Personal Historical Anecdotes Thread

[rotorgun]

Thinking on the wide age groups represented in the Org gave me an idea. I thought about a thread were we all could share some personal stories of some the historical events we all may have experienced. For instance, in my lifetime I have lived through, and sometimes been personally involved in many historical events. Some of these include:

The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Vietnam War
The American Civil Rights Movement
Watergate
The Cold War
The Arab Israeli Conflict
The Fall of The Soviet Union
The Landing on the Moon (To include the Race for Space)
...and many more

Here's one I remember from my earliest days. I was 4 years old in November of 1963, and can remember just having sat down in the kitchen for a snack-pizza I think, when my father suddenly came through the door early from work. I thought it was odd that my Dad had been crying. I remember him asking my mother "Have you heard? Someone shot the President in Dallas!" My mother was stunned, and she to began to cry. I wasn't old enough to understand why everyone was upset, but soon I began to cry. Then we all sat in front of the television, an old and dilapidated black and white set, with those "Rabbit ears" type of antennae. I can't remember the specifics, but it seemed that something dreadful had happened and all the networks (all three that we could get) stopped all other coverage. I do remember Walter Cronkite speaking in a somber way, but didn't recall then what he said. Of course his famous broadcast is quite well known today, but then I just remember that all the adults seemed to be upset.

Anyway, I thought that might make a good start. I hope that everyone who wants to can share some of their memories. Let's all respect each others contributions, and avoid any rancor, although a bit of tongue in cheek humor wouldn't be amiss. I think it could be a real great way of seeing our recent history in a different light than through the professional lens of scholarly works. Any one else want to give it a try?

PS: We could also include anecdotes from our ancestors, both living and passed on as well.

[drone]

I have two from my childhood. The first was the attempted assassination of Reagan. I was home from school, watching cartoons. I remember being very upset that they interrupted Tom and Jerry with the news report. I was 10, give me a break I remember the stock footage, but I really wanted to watch T&J (this was old school, full violence, and rascist T&J, not the modern pablum).

The second was the shuttle Challenger explosion. I was at a friend's house, it had snowed in Atlanta and we had the day off from school. Snow is not a common occurrence in the ATL, and we had gotten quite a bit, enough for kids to play in. We came inside to get warm, and turned on the launch. I had a bit more awareness at this point, plus I was a geek, so it was big news.

[Marshal Murat]

I remember when I was about 6 or 7 watching "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" when the news came on about Princess Diana dying. I was so very unhappy about missing Sabrina.

[Strike For The South]

11 years old doing something on powerpoint for math class. My teacher turns on the television just in time to see one of the planes hit the buildings and quickly shuts it off again. I didnt get what happend until my dad sat me down and explained it to me.

[seireikhaan]

11 years old doing something on powerpoint for math class. My teacher turns on the television just in time to see one of the planes hit the buildings and quickly shuts it off again. I didnt get what happend until my dad sat me down and explained it to me.

Its a Thursday. I'm by myself in my dad's apartment, chowing on some breakfast before I go to walk to school. Watching the local morning CBS news, and they cut to breaking news to the big wig, national CBS station. Reporters are talking frantically, and they cut to footage of the New York skyline. One of the twin towers is smoking profusely. They go to a reporter live in New York. He's interviewing a woman about what she just saw. She's crying, screaming, bawling, "One of the towers was hit by a plane, they gotta get the poeple out of there!" She continues frantically recounting what she saw. As she's speaking, the station continues just reeling footage of the towers. And then, in mid-sentence, live right before my eleven year old eyes, a gigantic orange fireball erupts in the second tower. The woman being interviewed completely loses herself. "JESUS CHRIST, JESUS CHRIST, THE SECOND WAS HIT! JESUS, JESUS, JESUS CHRIST....!" I'm just sitting their on my couch, stunned. The reality of it didn't really sink it. I had to take off for school. The school staff elected to leave us students in the dark during the day. But before we left school that day, we got a letter from the gov't, informing us that a great tragedy had occured. The stamped signature of my President adorned the bottom, and confirmed what us elementary school kids had figured out despite the staff's best efforts.

