Wassup With Your Avatar?

[Tony'schin]

That's an amazing military life your Grandfather experienced. I can't imagine the brutality that he witnessed.
I'm betting there are some pretty good non-military stories as well. Shame you did not get to meet him, but his genes live on in you. I was fixing to ask you about your avatar before starting this thread. It looked military heraldry, so I was wondering if you had served. My interest piqued further when you had a military looking whistle as your SotD photo. Is that his trench whistle?

My Grandfather served in WWII as a First Sergeant. I didn't hear any stories from him, but he was proud I was serving. After he passed, my Grandmother became secretary of the social group of still living Soldiers from his division. She used to share with me some of the stories from letters she received from those that served with him. I'll never forget one, where the gentlemen was saying they had gone a long time without resupply and when a box of razors showed up, "The good First Sergeant made sure every man got a razor and used it!" Kind of an appropriate story for this forum!

Yes Bryan, It seems he was a real character, Born 1875, married 3 times, he had about 9 - 10 children, widower twice, my grandmother out lived him. He had my father when he was 57 and his last child at 66.
He was a lot older than my grandmother about 30 years, on his wedding certificate his birthday is wrong  and he took 10 years of the top.
During WW2 he went down to volunteer again, however, he was sussed out and told he was too old, apparently he was furious and ended up as a volunteer fireman / ARP  during bombing raids. The Lufftewaffe's bombs hit three different homes of his over the war years and all were really lucky to escape, one particular bomb landed really close and flattened the house they were dug out by neighbours, he said they "bore a grudge against him for the 1st one" My old man said he was as fit as a fiddle well into his 70's.

We traced his footsteps over a few years visiting the places he fought following the war diaries, very humbling and something i was really proud to do , my Father had always wanted to get there and we did it. The Belgian people were brilliant and when Pops told the stories that his father had told him you could have heard a pin drop. 

I did not serve and it is my biggest life's regret, Most of my friends did. There was not a lot of work when i left school, however, i was lucky to be offered a couple of apprenticeships and was the envy of a lot of my mates, they joined up to get either life experiences or trades.
This Whistle was made by the original makers to the old drawings, for the 100Yr anniversary. A few people had whistles of different sorts, then at 6am on 11/11/18 armistice day we went outside our houses and blew whistles, it was bloody eerie.

Thank you for yours and your families Service.
T