Exciting life stories...
Discussion
My Grandmother had an interesting life. She was an amzing woman.
without going into too much deatil early life something like this
taken from her village, Younger children were executed in front of her , adults hanged from trees.
She was held by these solders for a while before being shipped to germany where she was forced to work in a munitions factory.
At some point she had an argument with a guard who was beating another child worker. She was taken away to the grounds of a hospital where she was stabbed in the chest with a bayonet to replicate a battle field injury so Nazi surgeons could experiment new tequniques.
despite having to live with horendous injuries and dissabilities and year and years of operations throughout her life I never heard her complain once. She worked all her life and even refused home help even though vertibrae in her back had collapsed and having brittle bones. Her outlook on life was pretty impressive when you think of all the hardships she had to deal with.
I recon it would make a good book.
Come to think of it my granfather had one as well being one of the soldiers who made it to berlin and then stayed over where he met my grandmother in a diplaced persons camp.
without going into too much deatil early life something like this
taken from her village, Younger children were executed in front of her , adults hanged from trees.
She was held by these solders for a while before being shipped to germany where she was forced to work in a munitions factory.
At some point she had an argument with a guard who was beating another child worker. She was taken away to the grounds of a hospital where she was stabbed in the chest with a bayonet to replicate a battle field injury so Nazi surgeons could experiment new tequniques.
despite having to live with horendous injuries and dissabilities and year and years of operations throughout her life I never heard her complain once. She worked all her life and even refused home help even though vertibrae in her back had collapsed and having brittle bones. Her outlook on life was pretty impressive when you think of all the hardships she had to deal with.
I recon it would make a good book.
Come to think of it my granfather had one as well being one of the soldiers who made it to berlin and then stayed over where he met my grandmother in a diplaced persons camp.
Edited by Pesty on Sunday 2nd January 15:53
TTwiggy said:
Not me, but a neighbour we had when I was growing up had quite a life.
(very) long story short. He was a Polish chap whose family ran a farm pre-WWII. When the Germans came, he was about 8 years old. A couple of years later, the Germans leave, his dad is dead and the Russians take over. His mother is kept on at the farm to teach the new Russian workers the ropes, while him, his younger brother and older sister are shipped off by train (tans-Siberian) to Moscow.
On the journey, his sister dies and her body is thrown from the train. Him and his brother are put in a communist school in Moscow from which they escape. The two of them travel across Russia (on foot), living out of bins or scrounging whatever they could. Finally, they get back to the farm, only to be told that their mum has gone to South Africa.
Not to be deterred, this 11 year old kid and his 8 year old brother set off for South Africa, getting a job on a ship out of Gibraltar. They work their passage to South Africa and find the farm that their mum is working on - only she ain't there. She 's gone to Scotland...
...so, off they set, this time across most of Africa as they couldn't find passage on a boat, all the way through Europe, across the channel, into England, then Scotland. Find their mum, a few months later, she's dead...
He ended up marrying a Scottish girl and eventually moved down to London.
He was an amazing mechanic too - kept my MGB on, the road for me when I was younger. He'd worked on pretty much every make of car from Minis to Rollers. Still alive now (in his 80s) and still fit as a fiddle. A legendary chap all round.
I remember reading this the first time round (just a lurker back then), its an amazing story. I have two kids of a similar ages and I can hardly let them walk to the end of the street on their own!(very) long story short. He was a Polish chap whose family ran a farm pre-WWII. When the Germans came, he was about 8 years old. A couple of years later, the Germans leave, his dad is dead and the Russians take over. His mother is kept on at the farm to teach the new Russian workers the ropes, while him, his younger brother and older sister are shipped off by train (tans-Siberian) to Moscow.
On the journey, his sister dies and her body is thrown from the train. Him and his brother are put in a communist school in Moscow from which they escape. The two of them travel across Russia (on foot), living out of bins or scrounging whatever they could. Finally, they get back to the farm, only to be told that their mum has gone to South Africa.