[CountArach]

11 years old doing something on powerpoint for math class. My teacher turns on the television just in time to see one of the planes hit the buildings and quickly shuts it off again. I didnt get what happend until my dad sat me down and explained it to me.

I was sitting in the living room of my then-house with my cousins, father and uncle. We rarely get to see them because they live inter-state, but anyway we were sitting watching some sport (Or cartoons, sort of hazy on that point). My mum walks into the room with my aunt and tells us to change to the news channel. I remember she said that the radio claimed it was the biggest terrorist attack in history. She also seemed quite worried because my grandparents were in New York on that very day doing touristy-things.

As it happens my grandparents had gone to see the Towers the day before and were planning on going back again later in the day of the attack. Fortunately they hadn't gone yet and were safe. However, they were in london on the same day as the subway bombing that occurred there... seems like someone was after them :/

I also remember the day of the invasion of Iraq. I was shocked that war had been declared while the weapons inspectors were still in there, but I stupidly decided to listen to talk-back radio as I did in those days. Someone was panic-mongering on there about Sadam having sent out thousands of infiltrators throughout Australia and the US who were going to start causing trouble with the outbreak of war. I was shocked because I wasn't all that discerning at the time (Being 13) and just assumed this guy was telling the truth. I was quite broken up about it and had to be comforted by my dad. I sometimes think back and wonder about what that guy was thinking and how shocked he was when exactly that didn't happen.

EDIT: As for ancestors I'll never forget one school assignment I had to do where I was to interview an immigrant to Australia who had a non-English speaking background about their experience. I interviewed my Jewish Great Grandmother from Hungary. I asked her about why she left Hungary and she had a bit of a wistful voice and a tear in the corner of her eye as she talked about the rise of Nazism in Hungary during the Interwar period. It was at that point that I realised some of the stuff she had gone through.

EDIT 2: Great idea for a thread mate!

[Meneldil]

9/11 is pretty much the only important memory I have. I was too young to realize what was happening when the Wall fall and pretty much everything else essential.

So, I just came back from high-school. My bro (who was something like 9 back then) is all excited and tells me "someone attacked the US!". I'm like "huh, who would do such a thing ?".

I start watching TV, seeing the first and the second plane hitting the WTC again and again, listening to the first real time explanations and analysis, to various Presidents' speeches. When my mum and stepdad come back, we start discussing it. Their opinion is pretty much shared by a whole lot of people: there's going to be a huge war, maybe even WW3. People who did this are clearly trying to destroy our modern world.

I'm myself less worried. While I felt sorry for the people who died, I only saw it as what it was: a (huge) terrorist attack on a country widely despised and hated, and not as the end of the modern world/civilization/peace/whatever.
I grew up at a time during which France was the favorite target of radical muslims. I remember being shocked when a terrorist group (the GIA) sweared to blow up the Eiffel Tower and the Arc of Triumph, or when they successfully planned bombings in Paris subways. The attacks on the WTC were just the same thing on a larger scale.

Few hours after, I went to check my usual internet forum (namely, the to-be-released MMORPG Shadowbane european forum) and was kind of shocked by the aggressive tone displayed towards the US and americans in general: it was their fault, they had it coming, etc.

The day after (a wednesday, IIRC), most of my friends were repeating the same old pessimistic crap we had been hearing for hours: there's gonna be a huge war. The name "Afghanistan" was coming up occasionally, and the usual joke was the Afghanistan would be turned into dust. The tone was also quite despising of the US, but not nearly as bad as it would be a few months later, when Bush decided to start his crusade.

[Veho Nex]

I was actually at a hospital and they had the news on. As we(My mom and I) were leaving the office, one of the ladies in the waiting room fainted and we ran out there to see if we could help. My mom turned to the TV and said Oh my (Profanity here). Later on I found out that we had been watching since about 2 minutes after the first plane hit, and I watched the second hit and the towers crumble. Most traumatic thing was watching people jumping from the 50's on up and falling for what seemed like 3-4-5 seconds at a time.

