I have my great-granddad's war diary from 1915. Maybe I'll transcribe it and make a thread.
To those who have been sharing personal stories: I have given you each a diamond for that. I always appreciate people sharing their personal family histories.
Unfortunately, we lost my great grandfather's diary with the family farmhouse in the village when we sold it. Nobody thought to go and get it at the time and I found out he was part of the Bulgarian 1st army too late to make inquiries where that was. All I know from my dad is that he made it all the way to Macedonia then had to head back after an injury and he started the farm afterwards.
Alright, have some wholesome 100 year old poetry
https://i.postimg.cc/GhYR9nPx/IMG-20181111-231325965-1.jpg
I suppose by the standards of today it's quite endearing.
Sadly, my families deterrence wasn't known to the Nazis, and years later his son, my grandpa, had to crew B-24 Liberators in WWII. I don't have many stories of what he did in WWII and I don't know the extent of his role in the bombing campaigns. I don't think he had a flying role on the missions but was there for ground support maybe? Like I said, I'm not sure. I recall that he served with Jimmy Stewart or some other actor of the period. He lived far away and I only ever saw him on trips and never had the guts to ask him about it before he passed. Same with my other grandpa who was fortunate enough to not see action in the Pacific (that I'm aware of).
I did know that he absolutely hated B-17's because in the movies they got all the glory when the B-24 did (in his words) most of the work. There was a popular war movie that had B-17's flying a mission he was assigned to (in B-24s) and that pissed him off and got him going if you ever mentioned it. One of those things where you could set him off on a rant if you so much as mentioned B-17s.
I think not asking about the war is one of those things I look back on and wish I had. Veterans are dying out now and soon there won't be any left. I think we have a responsibility to hear as many of their stories we can and hold on to them. Lest we forget.
Yeah, Jimmy Stewart was a bomber pilot in WWII.
Well, it’s sometimes hard since plenty of veterans can be reticent about sharing their experiences. Both of my grandfathers had served and neither of them talked about it to my respective parents, and both passed long before I could ever ask. According to my Dad, when he asked his father about the war, he told him what he did (funnily enough, he was a ball-turret gunner on a B-17), and my Dad then asked if he was any good at his job, to which he replied “We got shot down three times, so I guess not.” Twice they managed to ditch flying over the English Channel, the last time they were captured and he spent the remainder of the war in a work camp. He never said much more than that, according to my Dad.
wew
Far as I can tell, either my great granddad or one of his brothers served in the war, but this was the Kingdom of Dalmatia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so finding details, particularly in English, are not easy, and my grandpa didn't hold on to much of anything when he fled Yugoslavia.
We sharing stuff now?
https://imgur.com/vgYbJqJ
This is Russian currency, left note is marked 1910, right ones are ~1918.
https://i.imgur.com/oWHs3kz.jpg?1
Helmet on the left is an Italian M15 Lippmann helmet. The design is essentially that of the French Adrian, however the Lippmann used no rivets in its construction. Also it's green. Center is my reproduction MkI Helmet, right is my original (I think) Mk.I which has a really odd paintjob.
https://i.imgur.com/HKsnRHc.jpg?1
To continue on the reenacting line of stuff (this is all reproduction) is my 1902 Standard Dress Tunic (with 5 buttons instead of the original 7, 5 was introduced mid-war). On the left of the tunic is a cover for my paybook. To the right is my paybook with a 10 schilling note, and below it is my emergency field dressing. Also present is my "soft" Trench Cap with a cap badge for the Border Regiment. On the right hand side is my "Greyback" undershirt.
https://i.imgur.com/0QKLE6U.jpg?1
Here are my B5 Ammunition Boots on the left, correctly ladder laced (you basically just tie the remaining end of lace around your ankle, while on the right are my SD Trousers, with suspenders.
https://i.imgur.com/oq6yL8Q.jpg?2
Then you get to wrap your puttees around your ankle.
https://i.imgur.com/ldqrZkk.jpg?2
Once all of that is on, you put on your gasmask first. The mask would be in the bag, with the flap side facing the body and unbuttoned to allow it to be quickly taken out and put on. The white line would be tied around your torso so the bag would be nice and snug.
https://i.imgur.com/l5jKmrq.jpg?1
Then you'd put on your webbing. I am in the process of "blancoing" it, or for the uninitiated, putting on the stuff that makes it green. I have most of the web-gear: One belt, two ammo pouches, two cross straps, bayonet (P07, without quillion)+e-tool helve frog, small pack, e-tool carrier, e-tool, and canteen frog+canteen. I am missing a "large pack" or more accurate known as the Valise.
https://imgur.com/oL9yp62
And what's a soldier without all his personal stuff? I'll go left to right on some of this, and note what is original and what isn't. On top of the books are my eyeglasses, period correct frames (reproduction, with prescription lens), underneath is an original "signalling" manual for British Army signallers, the book with an American flag is a New Testament, there is also a London printed New Testmant just above it which I actually use at reeanctments. The red book is an English-French dictonary, and the one to the right is the "Soldier's English-French Conversation Book". It lists common phrases and words a soldier would likely want to know, and lists it in French and then how to pronounce it more-or-less. Pronouncing it by the way it tells you will have you sounding like someone who doesn't know French, which is hilarious to me.
Above that is boot-polish (repro), a Vest Pocket Autographic Kodak camera - this was marketed as "the soldier's camera" during the war, it's easy to conceal. As well, the "Autographic" means that you can actually write on the film using a little flap on the back and the included stylus. That is it's leather case. Behind that is a fork and knife. There is also my enameled mug, emergency ration tin below that, and a "beef tea" tin.
