Lee Enfield at War

[Peter Laidler]

Our 7x50's were No5 binos. The little No2's were 6x 30

[Vincent]

Attachment 61204Attachment 61205

Thanks, Peter. Here's a picture of him at the church parade in Hanover. Second man saluting as they march past the CO and Padre.

[Peter Laidler]

Very smart. Date? I put it with those battledress tops as late 40's early 50's (and stick my neck out at pre-52!)

[Vincent]

You have a good eye, Peter. 1945

[gsimmons]

Most of them look like they are wearing 1940 Pattern or tailored(open collar) P40 BDs.

[Peter Laidler]

I bet that that church (?) they're marching past is still there. Looks like a Roll of Honour plaque on the wall just to the R of the Provost Cpl. The Padre was not officially 'ranked' as in holding a rank as such but they were Commissioned and given a Rank.........! I never understood it either, especially being one of the mainly non attenders. I just addressed them as Padre.

I bet wearing a kilt was was bloody cold in them N German winters.

[Richard Hare]

Peter,

As long as the kilts heavy weight wool, it's no so bad when cold. Worn one here at -25C or so, and still intact......

I'll dig some photos out of Canadian lads, WW 2, (found them at the dump years ago.)

Richard.

[Peter Laidler]

I was dumping a load of old junk at our local dump many years ago and met the lady who owned the local newspaper shop there doi ng the same after clearing out her late fathers house. She had a shoe box full of old wartime photos from her dads house that she couldn't identify. I took them and said that I'd try and see what I could identify. Most were clearly of his pals and RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) soldiers in the advance up Italy, on the roads with trucks and tank transporters etc etc. Just amazing......... 50% of the transport was CMP type1 ton trucks and US heavy stuff. The rest, the usual Bedfords, Austins etc etc

Took them back to the shop several weeks later with an exercise book full of comments about the pictures but she didn't want them and noone else in the family was really interested. So just sent the lot plus exercise book full of comments/captions to the RASC Museum at Deepcut together with his number, rank and name. What else do you do?

[Paul S.]

We had a family friend who had been an RAAF officer WAG with Coastal Command during WWII. The stress of constant long over-water, U-boat hunting flights and the risk of a cold and lonely death somewhere in the North Atlantic that went with it apparently took a toll on him. Not long after the war and demobilization, he was hospitalized and remained so until he died. The war had effectively, although not literally, cost him his life.

The short of it was that he was basically abandoned by his family (very high profile in NSW country and Sydney upper society back then), and only our family ever visited him at Concord Repat. Over the years, we ended up care-taking him and the few keepsakes from his war years - his aircrew logbook, a few photos, etc. and would take him on overnight pass for the march on ANZAC Day. Gordon died about 20 years ago and I still have and safeguard those few belongings since his remaining relations don't want them.

The problem is here what happens to Gordon's keepsakes (and the memory of him and his sacrifice) when I go? You can bet that my sons will sift through 'the treasure trove' of my 'stuff' and keep only what has some emotional or fiscal value to them personally. And the rest? Gordon's things?

[Richard Hare]

Very pertinent question, Paul.

At the same dump, ( and I don't live there!) there was the belongings of an old lady, a nurse.
All her photos of when she graduated in 1930's, her nursing degrees and photos of the hospital in India. Big photos and a special display frames for them. Then her -to-be or husband in uniform, and these were the ones I mentioned. Young keen lads just joined up, this chap and his mates. Then a ship, "The (something) of France" forget what it said exactly.
Obviously a troop ship. then same lads cleaning equipment in gardens in France.

Other things too, Great War poppy brooches when they were made of enammeled metal, a gold sweetheart pin. (9 carat) bracelts near worn out from India. (I repaired one for my daughter, Bidri work) watch chains, her watch. (still worked) the lot. They'd taken all the drawers out of her dressing table and chucked everything.
I thought at the time, "Somebody has just chucked this lady's whole life away" Damned sad.

Richard.