[Tristuskhan]

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: I was four and a half years old and wondered why those soldiers wanted to go to "Hood". Hood="cagoule" in french, and well, "Kabul" was very close to "cagoule" in my ears.

[Ariovistus Maximus]

I was 8. I remember pretty well though. I'm sure most people in the US remember where they were at the time.

I was in school, things going as usual. Then our principal came in (it was a very small private school so he adressed us all at once) and asked us all to come into his office.

Then he showed us the footage of planes hitting the WTC. He told us it was a hijacking. I never really heard of hijacking; didn't really get what it was. But I learned what it was then.

Why don't people remember it any more? They felt all patriotic for about a month, then they got back to life and don't think about it any more.

-------------------------------

Have another one; my grandpa's, as per your suggestion.

He was in the occupation of Japan. He taught them how to handle big machinery like bulldozers, caterpillar equipment, etc.

He told me once about being in Japan and seeing all these troop ships and warships in the harbor; might have been in Tokyo, I don't remember. But I remember being so amazed at all the things he saw.

[rasoforos]

The wall

I was quite young. It seemed like a great thing...

Iraq War

Pre cold war propaganda was still quite strong so it seemed like a good thing...

9/11

I went to buy a CD-ROM player for my desktop. The guy at the shop told me that 2 planes hit the World Trade Centre and that the towers collapsed and people were jumping of them etc...

I said 'Yeah ok' or something like that because I thought he was crazy

[Sarmatian]

When the Berlin Wall fell, I was really too young to "get" anything... Only learned to read and write couple of years before...

In the case of 9/11, I admit I was mostly in a "you reap what you sow" kind of mood. Not enough time has passed since 1999 apparently. I felt sorry for the people, thought, they didn't have anything to do with anything really.

I do remember April 1999 vividly. I didn't pay attention to politics much at that time. I was 16 and I was spending most of my time thinking about girls, alcohol and computer games, I was a really passionate gamer. In April that year Heroes of Might and Magic III came out, one of my favourite games and after a lot of time and effort (it was a state of war in the country) I've managed to get my hands on one copy. Came home, installed it and wanted to start playing when sirens started. Then it was a couple of "booms" and electricity was gone. I'm inclined to think that if a psychologist would dig deep enough, he'd find in that event the source for my dislike of NATO . Didn't get to play HOMM III till June...

[Brenus]

Vietnam: my childhood was under the Vietnam rules and images: Tet offensive, B52 on Hanoi, North Vietnamese Offensive, fall of Saigon, boat people. The Chinese attack on That Khe… All these with the comments from my father, veteran of the French one…

Men on the Moon: Aldrin, Amstrong and I never remember the third one (Collins?). The entire world on front of the TV was watching it. The village school was opened for the villagers to see it as most them didn’t had TV.

Kippur War: Stunned at the Israeli defeat, enjoy the push back.

Lebanon and the hostages of Hezbollah, attack on the French Paratrooopers.

Falklands / Malvinas war: Was with the English, but had to admire the determination and courage of the Argentinean pilots.

9/11: I was working in Novi Sad when my secretary came with somebody hijacked US planes, 3 or 4. I just told her we were going to a kind of hostage crisis like in the Black September times…
She said no, they blow up some buildings. I went back home to see what happened on the French TV. I couldn’t believe it. It was an absolute chaos and the images were shown “en boucle”, first plane, second planes, rumours of more planes crashing everywhere…

[rotorgun]

These are all great posts so far guys! I am really fascinated at the way everyone sees the things that happen through a different lens. I am also learning something about how those outside my country view us in the US and interpret our historical events much differntly than we do. I suppose the same is true for how we view the events in other countries as well.

Keep 'em coming fellahs!

EDIT 2: Great idea for a thread mate! CountArach

Thanks Count!

[Ariovistus Maximus]

I am also learning something about how those outside my country view us in the US and interpret our historical events much differntly than we do.

Yeah; wow. My thoughts exactly. Awesome idea, rotorgun!

