end of the Battle of Britain..

 

[Deadstick 1944]

Sightly gate-crashing the thread but on a related note.. this is an image of a dog-fight taken above Portsmouth in Sept 1940.. just after the 'official' end of the Battle of Britain..

View attachment 211901

Interesting,only one of those fine men left.

 

[Hollis]

Yep - I've listened to a couple of these online talks now, and they're very good - there's one coming up on Normandy this Wednesday I think..

Err, I'd highly recommond the one on Waterloo if that's your thing!

Archive | Dan Hill Military Historian

 

[co-op]

Sounds it; there was a tune called Get Up Them Stairs, Mademoiselle but it's from 1946/47. The girls wearing the hats look too young though. The girl on the right looks to have You've Had It Chum on her hat which might be a Billy Cotton b-side from 1943. (Written and sung by Alan Breeze who later wrote I've got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts).

LOL that has solved a genuine mystery for me, about 40 years ago I was with a mate doing that thing you used to do on Saturday if you were out and about ie standing outside a tv shop (in Bethnal Green) looking at the football scores. This van pulled up to the kerb and the guy in the passenger seat called out to me for the West Ham result. I told him they'd won and he yelled at the top of his voice "GO ON THE 'AMMERS GET UP THEM STAIRS!" We kind of looked at each other like - eh? - and ever since we've used the phrase as a bit of a joke and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else use it before or since.

So there you go. It's obvs pwopah cokernee.

 

[Sasaferrato]

My grandfather was serving in the Navy right up to VJ Day so no piss-up for him.

My father was getting ready for the Far East when VJ day came.

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan will always be contentious, but there is no doubt that if the Allies had had to fight their way through the Pacific and into the Home Islands, there would have been at least tens of thousands of deaths. Don't forget also that the atomic bombs saved Japanese lives too, as the death toll defending the Pacific etc would have been horrific.

 

[Marty1]

 

[gosub]

I thought VJ75 was well done (rather than start another thread ) from what I have heard and read, shame about the weather. Made me remember my first truely inspirational teacher, and a thoroughly decent man. He never quite got over what he went through. Though the world moves on, I am glad it is not forgotten. Or rather I am glad we remember that it is not forgotten.

I did look at the European press -very little coverage

 

[Streathamite]

My grandpa was a Morse code operator on ships protecting other ships, spent time in Alexandria, Cape of Good Hope, etc. He was torpedoed twice. He started thinking Hitler had it in for him. First time the ship took a while to sink, the second time they had to jump 50 feet into the sea and swim to another ship as his was in a bad state. A mate of his got up and down ladders and made it safely to another vessel before realising he had a broken leg.

My grandpa's take on it all was that the war was absolutely necessary, and absolutely nothing to celebrate.

ditto my grandad's feelings, though he had the much less hazardous job of managing a group of RAF airbases, and keeping them running. He viewed the ethe moment her got one bombeed airbaze back up and operational, he got word the Luftwaffe had hit another, and he instrantl;y hared off after t5hat place. He came to view WW2 as a personal duel between himand Hermann Goering

 

[Hollis]

Nice little clip from victory parade in London 1946.

Tanks and stuff

Bombs

 

[equationgirl]

Both my parents joined up into the RAF during the war after leaving school. I can remember as a kid my father saying 'You've Had It Chum'. My mother used to tell me that if it hadnt been for the war she' d have been stuck in the mining village she grew up , her only paid job before that was working in a pet shop. My father flew Halifaxs and Lancasters bombing Germany and helped train Americans for day light bombing raids , he had loads of photos. After the war he had a nervous breakdown . Obviously my mum didnt fly planes she used to drive wagons and escort the planes back into hangers, was a chauffer amongst other things. She used to say that the war taught her that women could do the same jobs as men. Always made me laugh when she used to tell me about all the blokes she met and dancing and drinking. Ironically her experience in the war liberated her. They always remembered VE day..

You say 'obviously your mum didn't fly planes' but women pilots were used to move planes between airfields.

 

[The39thStep]

You say 'obviously your mum didn't fly planes' but women pilots were used to move planes between airfields.

Thanks

 

[Streathamite]

My grandfather was serving in the Navy right up to VJ Day so no piss-up for him.

My grandard was a manager of several RAF bases which he had to keep working, so none for him either

 

[Streathamite]

wtf's going on with that ear?

Lizard covering slipped?

George V!'s speech impediment is actually painful to listen to, in that clip

 

[T & P]

You say 'obviously your mum didn't fly planes' but women pilots were used to move planes between airfields.

Indeed. There are several great books on the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. I can't remember the title of the one I read, but it was a great read. BBC4 has also showed a very good documentary on them a few years ago.

 

[Pickman's model]

i wonder what ve day and vj day looked like in the then colonies.