War stories from YOUR ancient relatives

[Joecoolyo]

I have some family that fought in WW2 as well, and by fought I mean by grandpa worked in an army prison as a lawyer, and my great-uncle was in training for manning the gun on bomber aircraft when the war ended.

I'm pretty sure my other grandpa was in the Korean War as well, but I don't know too much about his experiences there.

 

[Camikaze]

I know a couple of my great great (great?) grandparents came to Australia via America after fleeing Germany in 1848. The rest came from various parts of the Britain/Ireland, but I'm not sure I have any or many convict ancestors.

I think a couple of great great uncles died in Belgium in the First World War, but I don't know much about that, other than that there's a diary/collection of letters floating around with the family somewhere.

My great uncle joined the RAF for WWII (I think he joined them instead of the RAAF because the RAAF at the time didn't have sufficient training facilities, so were just signing people up to the RAF instead?) and was a navigator, flying bombing raids over Germany. I think he was one of only two navigators from his squadron to survive the war. He died only about ten years after the war, and my grandfather always put this down to the pure oxygen they apparently used when flying, though it seems more likely that it was a combination of his asthma and heavy smoking.

Not strictly related to me, but my mum's godmother (who died last year) was Jewish and was sent by her parents in the 30s from Austria to England (where rich people had started sponsoring children as a means of escape). The rest of her family didn't survive the Holocaust, though I'm not sure where they died.

 

[Masada]

I had family fighting for and against the Crown during the Land Wars. Notable involvements included: fighting for and against the suppression of Hone Heke during the Flagstaff Wars and other associated campaigns. One side also had a big role in crushing the King's Movement during the invasion(s) of Waikato something that is still talked about with pride. I'm also aware that I had kinsmen who fought in the Boer War against the Boers but I don't know much about it. I think there's a picture of them floating around somewhere.

I also had numerous great uncles who served in the First World War and Second World War as the local cenotaph bears witness. One uncle turned 16 at Monte Cassino and later served in Korea and Vietnam. Another couple of uncles also did the Korea thing as well. The uncle who served in all three took a piece of shrapnel in the leg in Korea and had this strange half-hobble/half-walk for the rest of his life. He also hated Koreans, Chinese, Japanese and Germans with a passion. His aversion to the Japanese stemmed, I believe, from the time he spent in the occupation forces after the war. Also, another great uncle was a guest of the Japanese for part of the war following the fall of Singapore. My grandfather served during the Emergency and Konfrontasi. Dad was on call during East Timor but didn't end up going.

For this reason, I'm the first male in about three generations who isn't in active service. Thankfully a cousin of mine took up that hat, leaving me to regular old government service. There's also something about one of great-grandfathers being told very politely to leave Ireland and never come back. He was meant to come to Australia but escaped (the crew let him out in New Zealand). We have a photo of him posing armed with a bunch of other Irish guys under a Gaelic banner. He also hated the English.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Oh yeah, I keep remembering stories.

My family from around Minsk (or somewhere around there in Eastern Europe) had a run-in with the Germans during WWI. They had to host a German colonel (or Lieutenant, I don't remember the rank) in their home after they pushed into that area. He was quite the gentlemen, according to my grandma.

Though after he left, the Germans requisitioned farm animals, so they took my distant family's cow. After being herded with the other cows, apparently it decided to wander back to my family's house/farm, where the Germans found it, and I want to say killed it, but I'm not sure.

 

[Traitorfish]

My ancestors fought for King Jimmy at the Battle of the Boyne; that's about it. My ancestors all managed to find themselves in protected industries during the First and Second World Wars, and I'm not aware of any military service prior that.

edit: Oh, and I had a distant relative in the Provisional IRA. But that's not really the same thing.

 

[Phrossack]

National Guard service aside, the last blood relative of mine in uniform was a certain Friedrich Wilhelm who was said to have served in the Prussian royal guard in the 1830s or so.