[drone]

I do remember April 1999 vividly. I didn't pay attention to politics much at that time. I was 16 and I was spending most of my time thinking about girls, alcohol and computer games, I was a really passionate gamer. In April that year Heroes of Might and Magic III came out, one of my favourite games and after a lot of time and effort (it was a state of war in the country) I've managed to get my hands on one copy. Came home, installed it and wanted to start playing when sirens started. Then it was a couple of "booms" and electricity was gone. I'm inclined to think that if a psychologist would dig deep enough, he'd find in that event the source for my dislike of NATO . Didn't get to play HOMM III till June...

I was living in the UK at the time, and some friends had come over to visit. We decided to jump on the Chunnel and spend a few days in Paris. We were doing the usually touristy things, I'm not sure we even knew what was going on in the outside world, and my poor high school French was not up to the task of translating news reports. So we are at the Louvre, walking through the Jardin des Tuileries, and we see a big crowd. Like idiots, we follow them until we get to the spot overlooking the Place de la Concorde. And the riot contained therein. Protesters were dragging metal barricades into the traffic circle, while police were charging them back and clearing the road. Some tear gas and riot shields, nothing major, good times. Then some idiot in our crowd whips out a Yugoslavian flag and starts waving it around. At this point, I guess the police decide our crowd is too big and potentially hostile, so we get some canisters lobbed our way and we disperse. Sirens wail through the city for the rest of the day and night, but otherwise uneventful as the police got mobilized in force. Didn't really get clued into what was going on until later that evening. If I remember correctly, this was March 25th, 1999. Spring time in Paris, nice weather, beautiful girls, and tear gas.


My grandfather was a bomber pilot in WWII, and later flew for the Border Patrol. While with the BP, he was part of the federal effort to get James Meredith safely into the University of Mississippi. He flew in US Marshals and other troops to quell the riots. He didn't get shot at, but he got a thank-you letter from JFK.

[rotorgun]

Speaking of Grandfathers, one of my granfathers was stationed in the Pacific in the China Fleet in the mid-late 1930's. He was aboard one of the cruisers that responded to the Panay incident which almost sparked off hostilities between Japan and the United States in 1937. I am not sure of the details, but there was some sort of stand off between the small sqaudron his ship was part of and a Japanese one in Chaing Hai harbor. Diplomacy prevented it from becoming a shoot out.

After he got out of the Navy in 1938, he later on became an inspector of industrial sized valves for the Chapman Valve Company in Indian Orchard Massachusetts. This company made valves for the top secret Manhattan Project. He went on many trips to Oak Ridge Tennessee to inspect the final installation of numerous valves used during the construction phase. He also inspected valves used in the first nucler powered sub, the USS Nautilis, and some of the early Skipjack class.

[Ibrahim]

well, I have a few:

I was born on the 45th anniversary of the remagen brigehead's establishment (look it up-too lazy to elaborate).

I was a baby in Kuwait when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait on August 2 (barely remember a thing), and my mom's 30-some birthday was on the day the coalition troops attacked Iraq to topple Saddam. sooq sharq was struck by scud missile shrapnel days later-the sooq is about 30 miles away from where our apartment used to stand. and I still remember where I was when Uday and Qusay were reported dead (just leaving the apartment to my grandparents apartment), and when saddam was caught (casually watching CNN, and a newsflash just popped up).

ooh, and I lived 1 mile from a shootout between Kuwaiti paramilitary and some terrorists-at least the kuwaitis deal with terrorists the right way.

and I was in the lobby where Oswald supposedly stood to shoot kennedy (mom says that I climbed the boxes there). otherwise, I have nothing much else to do with the kennedies.

I was about to take the physics test in highschool in Kuwait, when the guy who supervised the buses I rode in intercepted the bus I was in and informed us that the test was postponed-shaikh jaabir II had just died. at tha time, it was predicted that my class was screwed, but the three day moratorium helped the whole class pass physics well.

the family was all at home, minus dad (go figure), when we saw the WTC go down. we were getting ready for school, with me checking my notebooks and other stationary. still remeber what I felt (a mixture of horror, anger, disgust, and outrage).