Not to be deterred, this 11 year old kid and his 8 year old brother set off for South Africa, getting a job on a ship out of Gibraltar. They work their passage to South Africa and find the farm that their mum is working on - only she ain't there. She 's gone to Scotland...
...so, off they set, this time across most of Africa as they couldn't find passage on a boat, all the way through Europe, across the channel, into England, then Scotland. Find their mum, a few months later, she's dead...
He ended up marrying a Scottish girl and eventually moved down to London.
He was an amazing mechanic too - kept my MGB on, the road for me when I was younger. He'd worked on pretty much every make of car from Minis to Rollers. Still alive now (in his 80s) and still fit as a fiddle. A legendary chap all round.
Pesty said:
.....She was taken away to the grounds of a hospital where she was stabbed in the chest with a bayonet to replicate a battle field injury so Nazi surgeons could experiment new tequniques. ....
I've read about this sort of thing before, can't imagine anything more horrific than being held or tied up while someone carefully tortures you as part of an experiment. One book I read was about adults being burned and cut, and and frozen, for purely experimental purposes, another was about children undergoing the same sort of thing, stuff we don't even want to think about, let alone read. 
There is a movie, The Men Behind The Sun, about Jap experiment camps. Pretty cheap movie, but I'd swear some of the footage is genuine stuff.
2 years late, but only just read this !!
[quote=BruceV8]Well here goes.
So on 28 April 1987 I reported to what was then the Guards Depot at Pirbright for my first day with the Junior Parachute Company of the Parachute Regiment. f
k me that was hard! I pretty soon realised that although I was stil keen for a military career, the infantry - and the Para Regt in particular - was not for me, nor I for them. quote]
I was there in 1987 too, 10 platoon for me and I arrived in July 1987, I too finished training and passed out of there in 1988 small world eh ??
[quote=BruceV8]Well here goes.
So on 28 April 1987 I reported to what was then the Guards Depot at Pirbright for my first day with the Junior Parachute Company of the Parachute Regiment. f
k me that was hard! I pretty soon realised that although I was stil keen for a military career, the infantry - and the Para Regt in particular - was not for me, nor I for them. quote]I was there in 1987 too, 10 platoon for me and I arrived in July 1987, I too finished training and passed out of there in 1988 small world eh ??
chippyleigh said:
late, but only just read this !!
Just seen this. I was 9 Platoon, so you must have been in the block opposite us. Small world indeed. I recently went for a beer with my Platoon Sergeant, who went on to be RSM of his battalion.BruceV8 said:
Well here goes.
So on 28 April 1987 I reported to what was then the Guards Depot at Pirbright for my first day with the Junior Parachute Company of the Parachute Regiment. fk me that was hard! I pretty soon realised that although I was stil keen for a military career, the infantry - and the Para Regt in particular - was not for me, nor I for them.
I was there in 1987 too, 10 platoon for me and I arrived in July 1987, I too finished training and passed out of there in 1988 small world eh ??So on 28 April 1987 I reported to what was then the Guards Depot at Pirbright for my first day with the Junior Parachute Company of the Parachute Regiment. f
k me that was hard! I pretty soon realised that although I was stil keen for a military career, the infantry - and the Para Regt in particular - was not for me, nor I for them. Edited to make half of BSR's post below illogical.
Edited by BruceV8 on Wednesday 10th October 17:36
swerni said:
It's sad to admit but I only really started living my life about 3 1/2 years ago.
Before that I just too tied up in just existing.
My head was full of wonderful things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see, and always had been.
Unfortunately they remained there, floating round in my head.
It wasn't a mundane life. I was fairly successful without having to particularly try , loving family, big house and plenty of toys. et etc.
Then a quick chain of events ended in me being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 38.
In many ways I wish it had happened 15 years earlier.
It made me open my eyes and realise if I carried on procrastinating I would end up old and full of regret.
Within 6 months of getting the all clear I had trekked up Machu Picchu.