 

[Domen]

But this thread is about ancient relatives! And we are discussing WW1 and WW2 for no good reason.

I also didn't notice this fact before. Only now I have noticed that this thread is about ancient relatives.

My ancient relatives fought in Hammurabi's campaign against Mari in 1759 BC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari,_Syria#Final_destruction

 

[Traitorfish]

whut?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

A great-great grandfather on my mother's side was at Valley Forge with Washington. Pracrically every male ancestor in my mother's line has served in the military and they have been in almost every major American conflict. I do not have many individua stories though.

Given my nasty temperment, I can only assume my ancestors on my father's side were vicious conquistadors that raped and pillaged their way across Central and South America.

 

[Joecoolyo]

A great-great grandfather on my mother's side was at Valley Forge with Washington. Pracrically every male ancestor in my mother's line has served in the military and they have been in almost every major American conflict. I do not have many individua stories though.

Lieutenant Dan?

 

[Traitorfish]

So is your grandad Lieutenant Dan then or what?

edit: goddamit

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Basically yes. I am the firsy non-military male in my lineage in memory and even I tried to join in 06 but was rejected because of a thyroid tumor.

You get now why I am USA#1! all the time?

 

[_random_]

My great great grand-uncles were involved in Confedrate regiments in Kentucky. The way my actual lineage is arranged seems to skip major wars from what I can tell though. No direct ancestors involved in World War II. I am apparently the descendant of French Protestants, so there was probably some pretty interesting violence there.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Part of why I have no stories to share is because u grew up an army brat, moving all over the place. I never got to know my relatives very well and the few times we all got together it didn't come up as much as 'oh my you have grown so much'.

 

[Gen.Mannerheim]

But this thread is about ancient relatives! And we are discussing WW1 and WW2 for no good reason.

I also didn't notice this fact before. Only now I have noticed that this thread is about ancient relatives.

My ancient relatives fought in Hammurabi's campaign against Mari in 1759 BC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari,_Syria#Final_destruction

Well if we're going that far back, then I've got a doozy.

See, my family goes all the way back to the first ever family. And in our family lore one of my uncles killed another of my uncles. Both uncles were into agriculture, the oldest was a farmer and the youngest was a headsman. One day they had to give a sacrifice to 'El, the only monotheistic god worshiped in the region at that time. The oldest uncle brought some of the fruits of his harvest and the youngest brought his best lamb. 'El turned out not to be a vegetarian and blessed the youngest uncle's sacrifice. (I think there's something about the older uncle's heart not being in the sacrifice but IDK) Completely pissed off, my older uncle killed my younger uncle in what could be called the first armed conflict in history.

 

[_random_]

Huh, I think we might be related.

 

[History_Buff]

Looking through some of these entries so far it struck me on how ironic it would be is some of our ancestors actually shot at each other. It might be more common than we all think if we all have ancestors who fought on different sides of some of the bigger wars, Civil War and WWII ect.

Well, if one were to use fancy math and unprovable assumptions, I think it'd be all but certain. Everyone here certainly has some 13th century ancestor that was shot at by somebody else's 13th Century ancestor.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Well, if one were to use fancy math and unprovable assumptions, I think it'd be all but certain. Everyone here certainly has some 13th century ancestor that was shot at by somebody else's 13th Century ancestor.

Considering the majority of us here are of European descent, and that the Black Death killed up to 60% of Europe's population, the probability of such a scenario occurring in post-Black Death is higher I suppose.

 

[Joecoolyo]

What percentage of the population was ever directly involved in war though? It can't be that a high a percentage, especially the farther you go back.

 

[say1988]

Fairly small, but the exponential increase means it is quite likely that at least some have. But if we average a generation every 30 years you are looking at over a million male ancestors by 1350, if you decreaes the average generation to 25 years, it increases to 33 million. Sure there is going to be considerable overlap but the odds are there are at least a few cases.