@ brenus: bah! they had help in that war..americagahsuahfeag...and from the messup the Syrians made themselves at golan.

[rotorgun]

On July 20th, 1969 I was ten years old. My Father, who was a great enthusiast of the space program, awakened my sister, two brothers and myself at something like eleven O'clock PM EDT to watch the first lunar extracurricular excursion by Niel Armstrong and Edwin E."Buzz" Aldrin Jr. Although initially bleary eyed, we all watched spellbound as the first humans walked on the surface of another world. I couldn't get over how excited my Dad was, almost as giddy as a school child. He kept on saying "Can you believe it? They are really on the moon 250,000 miles away!" We watched the entire broadcast, and eventually went back to sleep when my mother made him let us go to bed. I still recall that night every time I watch the old replays of that event.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A11v_1092338.ogg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ap...first_step.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ap...first_step.jpg

[King Kurt]

What an interesting thread - not least of which is how young people are!! people talking about missing cartoons because of the World Trade Centre or Princess Diana when they feel like yesterday to me is really spooky.
As a 50 something I recall most of the events people mention. I recall seeing on the TV somebody who I used to wargame with who went on to be a reporter for the BBC reporting from a hotel roof in Kuwait about the Scud attacks and then the screen went black - fortunately it was a technical hitch but it was a scary moment.

In this television age perhaps the most moving thing I have seen was the release of Nelson Mandela. For so long he had been the symbol of resistance to the apartheid regieme - a regieme which I, like many a child of the 60's had demonstrated against, but had wondered if we would ever see the end of. So to see he walking out of Ellis Island, not because of a bloody civil war, but as a result of international pressure and reconcilliation was truely momentious.

One more before I sign off - in the 60's my school ran several trips abroad. My first was to the Med and more specifically Greece - the day we returned the Colonels took over in a military coup. The following year we went to Scandanavia, the Soviet Union and Berlin - both East and West - what a trip that was fresh in my memory even though it was over 40 years ago - we had been back about a week and the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia - I think they stoped school trips after that!!

[Hooahguy]

wow what a thread.

when the WTC was hit, i was in hebrew class when i was in 3rd grade. i didnt know any hebrew then, and when my teacher told us in hebrew what happened, i had no clue. i went on happily with my day until i got home, though about half the student's parents came to bring them home early.
when i got home my mom was watching the tv and crying, and i saw a video of the plane crashing into the WTC. i wasnt old enough to understand, so i didnt think of it. not until 4th grade when i really came to understand what it all meant.

when the Columbia exploded i was at home. it was the sabbath, so i didnt have access to tv or radio, so we heard it kinda late. the first thing that we heard was that the Columbia explosion. we were all in shock, because we were following it closely because of Ilan Ramon, first israeli astronaut.

but i would say the most traumatizing experience was in the second Intifada. in 2001, when there were a host of suicide bombings, tragedy struck when we found out that 2 of my cousins were killed in an explosion. when i first heard the news i kinda just sat there and stared. i knew that there were bombings, but i never thought that it would happen to someone that i knew, let alone a relative. we werent able to make it to the funeral, but the atmosphere in my house was as if we were at a funeral that lasted a week. but that wasnt it. though there were bombings, i went with a few friends to Israel in summer of 2002. we were in Gush Katif, and a Palestinian gunman (maybe there were two, i dont remember) just came out of nowhere.
i dont recall exatly what happened but i was scared out of my mind. there was a lot of noise and confusion and people were crying. soon the terrorists were killed and people started coming out of cover. i shouted for my friend. and then i saw him a few feet behind me and he wasnt moving. about a secondlater IDF medics were there treating him.
later that night he was dead.
i canceled the remainder of my trip, but we did stay for the funeral.
maybe ill go more into it later. im too emotional right now.

