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Anyone have relatives serving in WW1?

S

Siggi

Guest
My grandfather was in the RFC, serving as a mechanic but also flew as an observer/gunner on occasion. He was stationed a few miles away from where Richthofen was brought down and went to see what was left of the wreck a few days after (not a lot as I recall him telling me).

I wish I'd had the interest while he was still alive.
 
my maternal grandfather was a wireless operator with the US Navy on the USS St. Louis (former liner Louisville) he met my grandmother (who witnessed the Titanic departure and several LZ raids during the Great War. Both died when I was 6-10 years old. Oh the stories they could tell.
Capn Rick
 
Both my grandfathers served in WW1, but only just got overseas to the AEF when the war ended.

They were, however, the youngest brothers in their respective families. All their older brothers (several in each family) fought. Most were with the AEF in the Meuse-Argonne, but one of them got shipped up to Murmansk to fight the Reds (which most Americans these days don't know ever happened).

The oldest of the lot was actually living in France in 1914 and joined the Foreign Legion. He got put in charge of some Senegalese troops and was at 2nd Ypres when the chlorine hit them. He remained in the French army until 1917, then moved to the AEF and was put on MacArthur's staff. However, he ended up back in the field in time for the Meuse-Argonne with the 69th Rainbow division, where he had some more harrowing times. After WW1, he went back into the Foreign Legion and fought more in Morocco.

All of them came through both the war and the 1918 flu without harm, even the guy who fought all through 1914-1918 and beyond.
 
Perhaps my grandparents on my father's side did not serve as gloriously as mentioned above, but they remembered when the Germans took over their village in the Ukraine during WWI. It wasn't pretty. I imagine it doesn't matter what side is the occupier, it ain't pretty.

Even today hasn't changed much. Sadly, it seems, we are doomed to repeat our history...


Propeller-Crossesw-flags7small.jpg
 
I had two uncles who served in WWI. My dad's eldest brother, my uncle John, served in the 42nd Rainbow Division. My mother's olderst brother, my uncle Easom, was in the Marines. I was just telling Duck in another thread that I envied him having his grandfather's letters home written during WWI. My uncle who was in the Marines died when I was 11 or so. Uncle John lived to a ripe old age. I only wish I had had the gumption to question him more extensively about his service. I do know he made it through without injury, but was accidentally shot in the rear-end as they were preparing to return to the States after the armistice and a buddy knocked over a rifle. Cest la guerre!
 
Awesome story Bullethead, and thanks for starting this thread up Siggi.

Not too long ago, I was just searching around the web with no real aim at achieving anything and I stumbled across my great grandfathers WW1 draft card! I had asked my dad if his grandpa was in WW1 and he didn't know. I still dont know if he saw any combat or what unit he might have been in, so I need to do more research. Anyway if he did make it overseas in time he was one of the lucky ones that made it through. Its dated 6/5/17. He was 22 at the time.

PS. If anybody has done the research on thier WW1 relatives, I'd appreciate it if you could help me out and point me in the right direction to find out what unit my great grandfather served in.

-Rooster
 
My father's father was a soldier with the ground troops, but he never talked about war. So, the only thing I know, is, that during a storm attack, he got hit by a machine gunner, who panned all over the field. He got shot through both arms.
He never had much strength in his arms, ever after, but could still hold a cup, or write a letter. He was lucky with two bullets in the arms, rather than one in between them, he said.
 
aust3298 said:
... I only wish I had had the gumption to question him more extensively about his service. ...
Click to expand...

Many survivors do/did not wish to talk about it. I wouldn't beat yourself up about it (if you are). I "pressured" my grandfather perhaps a bit too far to recount some memories, and he started to cry. This from a man who survived the Great Depression supporting 5 of his friends while driving a cab, lost 2 of his fingers in mining accidents, and helped to bring the union into the mines to raise safety and working mens' standards.

It isn't perhaps as "interesting" to them as it is to us from a historical perspective, those who didn't live through it... A "historical" perspective is a luxury. Sorry, don't mean to sound like I'm on a soapbox.


Propeller-Crossesw-flags7small.jpg
 
Had a great grandfather who served in France for the better part of year in 1918-- first in the trenches as general infantry then later as an MP officer. During his time there he observed actual dogfights taking place over the trenches and recounted in letters (during 1918) and stories later in life that it was customary for men in the trenches to watch the dogfights at length like a bloodsport.

From his time in France he received an allied victory medal. He also acquired through luck and finding a German Iron Cross First Class. We believe he found it on the ground in an abandoned trench when the Germans retreated during an attack. Today both medals are in a glass case in parents' house.

Another great grandfather was drafted and went through training here in the US and was shipped to France, arriving in mid November, 1918. He was shipped back to the US soon after and never saw any combat.

