Today Norman and I split our forces with him going to Earley St Peters for the Remembrance service and me joining Councillors Keith Baker MBE and Bill Soane at the Woodley commemoration. A very well organised and well attended event, thank you to all the organisers and the attendees for doing Woodley proud.
It is important to remember those who gave so much for our country, it made me think about my uncle who as a young sailor served as a stoker in a destroyer, HMS Quadrant, in the Pacific war and was present at the Japanese surrender. My mother who was in the WAAF in London during the Blitz with Bomber Command and my Father who was posted to Burma with the Royal Artillery and met his brother, who had fought his way from India, at a football match in Hong Kong after the war. Neither of them know the other was in the far east, unimaginable today in the world of instant communications.
Most families have these stories passed from generation to generation, some sad, some happy and some miracles of survival. It also sparks conversations, Norman had always said none of his family were in the services because they had protected occupations working on farms. That turned out not to be true, as we found out when his mother gave him his great grandfathers medals marking his service with the Royal Naval Division in Gallipoli and the Somme. We also found out recently, that another great uncle of his, a fighter pilot in the RAF who was captured by the Gestapo whilst escaping, he was one of the lost Airmen of Buchenwald who miraculously survived.
Finally a shout out for the WI who provided tea and cake afterwards - I couldnt resist the home made lemon drizzle which was the best I have ever tasted.