Born in 1962 and as far back I can remember I have always taken an interest in WWII (both theatres) and WWI to some extent. My dad was to young to serve in the forces in WWII, however, two of his older brothers served in the Royal Navy. The eldest served from 1939 onwards in destroyers escorting the Atlantic convoys and the second eldest served from late 1944 in the Pacific in submarines in HMS Tiptoe. Sadly both are not with us now so I can't ask them about their experiences and didn't ask to much when I was younger because my dad said they very rarely discussed the war. Two things that stick in my mind today are something my uncle who served on submarines said. Soon after he joined the navy, they were looking for new recruits for submarines. Anyway, in a line up an officer asked for volunteers to step forward, when no one stepped forward the officer went along the line and picked people out, my uncle was one of them! So much for the RN saying that all submariners were volunteers! Also, during an American attack on one of the islands in the Pacific he witnessed through the periscope the bravery of the American soldiers who were leading the attack on the beaches. After seeing this he refused to say or hear anything bad about an American again.
Nemo
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"I'm afraid there is no disguising the fact that King's obsession with the Pacific and the Battle of Washington cost us dear in the Battle of the Atlantic".
Sir John Slessor GCB, DSO, MC, DL
AOC-in-C Coastal Command RAF
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