An ancestor of mine killed in France in 1917. http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/index.aspx A great website to use to search for military records.
Thanks mate - have tried before to check my Grandfather's war record but all that is listed is that he served - nothing about where. In his later years when he had dementia he would talk about having to rescue the nurses. We know he was in Papua New Guinea. Lest we forget I am proud that we celebrate a great defeat and not a victory because it reminds us not of the glory but of the sacrifice of war
A lot of WW2 records haven't been unlocked yet. Looked up one of my grandfather's for WW2 but it's still locked. Can pay to unlock some of them but who knows what you'll get. Could be boring!
Near as I have been able to tell he was not regular army but engineering corps I think. Would have loved to know more but he never spoke of his time in Papua - know he was on one of the islands though.
I wish they'd digitize them all, I'll do it if they want to pay me LOL. I can see both my grandfathers are in there but not much to see yet.
I know my maternal grandfather's war record by word of mouth from my mother. He was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1940. He made Sergeant and was captured by the British in Norway in 1942. He was sent to a POW camp somewhere in the Midlands in England. He was a five star hotel chef by profession and because of this, put to work cooking for the officer's mess. For him the war was over and was doing what he loved. At the conclusion of the war, the British officers gave him a lead crystal ashtray which my mother still has. Interesting character my grandfather.
Sounds pretty lucky too. I suppose he might have spent the war as part of the occupation forces in Norway, but he could just as easily ended up somewhere VERY unpleasant with pretty ordinary prospects.
Sounds like Norway was a nice break. I wasn't aware the British were very active in Norway in 1942. What happened?
I'd ask my mother but she's in care due to dementia. Either she or I have our dates mixed. I know Germany occupied Norway until 1945. The Allies came to Norway's aid in 1941 (I think).
Sorry to hear about your mum. Similar thing happened to my Nana. British & French forces were in Norway in 1940 - before the invasion of France. They had mixed success, but bolted when France was invaded. I'm not aware of any British forces in Norway after that beyond Commandos on raids. There were some Norwegian forces there with British support in late 1944 & 1945 right up near the border with Russia. I suppose he could have been captured by them, but I wouldn't have thought it wildly likely. In short, it looks unlikely that he served with Rommel and was captured in Norway. he might have served in Norway and then been captured while serving under Rommel. The time lines certainly work better for him being captured in 1942. Family stories often get a bit garbled in the telling, especially war stories. If you want a great examination of this phenomenon (and a fine read), I can recommend The Fiftieth Gate by Melbourne historian Mark Raphael Baker.
Thanks bigfella.. My cousin and I are in the process of translating our maternal grandmother's diaries. She passed away in 1986. Basically it's her account of the Hitler years and life in general in Hamburg during WWII. We are having difficulties because a lot of the diaries are written in Hamburger Platt, the local dialect. Some is in Hoch Deutsch. My father, in his 80s and still as sharp as a pin and the only person we know who understands Hamburger Platt. Hamburger Platt was banned by the Nazis by the way. I need to go back over my notes (or my grandmother's notes anyway) but I'm pretty sure my grandfather was captured in Norway. Norway is a certainty but the year may be sketchy. I remember my mother talking about a parka made by Laplanders my grandfather gave her. Family history can be fascinating. This makes sense.
In 1940 the Royal Navy gave the Kriegsmarine such a hiding during the Battle of Norway that the KM was too scared to play for basically the rest of the war.
