The Capture
September, 2012. For years my Grandfather wouldn't talk about his war experiences and I was amazed to discover that my Dad really only knew the bare bones of his story. It was only recently, when we (the grand kids) started asking questions, did he start talking about his experience before getting comfortable enough to write down his memoirs. The stories seem endless; it only feels right to capture his experiences from being captured by the Germans, his eventual escape after learning Italian through a English-Italian dictionary before skiing out the remainder of the war in Switzerland.
He might be 93 but tells a good story!
The Hospital
January, 2013. Part 2 of my Grandpa's World War II story takes place in a Hospital in Italy where he was held as a Prisoner of War.
Learning Italian through the daily newspapers and a English-Italian dictionary would prove to be a life saving endeavour.
The Escape
October, 2013. This is the third and final story of my Granddads World War Two experience. This story begins where the last one left off, in hospital trying to find a way out.
While in hospital he saw a noticeboard with a message saying "Wanted: British POWs to work in the neighbourhood", so he took the chance and ended up in an Italian farm with two of his friends from hospital. From here it was a matter of finding a way to escape the farm and make his way to Switzerland. Along the way he and his two friends encountered more than a few problems and the tale of his escape leaves a lot of emotion and hardship behind. This is my favourite part of the story, and one I won't ever forget.
Knickerbocker Glory
August, 2013. After filming 3 episodes of my Grandfather's very intense and action packed story of the War, I then moved on to a much more lighthearted yet still very surreal story from my Grandmother. It was my mum who first came to me with the story and when listening instead of thinking... ''Damn... that happened?'' like I did with my Grandfather's story we actually both laughed. Even though the story still involves bombs and air raids, it still has a much warmer feel which I think is really nice and shows a completely different side of the war.