I've been involved with the Bobby Moore ball and a number of other charity events
Cycled thousands of miles
Completed the 3 peaks
Am off to climb Kili in November. (but not before I do the three Peaks again)
Next year will include
300km 24hr endurance cycle in Sweden
The 15 Peaks challenge
And I want to do some cycling in the Alps.
As soon as the children are a bit older I fully intended to take them to all the places I dreamed of as a child.
What the last few years has taught me is that toys are fun, but life is about experiences.
Don't make my mistake and be a dreamer.
Very inspirationalBefore that I just too tied up in just existing.
My head was full of wonderful things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see, and always had been.
Unfortunately they remained there, floating round in my head.
It wasn't a mundane life. I was fairly successful without having to particularly try , loving family, big house and plenty of toys. et etc.
Then a quick chain of events ended in me being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 38.
In many ways I wish it had happened 15 years earlier.
It made me open my eyes and realise if I carried on procrastinating I would end up old and full of regret.
Within 6 months of getting the all clear I had trekked up Machu Picchu.
I've been involved with the Bobby Moore ball and a number of other charity events
Cycled thousands of miles
Completed the 3 peaks
Am off to climb Kili in November. (but not before I do the three Peaks again)
Next year will include
300km 24hr endurance cycle in Sweden
The 15 Peaks challenge
And I want to do some cycling in the Alps.
As soon as the children are a bit older I fully intended to take them to all the places I dreamed of as a child.
What the last few years has taught me is that toys are fun, but life is about experiences.
Don't make my mistake and be a dreamer.
Have you kept it up?
I always thought my Great Grandfather must have seen a few things over his time...
http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/News/Sarge-hel...
http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/News/Sarge-hel...
I joint the army, been to war etc after I left the army I travelled around the world inspecting cranes which were mostly in some absoutle st places, imagine the tilbury version in Syria, Turkey, Colombia. Held at gun point on various times for bribes etc but I met some fantastic people and experienced working with a whole different background of people from the super rich to people living in poverty...I'm only in my 30s but it feels like I have done and seen so much.
I now have a relatively normal life and it bores me, people at work would probley think in talking st if I shared my stories so I tend to keep them to myself or close friends. I do feel sorry for people for live and work in the same town as they were born in for their whole lives.
t places, imagine the tilbury version in Syria, Turkey, Colombia. Held at gun point on various times for bribes etc but I met some fantastic people and experienced working with a whole different background of people from the super rich to people living in poverty...I'm only in my 30s but it feels like I have done and seen so much.I now have a relatively normal life and it bores me, people at work would probley think in talking s
t if I shared my stories so I tend to keep them to myself or close friends. I do feel sorry for people for live and work in the same town as they were born in for their whole lives.Edited by TLandCruiser on Sunday 28th September 10:45
Not me but a mate
killed someone during a fist fight - man fell and cracked head on kerb , sentenced to a couple of years for manslaughter
years later went to prison for being involved in fake notes (lots of) did another couple of years
last year he won the lottery
good bloke all round tbh. just grabbed life by the balls and made some bad decisions in his time
killed someone during a fist fight - man fell and cracked head on kerb , sentenced to a couple of years for manslaughter
years later went to prison for being involved in fake notes (lots of) did another couple of years
last year he won the lottery
good bloke all round tbh. just grabbed life by the balls and made some bad decisions in his time
TLandCruiser said:
I joint the army, been to war etc after I left the army I travelled around the world inspecting cranes which were mostly in some absoutle st places, imagine the tilbury version in Syria, Turkey, Columbia. Held at gun point on various times for bribes etc but I met some fantastic people and experienced working with a whole different background of people from the super rich to people living in poverty...I'm only in my 30s but it feels like I have done and seen so much.
I now have a relatively normal life and it bores me, people at work would probley think in talking st if I shared my stories so I tend to keep them to myself or close friends. I do feel sorry for people for live and work in the same town as they were born in for their whole lives.