My great uncle flew a P-51 during the second World War and shot down a German 109 in a dogfight over Romania. He also scored a number of ground victories attacking targets in Italy. Unlike my great grandfather, he never talked about his experiences during the war until just before he died. He never relished or considered glorious any of his victories with the P-51, but rather looked on them as a grim necessity of the time and not something to be glorified or promoted.
 
Venator, Very good point. I don't know how my uncle may have reacted, but you are correct. We are looking at this as an interesting hobby/vocation....to those guys, it was life at its most pungent. As much as I have read about war, military history, etc, I can't imagine what it must have been like for those men. No, you are correct about the luxury of a historical perspective. It does not make it less interesting for me, but for them it was/is something else altogether.
 
my granfather was part of the AIF in Gallipoli and France. He was severely wounded in June 1916 (which I think was the first battle of the Somme), lost an arm and was lucky to survive and eventually return to Australia.
 
It has to be said....WWI is over, so nobody is serving. Just busting your chops.
Actually WWI fell between generations for my family. My great grandfather was in Spanish American War and my grandfather was only 9 for WWI.
 
Hi Guys,

My great grandfather (on my mothers side), Victor Lepp joined the Australian Imperial Forces -21st Battalion in early 1915 and arrived in Egypt in july 1915 to take part in the Gallipoli campaign. he served there for 2 months, was wounded by shell fragments and evactuated to lemnos for treatment, A month later he was back on Gallipoli.

after the planned evactuation/withdrawal from Gallipoli hes was sent to France in march 1916. He was again wounded in may 1916, after treatment in England, he was posted back to France and was eventually Killed on August 26th 1916 by shell fire.

He had one son and one duaghter (my grandmother) who never knew their father, as they were both only infants when he joined the army for the regular pay. sadly his wife died in 1919 and the children were adopted out, it has taken my mother and one of her brothers a long time to research this and finally bring it all together.

His Brother Clarence lepp won the Military Medal, and survived the war
Service Number 2199
Service Army
Rank Private
Unit 24th Bn
Date of London Gazette
16 November 1916, page 11145, position 9
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
19 April 1917, page 924, position 116

regards Rob.
 
My fathers uncle was in the war (was he my uncle once removed?). I believe he was in the American infantry. He's long gone now but I remember him standing behind a chair, leaning on the back of it while bending down to lean on it. I never saw him sitting down -- ever.

I asked my father why Uncle Weldon always leaned on the back of a chair and I was told me that Uncle Weldon was "gassed" in the war and suffered lung damage. He couldn't breathe well when he sat down -- so he didn't sit -- he stood or laid down -- but didn't sit.

He lived in western Pennsylvania (NW of Pittsburgh) but liked to spend most of his time in the Pennsylvania mountains (near the the town of Tionesta, in Forrest County) because he could "breathe better".

I don't know anything else or what kind of gas did the lung damage. As far as I know he had no other damage except for his lungs.
 
Hi Rob,
my grandfather was in Lemnos in Sept 1915 duffering influenza and synovitis. his war records indicate he didn't return to Anzac until Dec 1915. I'm sure there were plenty of soldiers on Lemnos, but who knows they may have crossed paths. My grandfather was in the 8th battalion though.
 
Sadly there is a bit of a veil over my family history in that period. Certainly, two of my great grandfathers were in the British army, but the only one of those that I know much about never talked about his war- being rather more pleased about his achievements before the war. He was a famous music hall singer.

My paternal grandfather was a pilot between the wars though.
 
My Grandfather (on Mothers side) flew SE5a's during the last year of the war..But I can find no further info than that sadly
 
My Grandfather (born in Burton-upon-Trent in 1898) fought in the latter part of the war on the Western front. He apparently stood in something nasty that gassed himself and a few others. He suffered with his lungs for the rest of his life, dying in 1961- 6 years before I was born. Lest we forget.
 
My great uncle died in the battle for Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme, 1916. He was the company commander of D Company, the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers. This is the note of his death, in the regimental history:

"At 12:15 am on July 5th the artillery opened a bombardment of Quadrangle Trench, under cover of which the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers and the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers crept to within a hundred yards of the enemy position. At 12:45 am the two battalions charged. In the 10th Battalion C Company (Capt. D.W, Thacker) and D Company (Capt. H.M. Adcock) captured Shelter Alley and Quadrangle Trench without much fighting except on the left, where they met with rifle and machine gun fire...Unfortunatley, the company commander, Capt. H.M. Adcock, was killed as he leapt into the German trench". His body was never recovered - he is one of those listed on the Somme Memorial at Thiepval.

We still have his photographs and the sketches he made of life in the trenches, and I used to have his sword - but gave the sword away to a friend when the children were small (we were concerned they might kill each other with it).

My wife's grandfather flew as an Observer in the RFC (in RE8s I believe, although I do not know which squadron), and was then trained as a pilot just in time to return to the front flying the SE5a (only a week or so before the war ended, I think, doing no more harm than wiping the undercarriage off his a/c in a bad landing). I know a cousin of my wife has his log book, and I would like to see it one day.

Bletchley
 
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