[rotorgun]

wow what a thread.

when the WTC was hit, i was in hebrew class when i was in 3rd grade. i didnt know any hebrew then, and when my teacher told us in hebrew what happened, i had no clue. i went on happily with my day until i got home, though about half the student's parents came to bring them home early.
when i got home my mom was watching the tv and crying, and i saw a video of the plane crashing into the WTC. i wasnt old enough to understand, so i didnt think of it. not until 4th grade when i really came to understand what it all meant.

when the Columbia exploded i was at home. it was the sabbath, so i didnt have access to tv or radio, so we heard it kinda late. the first thing that we heard was that the Columbia explosion. we were all in shock, because we were following it closely because of Ilan Ramon, first israeli astronaut.

but i would say the most traumatizing experience was in the second Intifada. in 2001, when there were a host of suicide bombings, tragedy struck when we found out that 2 of my cousins were killed in an explosion. when i first heard the news i kinda just sat there and stared. i knew that there were bombings, but i never thought that it would happen to someone that i knew, let alone a relative. we werent able to make it to the funeral, but the atmosphere in my house was as if we were at a funeral that lasted a week. but that wasnt it. though there were bombings, i went with a few friends to Israel in summer of 2002. we were in Gush Katif, and a Palestinian gunman (maybe there were two, i dont remember) just came out of nowhere.
i dont recall exatly what happened but i was scared out of my mind. there was a lot of noise and confusion and people were crying. soon the terrorists were killed and people started coming out of cover. i shouted for my friend. and then i saw him a few feet behind me and he wasnt moving. about a secondlater IDF medics were there treating him.
later that night he was dead.
i canceled the remainder of my trip, but we did stay for the funeral.
maybe ill go more into it later. im too emotional right now.

Thank you Hooahguy for sharing sharing what is obviously a difficult memory. I offer my sincere condolences for the suffering and loss that you and your family have sustained. It all sounds so much more real when you hear such a personal account, than when you hear about it from a news reporter.

[King Kurt]

Can I echo rotorgun's comments - to hear somebody's personal account of such an event is very moving and some how more real. In this modern age of 24 hour news - notice how most of us talk about watching something on the TV - we all get a little sanitised to the effects of such events. It is only when it becomes a personal account that it really strikes home - thank you Hooahguy for sharing that with us.

From my perspective, I am reminded of something my father talked about. He did National service in the Royal Navy in the late 1940's. Once he was trained all his group were assembled in a mess and split into 2 groups alphabeticaly. My dad's group were assigned to HMS Tyne - a destroyer depot ship in Harwich, so his national service was spent in home waters - he never even went to sea. The other group were assigned to HMS Amethyst - a frigate involved in the Yangtze Incident where quite a few sailors lost their lives - see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Amethyst_(F116)

So, on the strength of having a name begining with B he missed this deadly incident in the Cold War - and as that was before I was born, I am forever grateful for that alphabetic influence on my life.

[econ21]

It's a rather minor historical event, but I remember vividly first learning of Bill Clinton's election as US President. I was doing field work in the Masai area of Kenya and had just walked past two moran (warriors) replete with red paint and long assegais. A fellow tribesman standing alone at the remote bus stop told me the US Presidential election results. Ah, the wonders of globalisation.

On another African theme, I remember learning of Princess Diana's death in the TV room of a Tanzanian hotel. I was the only Brit there, but I remember the room was full with people shocked at the untimely death of what seemed to them a fairytale character. I found the outpourings of grief by the British people rather strange, but the funeral was incredibly charged - with her brother making a speech more electrifying than that of any politician I have heard.

Strangely, some of the larger historical events have made less of a personal impression - I guess because they were often gradual (e.g. the fall of communism or apartheid) rather than sudden; affecting many nameless people rather than a single famous individual. I have no memory of contemporary coverage of the Rwandan genoicide, although after the event, some of the reporting is incredibly vivid. I remember seeing the Srebrenica massacre almost playout on TV before my eyes, but not appreciating what was going on - we saw the men get on the buses and I am sure the reporters must have expressed some misgivings, but it was only a while afterwards that I realised what I had seen.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Good to see you, econ!!


