John Alexander Gardner . British Army Recce Corps from Accrington I have a few remarkable events in a young man's war career, like so many others, not divulged till the end. My aim in contacting you is to talk to any other vets of the recce corp as its history was short and confused.
My father was one of the lucky few in front of the Highland div, mainly Black Watch.
Is there anyone who can help in my research? John Gardner(Son)
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Pte. John Walter Gardner . British Army 9th Btn. Cameronians from Northampton John Gardner (my dad) was very proud to have served with the Cameronians in Normandy.
He spoke very little of the fighting other than the awful waste of life on both sides. I know he took part in the fighting at Hill 112 where he encountered fanatical members of the Hitler Youth, who had tied themselves into trees so they were very difficult to remove.
He mentioned the huge allied artillery barrage and the massive air raid, the biggest in history I believe, that took place before one advance in which he took part.
Although he was very young at the time he never forgot the awful sights that he saw or the smell of death. He was haunted by bad dreams, terrible memories and the sad loss of friends and comrades all his life.
On the lighter side he remembered an RSM, I don't know his name, who was reputedly the tallest soldier in the British Army.
He talked of training exercises that went wrong, night time guard duties where rabbits were scary and and having to whitewash coal for some reason!
He had huge respect for General O'Connor who he thought would have commanded the army in Normandy in Montgomery's place, had he not been captured.
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Trpr. John Alexander "Blondie" Gardner . British Army 2nd Btn. Derbyshire Yeomanry from Gateshead My father, John Gardner, like most, did not talk about the war. I know these facts:
He joined 2nd Btn. Derbyshire Yeomanry, and was then put into Recconaissance Corp in front of 51st Highland Division, he said mainly the Black Watch. He landed D Day, and went on to Pegasus bridge, Calne, Falaise Gap, Nijmegen and finished in Bremen(?). I have been unable to find anyone who can give any details. I know from a vet he was known as Blondie, aged 18 at D day. He was a motorcyclist and the vet was surprised to hear he made it through the war, as most bikers were killed.
After the war he joined 14/20th Kings Hussars and remained for many years.
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Pte. Joseph "Smokey Joe" Gardner . British Army Royal Army Medical Corps from Kidderminster I am trying to find out more information about my grandfather, Joseph (Smokey Joe) Gardner during the war. He served in the RAMC and was taken Prisoner of War at Doullens in 1943 and held at Stalag XXA. On 17th October 1943 he joined a Repratraion party and was repatriated from Goteborg, Sweden in 1943. From what I understand he went back to Germany after the war ended as a member of working party to assist in the re-building of Germany. He is no longer alive and did not talk about what happened to him during the time that he was a Prisoner of War. All I can say is that he was very keen on football and I feel sure that he would have played a huge part in any matches that were held within the camp.
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Lt. Kenneth Cameron Gardner . Cameron Highlanders 1st Btn. (d.1 Aug 1943) My husband was only aged 5 when his Dad, Lt. Gardner was killed in Sicily He would like to hear from anyone who served with him. Could anyone who possibly heard their relative mention this soldier get in touch with me through e-mail, My husband would be very thankful for any info.
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S/Sgt. Mannon Junior Gardner . United States Army Coy. D 331st Infantry Regiment (d.16th Aug 1944) My brother, Staff Sgt Mannon Junior Gardner, served with the 331st Infantry, 83rd Division, Company D. He died in Normandy on 18th of August 1944.
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Marion Gardner . Land Army I joined the Womens Land Army in May 1940 and in January 1944 I was sent to work on an 18 acre small holding at Ewell.
In the early summer, as it was so hot, we decided to start work at 5.30am so that we could cut the cabbages from the fields, weigh them and bag them ready for market before the sun was too hot to spoil them.
We used to count the RAF planes going over in formation wo Europe, when they returned we counted them again, to see how many were missing.
On a glorious June morning, with blue skies and sunshine, wave after wave of planes went over. We counted them as usual and guessed that something important was happening.
Hours later we heard them returning, some planes were "limping" home with damaged engines and some were missing. We thought of the lost brave men.
Were they killed or injured or prisoners and we stood in silence with our thoughts.
It was June 6th 1944 and we learned that it was D-Day - the invasion of Europe.
Soon after the flying bombs started they were nicknamed "Doodlebugs" (an American flying beetle).
They were terrifying and we would hear the roar of the engine and see flames coming from the back of the plane as it came over us, then silence as the engine stopped and down it came and exploded.
We were issued with tin hats and instructions to this lying down!!! which was all we could do having no sort of shelter in open fields.
The flying bombs came over from June till September night and day. Then the V2 rockets started. There was no warning sign, only a dreadful explosion as the rocket propelled bomb hit the ground.
During this time we were harvesting a neighbours wheat, the machine cut and tied the bundles of corn. My friend and I "stooked" it was standing four sheaves together to be threshed next day, removing the corn from the stalks.
We had lovely straight rows of stooks down the field, until a doodlebug came over. Then we fell down flat and got up a bit shaky so the line wavered. At that time we had "double summer time" so it was light enough to work till 11pm while getting the harvest in.
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Mervin Lyon Gardner . British Army Mervin Gardner was my great uncle, he was captured in Africa. Looking for more info.
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Capt. Philip John Gardner VC, MC.. British Army 4th Btn. Royal Tank Regiment
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Ronald Gardner . Fleet Air Arm HMS Daedalus from Thompson Street, Wesham, Kirkham, Lancashire Ronald Gardner was an air frame fitter with the Fleet Air Arm and served in HMS Daedalus.