To the right is an American knife in the leather sheath, and a shaving brush. Below that is my straight razor (original to the period) and it sits on top of my "hold-all". The hold all is use to carry personal grooming effects. Such as my comb, shaving cream, soap, toothbrushes, cutlery, and boot-brushes. My dog-tags are ontop, the red and green looking things.
Above that are rifle cleaning cloths, and my mess-tin, separated into its 3 parts. Right below that is a rolled green cloth, my "housewife" (sewing kit). To the right are a pair of homemade wristlets and a balaclava.
I also don't yet have a rain-cape or groundsheet, but I will soon!
https://i.imgur.com/22aj6cz.jpg?1
Top is an original Remington produced M17 Enfield Bayonet for the Americans. It's pretty much the same as the British P07 Bayonet. Below that is an original set of American Signal Flags from the war. On the bottom is the marching song for the 2nd Regiment of the Connecticut National Guard for a "player piano" (one of the pianos that plays itself!).
https://imgur.com/uog2YXx
I have three issues of the London Illustrated News. Two are post-armistice (within two weeks), and another is from early 1915.
https://i.imgur.com/inw7UNU.jpg?1
Finally, this is a "victory liberty loan medal" given out to a boy-scout for selling a lot of Liberty Loans. It is apparently cast from a captured German cannon.
https://i.imgur.com/9g8tbhL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mq7UMcs.jpg
Here is a postcard sent from a Bavarian soldier back to his family. It basically says "all's good here on the front, haven't seen any action yet." I still wonder if this fellow made it home because things surely went to hell in a handbasket soon after this was sent.
It was a WW1 veteran buried near your town wasn't it? It was doing all of the digging into that through newspaper archives, ordnance survey maps etc to track down his relatives in Australia that sparked my interest in my own family tree.
Did you ever get a reply from them?
That's me! I never heard back from the church, and I've gotten sidetracked and never reached out to the firm that his granddaughter potentially works at. Life has gotten super busy and it kind of got lost in the shuffle.
And I'm glad to hear that it had a positive impact on you
Wish I had some great story about my family's involvement with WWI. Great-grandpa served, caught some gas, and died pretty young. I do have a couple of old Noble's medals, but not sure what they're for. Rex, maybe you know?
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1794/e4bd2e79-87e5-4219-b21d-d80e05766bb3/Two.jpg
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/1794/ad3b187d-06da-446a-a4a7-c63d788b8ab7/ONe.jpg
Glad they dropped the second e in Sweeden after the war.
Heyy, I have a rifle that that goes to:
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/032d34bb-abe3-4a47-952b-74bb3647e8e3/d32vqyr-0f2e24e9-ab2e-4311-8620-1e33421d84f0.jpg
It's a Berthier Mle 1916, manufactured in 1917 and refurbished after the war. Really interesting firearm, I can't imagine how ridiculously long it must be with a bayonet like that on the end, the thing's already longer than a Mosin Nagant M91/30.
I also have a French Lebel M1895 revolver, made in 1922 but still the same revolver they used in WW1, a German Dreyse M1907 pistol used by officers in the German army, a mismatched WW1-era DWM Luger, an Austro-Hungarian M95 Steyr Mannlicher that was cut down into a carbine after the war, and an Australian Lee-Enfield No I Mk III*. I also have a bunch of WW1 era French 8mm Lebel ammunition on 5 round Berthier clips and like four or five loaded Hotchkiss 25rd clips.
As far as non-firearm stuff goes, I have an unidentified M15 Adrian helmet, it's definitely not French as there's no way to attach an insignia, I've heard it may be Italian or Belgian but I'm not entirely sure. I also have a German GM-17 that was taken as a war trophy that still has the original canister and someone's name and a date carved into the filter with a knife, and a royally fucked up American helmet.
Don't have any pics of all of them handy, might be able to get some later, though if I feel like it. I'd like to get back into collecting WW1 era militaria, I've always been very interested in that period in history. My great grandfather was wounded during the war by a mustard gas shell, he survived the war but unfortunately his lungs never fully recovered from the attack and he spent the rest of his life suffering from breathing problems.
You also got the sheath for it?
Nah, I almost bought what I believe to be a later pattern bayonet for it, but it didn't have a sheath either. I may have misspoke, though, looks like that's a bayonet for a Lebel, not a Berthier, I'm not sure if they were interchangeable or not. If you ever do find a sheath for sale, though, here's what they look like: French Model 1886/93/16 Brass Handle Epee Lebel Bayonet Without ..
I know I also need a new spring for the lever part or what ever it's called because the spring it broken
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/113321/0c68df98-7682-47e4-8866-5b5dca853075/JPEG_20180724_013940.jpg
It was so gross under it
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/113321/c206ab15-9396-45f0-87ff-28a075bba329/JPEG_20180724_014122.jpg
The spring was caked in this stuff
Lefthand medal is the "British War Medal", which was awarded in the Army for those who served 28 days mobilized service between August 5th 1914 and November 11th 1918 (requirements are a bit different for each branch) or if you were killed in service. I'm assuming he was an enlisted rank, so it should on the bottom edge give his name, rank, service number, and unit.
Righthand medal is the UK's "Victory Medal". To be awarded it, you needed to have served in an active theatre of war between August 5th, 1914 and November 11th, 1918. Pretty much awarded for the same reason, only difference is that every allied nation agreed to design a "victory medal" and they were usually awarded in tandem with other medals. It should also have his name, rank, service number, and unit on the edge. Units aren't going to be there if he was an officer.
Okay cool, thanks a lot! Nice to finally know
My Great-Great-Granfather served stateside and I have 2 GGG-Uncles who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces on my mom's side of the family
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