Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hmm, can't decide but while I'm thinking, Phonelady would you elaborate on the ex bf's mother who paid you to stay away from her son? That could be a very interesting thread!
Hmm, can't decide but while I'm thinking, Phonelady would you elaborate on the ex bf's mother who paid you to stay away from her son? That could be a very interesting thread!
No I wont because it was so long ago that I would rather forget it ...anyways I will just say I made the right decision because 6 yrs later I read in the paper that the ex bf's son ended up in jail for breaking and entering . Guess grandma did not hand out enough checks LOL ...
I have a box of handmade Christmas ornaments given to me 32 years ago. They were made by a friend of the family who did ceramics as a hobby and were given to me for our first Christmas tree the year DH and I were married. One of them is a special bell with our names and wedding date. I also have a ceramic Christmas angel she made me. She died many years ago, but I remember her every year when I decorate my tree. Each bears her name and hte year she made it.
My Father served in the Canadian Army, during the Great War, 1915 to 1919.
He survived, although he was wounded on three separate occasions, and came home deaf in one ear.
When the war ended in November of 1918, he volunteered to stay behind for a year, to be a POW camp guard, in Belgium. He was a young single man, so he did it for the extra year's worth of pay, and the promise that he would be given a free training course , at the Rolls Royce factory, in England, to become a RR mechanic. The course was paid for by the Canadian Government, as a part of their Veteran's benefits program.
The POW camp was filled with German soldiers, who were waiting to be processed and released, eventually. Many of them were skilled trades men, who could make things with their hands. My Father didn't smoke, but along with all the other guards, he got a monthly tobacco ration. For 200 cigarettes, a German POW hand engraved two brass artillery shell casings, using a flattened darning needle.
The casings are about 10 inches high, and have date marks of 1916 on the base plates. The engraving includes my Father's name, serial number, unit name ( 4th Canadian Machine Gun Battalion ) the name of the camp, and the year, as well as a complete wreath of olive branches, and maple leafs to signify my Father was a Canadian soldier. It took a full six weeks of work.
My Father lived to be 83 years of age, dying in 1981. My Mother polished those brass shells every Saturday . I still have them, and when I die, they will be given to the Canadian War Museum, in Ottawa, as a permanent gift. They are unique, and a great example of "trench art work ".
I also have my Father's Attestation papers, that he signed, when he volunteered, in 1915, in Toronto. He lied about his age, saying he was 18, when in fact he was only 16. His signature never changed, and his last passport issued in 1978, had the same look as when he was 16.
Due to being gassed in 1917, he had a life long cough, and if he was in a room with 200 others, if he coughed............ I knew he was there.
One final point...My Fathers training with Rolls Royce, as a mechanic, was his life's work. He never had a period when he was "out of work " in his adult life. Even during the Depression, he was fully employed, by the Eaton family, who owned a national chain of department stores. He maintained and drove their cars, especially for Lady Eaton, the wife of the founder of the company.
In 1939, with the outbreak of the Second World war, the Eaton's released most of their domestic servants, for war work duties. My Father , being a Great War veteran, was exempt, but he volunteered as a instructor with the Home Guard, and trained younger men as a machine gun instructor, until 1945, as well as working part time for the Eaton family here in Toronto. In 1948, he opened his own repair garage, for RR cars, and that business ran until his death in 1981. To say that our family owes a huge debt to RR is an understatement.
Your story CC reminds me of one other cherished item I have and it is a love letter for Valentine's Day my grandfather wrote my grandmother when he was overseas in WWll. It's post marked with my birthday. It was loving and touching and the only thing I have of his in writing. He came home from the war only to die at the age of 40. I only have one memory of him and it is a good one.
One final point...My Fathers training with Rolls Royce, as a mechanic, was his life's work. He never had a period when he was "out of work " in his adult life. Even during the Depression, he was fully employed, by the Eaton family, who owned a national chain of department stores. He maintained and drove their cars, especially for Lady Eaton, the wife of the founder of the company.
In 1939, with the outbreak of the Second World war, the Eaton's released most of their domestic servants, for war work duties. My Father , being a Great War veteran, was exempt, but he volunteered as a instructor with the Home Guard, and trained younger men as a machine gun instructor, until 1945, as well as working part time for the Eaton family here in Toronto. In 1948, he opened his own repair garage, for RR cars, and that business ran until his death in 1981. To say that our family owes a huge debt to RR is an understatement.
my mother passed away 2 years ago, while dealing with her estate the usual jewellry and family keepsakes were handed down to different members of the family. Of all her belongings I took an apron, its very thin and worn but it was one she wore all the time. She was of the generation that if she was home she would have an apron on so as not to spoil her clothes, more than anything else it reminds me of her.
My mother was a master crochet whos afghans won blued ribbons at the state fair. When I was in the Navy she made me a turtle neck longshoremans sweater with great artistic dedtail. Swirling braids through the arms and sides with puffy buttons on the front and back. I ended up with 4 of her afghans which works perfect because that will be two for each one of my two children. I also have 2 swaddles for their babies should they ever have children.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
