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imported_Fluffy_Bunny · 04-04-2003, 10:57 PM

I have about 250 years family service dedicated to the Royal Navy.

My great, great grandfather died when he was blown off the rigging of a ship, back when they still used sails.
My great grandfather was blown up on HMS India in ww1 around Norway.
He left his wife and two sons, but my great grandmother couldn't afford to keep my grandfather and his little brother so my grandfather went off to navy school at the age of 8.
My grandfather spent about 40 years or so in the navy, he was in the war from the start to the finish. He was on the V&W class long range escort destroyers in the North Atlantic convoys and the Arctic/Russian convoys. Sometimes the ships had no air cover and the Germans would come along and strafe the entire ship. He said he would crawl around the bulwark or whatever it was to try and avoid being hit. As the plane was turning he would crawl around it so it wouldn't spot him.
The Arctic convoys were so cold at times that the guys had to chip the ice off because all the spray would immediately freeze to the superstructure and the ship was in danger of overturning.
He was sunk 3 times, at one time he got sunk on one ship and when he was rescued he was sunk again oOo: . He spent 21 days adrift in what could basically be described as a rowing boat, he survived by eating flying fish. He was also captured by the Spanish but managed to escape/evade them by living rough in the hills and he eventually made his way to Gibralter.
When his brother walked into a pub after the war had ended someone had to point out that it was my grandpa sitting on the other side of the room, the war had f*d him up so bad his brother didn't even recognise him.

I wish I could have met him.

	(#46)
imported_Fluffy_Bunny is Offline Senior Member Posts: 3,564 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Reading 'Country Life' magazine in a crack wh0res brothel in Soho, London	04-04-2003, 10:57 PM I have about 250 years family service dedicated to the Royal Navy. My great, great grandfather died when he was blown off the rigging of a ship, back when they still used sails. My great grandfather was blown up on HMS India in ww1 around Norway. He left his wife and two sons, but my great grandmother couldn't afford to keep my grandfather and his little brother so my grandfather went off to navy school at the age of 8. My grandfather spent about 40 years or so in the navy, he was in the war from the start to the finish. He was on the V&W class long range escort destroyers in the North Atlantic convoys and the Arctic/Russian convoys. Sometimes the ships had no air cover and the Germans would come along and strafe the entire ship. He said he would crawl around the bulwark or whatever it was to try and avoid being hit. As the plane was turning he would crawl around it so it wouldn't spot him. The Arctic convoys were so cold at times that the guys had to chip the ice off because all the spray would immediately freeze to the superstructure and the ship was in danger of overturning. He was sunk 3 times, at one time he got sunk on one ship and when he was rescued he was sunk again oOo: . He spent 21 days adrift in what could basically be described as a rowing boat, he survived by eating flying fish. He was also captured by the Spanish but managed to escape/evade them by living rough in the hills and he eventually made his way to Gibralter. When his brother walked into a pub after the war had ended someone had to point out that it was my grandpa sitting on the other side of the room, the war had f*d him up so bad his brother didn't even recognise him. I wish I could have met him.