A WW2 British Tommy

I thought that people may like to see this image of sergeant Wally Fairhead taken somewhere in England in 1940 and who was a friend of the family. He had been in France as part of the BEF but was evacuated out of France via Dunkirk in May/June 1940. He served throughout WW2 and returned to France on D-Day. I still have his mess tins which were shown elsewhere on this forum until we lost the pics as well as a small collection of Nazi insignia that he helped to liberate from a German supply depot some time after D-Day.

It is believed that he passed away, relatively young, at some point in the 1950's and was never married.

Looks like he is enjoying an American Coca Cola drink besides, don't think we had had the Soda invasion until post WW2!!:)

Agree with Gil, no way was that photo taken in 1940.....that bottle of Coke would have come from a septic, so photo not taken before spring/summer 1942 at the earliest.

If your teeth weren't "septic" already, that rot-gut would take care of them! Can still recall the school science fair projects where the sons of dentists would demonstrate the ability of stuff to rapidly dissolve teeth supplied from their father's practices. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Surpmil

If your teeth weren't "septic" already, that rot-gut would take care of them! Can still recall the school science fair projects where the sons of dentists would demonstrate the ability of stuff to rapidly dissolve teeth supplied from their father's practices. :eek:

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:thup: We didn't have any spare teeth lying around when I was at school, but leaving a dirty old penny in a cup of it overnight highlighted its, err, properties well enough :ugh:

I can only go on the caption on the back of the photo which states 1940. As I understand it he served for the full duration of the war but left the army soon after the end of WW2. His mess tins that I have are dated 1939.

During the war, USAF navigator Harry Crosby was assigned to take part in an international, inter-service study group at Oxford studying inter-service relations. He said the Australians kept going on about the American's "khaki color." On and on, "khaki color." He eventually figured out that they were taking about Coca-Cola and the accent was obscuring that.

Bob

Oh well we stand corrected. This Coca Cola link tells all............................ it arrived in the 20's here in the UK, so the shot is likely 1940 as stated:

https://www.coca-cola.co.uk/our-busi...rive-in-the-uk

Aussies will put a twist on any lingo or dialect Bob you chaps here have dealt with us antipodeans before no doubt in your military service and have probably learnt to keep things bolted down or locked away when our fellows are near lest they get liberated on long term consignment.:madsmile:

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Originally Posted by Gil Boyd

Oh well we stand corrected. This Coca Cola link tells all............................ it arrived in the 20's here in the UK, so the shot is likely 1940 as stated:

https://www.coca-cola.co.uk/our-busi...rive-in-the-uk

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I'm still not convinced, as they wouldn't have been making it in UK in 1940 because of rationing which started beginning of January 1940, and included sugar, so no way would they have be able to continue to make and sell CC after that date.

He's wearing 3 stripes as well, so he must have been in for a good few years prior to start of hostilities?
My godfather joined the RA in 1937, went to France in '39 with the BEF, got evacuated at Dunkirk, and got his 3rd stripe while out in the western desert in '41/42.

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Aussies will put a twist on any lingo

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A good one that I heard was the "Australian for" angle grinder = "sparky wheel".

The photo and information came from the soldier himself but time does play tricks with memory and he had just fought a war. He probably had more important things to think about than trying to remember when exactly he drank a bottle of pop.

I did wonder if the beverage in question was in fact not Coca Cola but perhaps something else that has largely been forgotten in the UK, Dandelion & Burdock or maybe Ginger-beer.