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zig
Supreme tranceaddict

Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Dublin,Ireland
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My dad was a radio operator on a Sunderland Flying Boat during WW2, he was based in Singapore from 1943 to the end of the war, he joined the RAF in 1942 and was based in Lancashire England, he was 19 years of age when he joined up.
The aircraft that he flew in was a long range reconnaisance aircraft and this was his primary mission during WW2, the aircraft could fly for about 15 to 20 hours nonstop depending on conditions and had a range of 3000 miles, there was a crew of about 10 and and they flew most days for about 6 hours tracking shipping, but other times they flew much longer missions.
He said that at nightime when the boat was moored 2 people had to sleep on it, the crew took it in turns, to get the aircraft onto land was a big operation so it was usually moored on the water. When the aircraft was moored during gales or bad weather a pilot had to be on board because the engines were used to steer the plane and stop it from unmooring or getting damaged, he said he was glad he wasnt a pilot because sometimes they had to spend hours doing this.
After the war was over he stayed in the RAF until 1947 on land this time where he guarded Japanease prisioners in Burma.
My dad died in 1994, but i have many photos of him from that period, i also have a japanease infantry officers hat as an interesting momento.

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*** Sig edited -> see rule #5
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y142/dublin6/100-percent-liberal.gif
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May-08-2005 22:56
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DrUg_Tit0
e^(i*pi)+1=0

Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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My granddad was the commander of a partizan mountaneering artillery batallion in central Bosnia and later in eastern Croatia. After that region was liberated, he was in charge of it until the end of the war. He was seriously wounded 3 times, two times he was shot by italians, and the third time his subordinate found a bomb beneath a bridge and decided that if he cuts the wires, the bomb will be defused. So it blew up and killed hiim and a few people around him Oh and he once killed an SS trooper and took his gun so we have that at home as a souvenir. He actually had a small street named after him in the southern part of Zagreb, but the damn HDZ government in the 1990s renamed all the streets comemorating the partizan fight including that one 
His brother in law, on the other hand, was an SS trooper, but he managed to escape the persecution and a pretty certain death because my granddad intervened.
And my ohter grandfather was in the domobrans. That was the army here that pretty much didn't know who to fight for, so they just surrendered to whomever got to them first.
Well, anyways, happy v-day to all you antifascist freedom fighters out there 
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1+1=10
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May-09-2005 01:03
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donegalredneck
Senior tranceaddict
Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bun Cranncha, Inis Eoghain, Tír Chonaill, Éire
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A relative of mine was a British army cook in India at the time - lied about his age and joined aged 14. The war was over ten days before they got word of it. Can't imagine there having been much action in India?
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"Níl saoirse gan saoirse lucht oibre."
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May-09-2005 11:54
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Renegade
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Registered: May 2001
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
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Since we're all talking about what our grandparents did during the war... 
My paternal grandmother came down from Glasgow to Stoke-on-Trent to work for the army in a mailing room. My paternal grandfather was a postman in the same city. This was how they met, so it goes without saying: if it wasn't for Hitler and his insane imperialistic rampages, I wouldn't exist (thanks Adolf!). I'm not sure what my maternal grandmother did during the war, but her first husband (and the father of my oldest maternal aunt) was a pilot in the airforce. He survived the war, but died in a plane crash during a storm in the early 50s. My maternal grandfather (i.e. the man my maternal grandmother remarried to give birth to my mother and her other sisters) was a train-driver during the war.
If we go back to WW1, then my paternal great-grandfather served in the trenches. Although my dad isn't too sure about what his grandfather experienced during that time, it was one of the unwritten laws of his childhood that - whenever he went to his grandfathers house - (to quote John Cleese) "Whatever you do, don't mention the war!" Now that I think about it, I should really probe my parents on my family history, because they've lived through some interesting times.
If this was too off-topic, then perhaps we could talk about the jingoistic, divisive and overtly militant messages that Bush has been propogating during the past few days. On what should be an occasion to celebrate the victory of peace over war and bloodshed, he takes the opportunity to tour Europe (reminding each nation in turn precisely how America won their freedom, naturally), selling his recent miltary campaigns, shitting all over the Russians and stirring up old divisions and rivalries. Suffice to say, the man (or, rather, the men who write his speeches) just doesn't get it...
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http://eschatonnow.blogspot.com/
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May-09-2005 15:43
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