I remember when I was young, I received a letter saying I had to perform my military duty. We were poor, and I didn't have shoes. So I had to walk all the way to Verdun to fight the Germans and

Wait, that was my greatgrandfather. Me, I grew up during the war in former Yugolavia. Was with my girlfriend in Denmark during the 1998 World Cup final - all alone and yet together with what felt all the countless millions. I was in university during 9-11.

This is a great thread. It is getting too late write anything of substance that does the subject justice. I must return another time.

[rotorgun]

That bit about your grandfather was very compelling King Kurt; being assigned the the HMS Tyne instead of the HMS Amethyst on the vagaries of an alphabetical roll call! Curiously, I was just reading about the Yangtze incident just last night, so one can imagine my surprise at hearing of your ancestor's near involvement in it. Thank goodness, or you might have never known your granddad.

One of my grandfathers, Lucien LaCroix, of French-Canadian descent, was unfortunately lost off the French port of Granville. Joining the US Navy in 1942, he ended up becoming a gunner's mate aboard Patrol Craft 564. A sub chaser, something like the corvette class of warship of 173 feet in length, with a crew of 65. She was armed with one 4 in. gun, a 40mm, and two 20mm AA mounts. She also carried a supply of depth charges and was equipped with sonar and radar. In March of 1945 she was lying off the port of Granville, on the Atlantic side of the Cotentin peninsula, across from St Malo. There was a collier operation going on there and the Allied authorities were using some German POW to load the coal aboard the collier ships.

Northwest of Granville, were the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, known as the channel islands. They were occupied by the Germans early in the war. The German commander decided to mount a raid on Granville to repatriate the POW and perhaps capture or destroy the colliers. This they did, with a force of four minesweepers, three flak gun barges (armed with the dread 88mm guns) and six E-boats. Attacking around midnight, the first vessel to come under fire was PC 564. Caught unaware, the crew responded quickly to the general quarters alarm. The 4 in. gun was soon trained around and loaded. It fired the first round, and then the breech jammed. While trying to clear it, the 88s scored a direct hit, destroying the gun and killing the crew. The 40mm and 20mm guns returned fire, but all three were knocked out by the next salvo of 88s. In a matter of less than 5 minutes, PC 564 was battered defenseless.

By now, she began to take on water from several hull hits. The Captain, a young Lieutenant JG. who had recently assumed command, initially ordered the crew to begin abandoning the ship. My grandfather, the only survivor of the 40mm gun crew, made his way to one of the boats. He and about a dozen or more managed to get a boat underway. Another boat also made its escape. The Lieutenant then changed his mind, and ordered, the ship to attempt to make for the beach several miles to the southeast. In all the confusion, no one thought of the crew that were in the boats. The managed to beach the ship, and was no more a part of the battle. The Germans succeeded in repatriating more than 50 POW, and captured one collier ship, and damaged the other. They also shot up the barracks and several shore facilities in the port.

The Germans managed to capture the lifeboats and all the crew members therein, except for my grandfather. The following day, his lifeless body was discovered floating in a raft, a bullet hole in his head. I guess he just didn't want to be captured by the Germans so close to his beloved France. We'll never know. To this day, no one of the surviving members of the crew will talk about how he died. It would have been nice to have known him, and I'm sure that my mother's life would have been better, as the man my grandmother remarried too was an abusive drunk, that made life difficult for everyone in that family.

Sorry guys, but I had to tell this tale. Forgive my indulgence.

[rotorgun]

That bit about your grandfather was very compelling King Kurt; being assigned the the HMS Tyne instead of the HMS Amethyst on the vagaries of an alphabetical roll call! Curiously, I was just reading about the Yangtze incident just last night, so one can imagine my surprise at hearing of your ancestor's near involvement in it. Thank goodness, or you might have never known your granddad.

One of my grandfathers, Lucien LaCroix, of French-Canadian descent, was unfortunately lost off the French port of Granville. Joining the US Navy in 1942, he ended up becoming a gunner's mate aboard Patrol Craft 564. A sub chaser, something like the corvette class of warship of 173 feet in length, with a crew of 65. She was armed with one 4 in. gun, a 40mm, and two 20mm AA mounts. She also carried a supply of depth charges and was equipped with sonar and radar. In March of 1945 she was lying off the port of Granville, on the Atlantic side of the Cotentin peninsula, across from St Malo. There was a collier operation going on there and the Allied authorities were using some German POW to load the coal aboard the collier ships.

