Photos Photos of Your Relatives Who Fought in Historic Battles

[DENO]

The title speaks for itself. Please write the war stories of your relatives with the photos too.

...

My great grandfather (Hasan) who had fought as an Ottoman soldier in the South Arabia Campaign during the Great War. Taken captive by British and sent to a POW camp in Yemen. After the end of the war in 1918 they released him with the other Turkish prisoner of wars. However they had to pass all the way from Yement to Turkey for 8 months mostly on foot. After his reunion with the family he was never left his village again where he passed away in peace at the age of 97.

The route of his group followed from the Camp Sana Yemen to his village in Ankara-Turkey which was approximately 3,000 km long.

 

[Jake84]

I posted this one already in the Medias part of the forum but why not post it in this good idea of a thread...

Oscar R. was my great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was drafted in Chartres, in 1910 and naturally got involved during the Great War:



For little infos we have about him, he was serving as a medic sergeant at Verdun and got wounded on the leg in 1916.

He was awarded the Médaille Militaire in 1921 and the Légion d’Honneur in 1960 by a decree, one year before passing peacefully.

Thanks for a good thread, OP.

 

[BravoZulu]

Sgt P Knight 2nd Back Row, 3rd From Right, Royal Field Artillery, France WW1
My maternal grandfather, wounded in action at Suvla Bay 1915, recuperated and then served on the Western Front until the end. This photo date is unknown but believed to be 1917.

My maternal grandfather with my mother (l) and my grandmother Rose (r) late 1940's

**I have wonderful memories of this gentle man such as sitting me on his knee letting me steer his big Humber sedan while he worked the pedals....I was about 6 years old when he passed away**

 

[Bombardier]

Great thread mate
I will post some info and pics if my Great uncle John Heaton who was killed in the Great War, France in 1917 serving with the Manchester Regiment
At work at the moment so will get on it later

 

[Gaz]

I don't have pictures but my father has a postcard sent home by my great-grandfather to my grandfather (would have been a baby or infant then) from the Somme.
My understanding is that my great-grandfather's job was looking after the horses that pulled the horse-drawn artillery.

And yes, great idea for a thread.

 

[Bombardier]

Cemetery: Cambrin Military Cemetery
Country: France
Area: Pas De Calais
Rank: Private
Official Number: 202533
Unit: 2nd/5th Bn. Manchester Regiment.
Force: Army
Nationality: British
Details:
14th April 1917. Age 19. Son of John and Jane Heaton of 22 Hothersall Lower Broughton Salford Lancs. J. 7.

On the 12th, the Battalion had relieved 2/6th Manchesters in the trenches in the Cambrin Left sector. The war diary notes The trenches are in a very bad condition being in many places knee deep in liquid mud.

The diary entry for the 13th reads Enemy artillery generally more active than at any previous time since we came into the trenches and shells were dropped into both RAILWAY and LEWIS ALLEYS. In the former trench, 5 men working under RE were killed , 4 outright, one dying a few hours later ( 1.RE, 3. 2/5 men, 1. 2/7 man).

Aeroplanes were very active especially towards evening when 23 of our planes were counted up at the same time.

Casualties 3 OR (2 killed, 1 wounded later died)

Weather: Bright fine day. Observation excellent. Wind SW

Here is a trench map showing the British lines at Cambrin referred to in the diary entry above.
The diary refers to both Lewis Alley and Railway Alley and it would seem John was killed in the Railway Alley

If anybody wants to search the trench maps go here
http://library.mcmaster.ca/maps/ww1/ndx5to40.htm

Here is the actual map I took the above snapshot from
http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo:4081/-/collection

Found this entry on UK Army Register of soldiers effects 1901-1921
Looks like he had £2 8 Shillings and sixpence to his name

Casualty card

 

[berkut76]

This is the only WWII time photo of my grandfather, Grigoriy Petrovich Dubenko it was taken in January 1943 after the disastrous Operation Mars, also known as the Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation. My grandfather was the sole survivor of the penal company of 120 men. Not even two months prior to these events he was a decorated VVS Officer and a star student at Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy just to be falsely accused of theft and insubordination and being sentenced to 10 years of hard labor. After 10 days in GULAG his sentence was "substituted" by assignment to the penal company. Until the end of hostilities he would not get a single order or medal (even commemorative ones).

 

[NebrHogger]

No photo due to the time - American Revolution - but an ancestor with my very name served in the 5th Dragoons of the Continental Army. These cavalrymen furnished their own horses and equipment. When he applied for his pension in 1826, he had somebody who was literate state he fought in all the big battles from Cowpens to Siege of York. He indeed received his pension in arrears to the tune of $26 and change which was big money at the time. He also got his 100 acres of bounty land in Virginia the Continental Congress set aside for all veterans who remained in the ranks for the entire war. To say I'm proud is a considerable understatement.

Further research at the National Archives branch office in Denver showed one of my wife's ancestors was a "Marine Soldier" in the Continental Navy. Their main job was to get up in the rigging and shoot at officers during naval battles. His ship was captured by a 90 gun ship of the line - HMS Dolphin, and he sat the rest of the war out in a prison camp in Bermuda.

Another relative - my great uncle - didn't survive the Spanish-American war. I looked for his pic this afternoon but couldn't find it. I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[TIGREDELAIRE]

My great-grandfather, Captain Roberto Domínguez, hero of the Güepí Combat, during the War with Peru in 1932-1934; I grew up with the stories of his heroism, growing up I had the opportunity to obtain his military service sheet and verify the reality of his actions.

 

[Mokordo]

I have no pictures, but my paternal grand father, served as a sargeant in the Spanish civil war, and ended as a lieutnant, in the republican side. His second wife, not my biological grand mother, still lives, and must have photos of these times.

My maternal grand father participated in the Rif war as a soldier, but in 1925, when the war was less hard. During the civil war he was too old, he was married and had already 3 children so he was not conscripted. He lived in francoist territory, in the south of Basque Country, and his family was traditionally carlist.

 

[Mokordo]

Well. When I said I have no photos, I meant, I have no photos with military uniform during their service. obviously I have photos of my grand parents.

My paternal grand parents, after the civil war, around 1945 (born in 1914 both):

My maternal grand parents, in the 50´s(born in 1904 and 1903):

The social stratum is clear, curiously the better positioned socially had leftish political orientation and most humble, were right-wing.

 

[BOB.T]

Hi guys good evening as the title says... I have a story for you. The individual is my grandad who was in 12 HAC RHA during the 2WW.
After doing his training he found himself being ship out to Africa to land in Algiers on the west coast.
With the American army they made there way to Tunis to take on Rommel and his Africa Corps.
You will all have heard of the Battle of Thala at the Kasserine pass.
This story is of one of his Actions during that time with the 25pdr gun that they had then in Africa before he move on to Italy with the M7 priest.
In the pictures below is that story.

And his Regimental history can be found in this book

At this point I have to point out that his unit and others with him was later to have thought to have changed the course of the war as Rommel lost this battle and ended up being forced out of Africa.

Thank you for interest