Let's hear them then!t places, imagine the tilbury version in Syria, Turkey, Columbia. Held at gun point on various times for bribes etc but I met some fantastic people and experienced working with a whole different background of people from the super rich to people living in poverty...I'm only in my 30s but it feels like I have done and seen so much.I now have a relatively normal life and it bores me, people at work would probley think in talking s
t if I shared my stories so I tend to keep them to myself or close friends. I do feel sorry for people for live and work in the same town as they were born in for their whole lives.My grandfather was pretty different.
Essentially an orphan, living on sofas, moved from pillar to post.
Lied about his age to join the RAF (16). A Lancaster flt engineer, eventually shot down over Hamburg, he and another crew member were the only ones from the aircraft to 'chute down (we still have his caterpillar badge).
Shot by a farmer, left tied up in the barn for two nights until betting handed over to the army.
The docs weren't too pleased to treat him (the doc had just lost family in Hamburg).
Ended up in Gross Tychow. The guards weren't allowed to take your red cross parcels away from you unless you dropped them (he has a few small bayonet scars on his back).
Was part of the big death marches towards the end of the war, did a runner.
Some how got back to the UK (won't say how, but hats the French).
Arrived back a few days before VE day (turned up at my grandma's mother's house unexpected!). They were married 2 weeks later, a local hotel did the reception (they refused originally but offered when they found out he'd been a POW).
Later down the line, started up a company he sold, it was the world leader in its field (some type of hydraulics), employed many many people in ~20 countries.
Retired, stated up another company, did this 3 times.
Helped many people, charitable - I only found out the details after his passing this year.
Fascinated by ancient Egypt, when clearing out his study I found a small container labeled up 'tuts tomb' containing some rocks, naught boy!
There much more.
If I have half of the adventure id be suprised
Essentially an orphan, living on sofas, moved from pillar to post.
Lied about his age to join the RAF (16). A Lancaster flt engineer, eventually shot down over Hamburg, he and another crew member were the only ones from the aircraft to 'chute down (we still have his caterpillar badge).
Shot by a farmer, left tied up in the barn for two nights until betting handed over to the army.
The docs weren't too pleased to treat him (the doc had just lost family in Hamburg).
Ended up in Gross Tychow. The guards weren't allowed to take your red cross parcels away from you unless you dropped them (he has a few small bayonet scars on his back).
Was part of the big death marches towards the end of the war, did a runner.
Some how got back to the UK (won't say how, but hats the French).
Arrived back a few days before VE day (turned up at my grandma's mother's house unexpected!). They were married 2 weeks later, a local hotel did the reception (they refused originally but offered when they found out he'd been a POW).
Later down the line, started up a company he sold, it was the world leader in its field (some type of hydraulics), employed many many people in ~20 countries.
Retired, stated up another company, did this 3 times.
Helped many people, charitable - I only found out the details after his passing this year.
Fascinated by ancient Egypt, when clearing out his study I found a small container labeled up 'tuts tomb' containing some rocks, naught boy!
There much more.
If I have half of the adventure id be suprised
My Great Grandfather was Czech and worked for Mercedes Benz before and during WW2 apparently he was fairly high up and involved with the racing program. After the war he was high on the Russians wanted list but got warned and escaped to England. My Grandad had fought for Germany and had been a POW, he married a local girl and at this time was living in the UK. Unfortunately there are few details as they both died long before I was born and apparently it was never talked about. I wish I knew more or even where to find out if it's true!
Depends on whether you like sport or indeed football as to whether you seem my life exciting.
I was a professional footballer for 8 years from leaving school. Didn't play as much as I should of but I was very fortunate to play all over Europe with England youth teams, 11 caps in total. I was in 4 under 21 squads but never played. I made 44 first team appearances in total for 3 clubs. I have many, many regrets about how it panned out but I was alot more immature in those days.
I was a professional footballer for 8 years from leaving school. Didn't play as much as I should of but I was very fortunate to play all over Europe with England youth teams, 11 caps in total. I was in 4 under 21 squads but never played. I made 44 first team appearances in total for 3 clubs. I have many, many regrets about how it panned out but I was alot more immature in those days.
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