Northwest of Granville, were the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, known as the channel islands. They were occupied by the Germans early in the war. The German commander decided to mount a raid on Granville to repatriate the POW and perhaps capture or destroy the colliers. This they did, with a force of four minesweepers, three flak gun barges (armed with the dread 88mm guns) and six E-boats. Attacking around midnight, the first vessel to come under fire was PC 564. Caught unaware, the crew responded quickly to the general quarters alarm. The 4 in. gun was soon trained around and loaded. It fired the first round, and then the breech jammed. While trying to clear it, the 88s scored a direct hit, destroying the gun and killing the crew. The 40mm and 20mm guns returned fire, but all three were knocked out by the next salvo of 88s. In a matter of less than 5 minutes, PC 564 was battered defenseless.

By now, she began to take on water from several hull hits. The Captain, a young Lieutenant JG. who had recently assumed command, initially ordered the crew to begin abandoning the ship. My grandfather, the only survivor of the 40mm gun crew, made his way to one of the boats. He and about a dozen or more managed to get a boat underway. Another boat also made its escape. The Lieutenant then changed his mind, and ordered, the ship to attempt to make for the beach several miles to the southeast. In all the confusion, no one thought of the crew that were in the boats. The managed to beach the ship, and was no more a part of the battle. The Germans succeeded in repatriating more than 50 POW, and captured one collier ship, and damaged the other. They also shot up the barracks and several shore facilities in the port.

The Germans managed to capture the lifeboats and all the crew members therein, except for my grandfather. The following day, his lifeless body was discovered floating in a raft, a bullet hole in his head. I guess he just didn't want to be captured by the Germans so close to his beloved France. We'll never know. To this day, no one of the surviving members of the crew will talk about how he died.

Sorry guys, but I had to tell this tale. Forgive my indulgence.

[rotorgun]

Oops! Sorry about the double post. Please delete the second one dear administrator. Thank you.

[Ibrahim]

@ hooah: my condolences. it was a tragedy for both sides that the terrorists acted in such a manner. I myself lost an uncle in the intifada.

[King Kurt]

Rotorgun - wonderful story - how tragic for your Grandfather to die so close to the end of the war. By 1945, especially for the Navy, the end must have seemed in sight. With the U-Boat threat effectively neutered and the other forces no where to be seen to die in action a scant 6 weeks before the war's end seems doublely cruel.
It was in fact my father who missed the Yangtze by an alpabetical consideration. His father - my grandfather - had been in the navy as well. He had just missed WW1 having just finished his training in 1918. His first ship was HMS Ramillies - a battleship with 16" guns. He never saw action, but had the misfortune to be on a turret roof when the guns fired with no warning. The noise would damage his ears and lead to partial deafness 40 years later. His next ship was HMS Dragon - a light cruiser. She was part of the 1st Light Cruiser squadron which escorted HMS Hood and HMS Renown around the world in the Empire cruise in 1924. He told me many tales of the ports they visited - it must have been an amazing experience for a man in the early 20th century to see so many things - it probably sparked an interest in the world and history that still lives on in me today - one that I encourage my children to pursue. After the navy, he joined the policeforce and ended up a detective in Scotland Yard. The irony was that as he had seen so much of the world with the navy, he made great efforts to get my dad into the navy when he had to do his national service. But, because his name began with B, he spent 2 years on a ship that never went to sea and he spent 2 years in Harwich - a port on the east coast - he even used to come home most weekends!! - this was due in part to his trading his rum ration with a fellow sailor who was more interested in getting drunk than seeing his family!! Ironically his friends who joined the army or airforce all went abroad.
As for my other grandfather, he served in the cavalry in WW1 and then the police in London ending up a sargent in the Flying Squad. I was lucky enough to have known both my grandfathers - both of whom had fascinating lives.