# D-Day -- Was your father there? Grandfather?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 5, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530 "2024-06-05T21:53:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530/81 "2024-06-07T21:48:31Z")

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> [@Loach](#):
>
> > [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
> >
> > My grandfather was born in 1902, so at 42 he was too old for military service.
> 
> Welcome to the old granddads club. Mine was born in 1882. As someone born in 1967 that was pretty unusual. He was still around when I was a kid.

Come to think of it, I think my maternal grandfather served in WWII; but he died when I was five and didn’t really know him. He was a submariner, but I don’t know how long he served because he had health problems.

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**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530/82 "2024-06-07T21:52:50Z")

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D-Day memoirs -my father (a Canadian pilot, from Montreal) was stationed in central England in the Air Force in 1943-45. When on leave, he and a couple of friends would often cycle to a nearby town and its pub. One of his letters to his wife-to-be, dated June 7, 1944 states:

“The night before last [i.e. June 5] at 11:30 pm, I was cycling lazily home [i.e. to his Air Force base] from town alone along the moonlit road. Over the horizon came a “V” of three planes with all their lights on. Seconds later, it was flanked by two more “V’s”, and they in turn by more and more until about 45 degrees of the horizon was full of them. As they slowly came overhead – spearheaded by the leading plane – they sky had a giant Christmas tree in it – all red, green, and gold. It was a stunning sight and I cycled slowly along – with the continuing roar in my ears, and not watching the road as much as I should have. They were transport planes, and I remember thinking that it was rather large scale manoeuvers. Next morning, it was announced paratroops had landed – they were in the planes.”

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530/83 "2024-06-07T23:39:01Z")

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> [@FluffyBob](#):
>
> My Grandfather was not at D-day but at [Dieppe](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid), a nightmare rehearsal for D-Day in 1942, that you probably have never heard of if you are not Canadian.

One of my uncles was in logistics for Dieppe but didn’t land.

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**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-day-was-your-father-there-grandfather/1002530/84 "2024-06-07T23:40:36Z")

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Lucky man.

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