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Sgt. Sidney Alfred Gardner . Royal Air Force 1 OTU from Romford, Essex (d.21st Sep 1942) Sidney Gardner was my late cousin.
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T Gardner . British Army Loyal North Lancashire Regiment T Gardner served with the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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William Gardner . British Army Royal Corps of Signals from Sheffield Bill Gardner was a driver/electrician in the Royal Corps of Signals. My father died recently and it was then I found some letters from friends he made in Holland in a village called Berg in Terbylt, round 1944/45. I have finally traced the family and friends my father met in Holland.
I know very little of my father's time in the army. He was not willing to talk a lot about this time, and has not left many articles from his army days. He lived in Sheffield and was born in the Gateshead or Durham area. He was married with three children. I would be very grateful if someone knew my father or has any information.
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Jack Gardo . United States Navy from Greenville, South Carolina. Jack Gardo joined the Navy at the age of 16 after he forged his father's signature. He was the last surviving member of the crew that rescued John F. Kennedy from an island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
Jack Gardo's PT-157 was sent to rescue the survivors of PT-109 after the patrol torpedo boat was rammed in the middle of the night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands on the 2nd August 1943. Two crew members were killed; Kennedy, who had assumed command of the boat in April of that year, led the survivors to nearby islands until they could be rescued. Jack had said that he and his crew learned where the survivors were after a native islander arrived with a coconut on which Kennedy had scrawled their location.
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A Gare . British Army A Gare served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Frank Garfield . British Army South Staffordshire Rgt. Frank Garfield was in the South Staffs Regiment. He was involved in operation Market Garden, where he lost a leg.
Any photos or information would be appreciated.
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L Garfield . British Army Royal Armoured Corps L Garfield served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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RC Garfield . British Army RC Garfield served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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GW Gargett . British Army Royal Armoured Corps GW Gargett served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Act.Cpl. RPM Gargham . British Army 12th Lancers Act.Cpl.RPM Gargham served with the 12th Lancers British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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CPO. Alfred James Garland . Royal Navy HMS Indomitable from Bridport, Dorset Dad, Alfred Garland served on HMS Indomitable during the Pedestal Convoy. He went to Norfolk Navy yard in the USA for repairs. I have his Norfolk Navy Yard pass. He was on HMS Llandudno sweeping into the Normandy beaches on 6th of June 1944. He was in charge of the winch and drank a bottle of rum.
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D Garland . British Army D Garland served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Sgt. D. H.A. Garland . Royal Canadian Air Force 419 Sqd.
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Donald Edward Garland VC.. Royal Air Force 12 Squadron from Ireland (d.12th May 1940)
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Earl Robert "Judy" Garland . Royal Canadian Airforce 514 Sqd. Earl Garland "Judy" was a member of "Red" Campbell's crew in 514 Squadron at Waterbeach, flying Lancaster A2-C which was shot down on the night of the 28th - 29th of July 1944, near my small village. The Germans took him here, in my village but after I don't know what happened. Another crew member, Bob Giffin was killed and is buried in the cemetery of Saint Cloud en Dunois, near my house. Other members of the crew evaded by Freteval camp. I am looking for information, can you tell me where was prisonner Earl Garland?
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Greaser John Garland . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar (d.2nd Dec 1940)
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Cpl. Leslie George Garland . British Army 10th Corps, 8th Army Leslie Garland served with 10th Corps, 8th Army.
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Able Sea. Maurice Edgar Garland . Royal Navy HMS Aurora from Long Street, Croscombe, Wells, Somerset We have recently been researching the family tree and my mother has been talking about the time my father added on a year to his age so that he was able to join the Navy. It must have been when the Aurora was serving in the Med as apparently my father and his fellow sailors spent some of their leave in Italy attending the opera amongst other things!! We knew that my father had been involved in the (what we thought was the sinking)hit on the boat and he and several other seamen were picked up by the boat belonging to the King of Saudi. They were all given medals, money or something by the then King of Saudi. My father often mentioned that he could not get the terrible screams of the men trapped in the boiler/engine room out of his head. For many years, my grandparents had a huge picture of HMS Aurora on their sitting room wall but I do not know what happened to it. My father sadly died 18 years ago but if there is anyone out there that still remembers what happended I would love to hear their stories.
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Ranford Willard Garland . Royal Canadian Air Force RAF Long Marston from Vancouver Does anyone remember Ranford Willard Garland, a Canadian navigator from Vancouver? I understand he served at RAF Long Marston during 1944-45.
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Fl/Sgt. Victor Alan Garland . Royal Air Force 429 Bison Squadron from Crayford, Kent Victor Garland joined up in 1943 to Royal Air Force, trained in St Athans, Wales then transferred to a Canadian squadron, 429 Bison Squadron stationed in Leeming, Yorkshire.
The other Crew members were all Canadian: -
Pilot Officer Doug Williams,
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Wireless operator, Don Schurman,
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Navigator, Wesley Milne,
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Bomb, Aimer Jack Horner.
He initially flew Halifaxes as Flight Engineer, then went through the Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton or Honeybourne and was then flying Lancasters. After VE day the Canadians left and Victor was involved in bomb dispersal in the North Sea and repatriation of Prisoners of War from Belgium. He met and married Emilia Occardi, a Waaf who served on station alongside her twin Marie. He died in 2006.
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