Ancestors who fought in World War 1

[heavens-champion 1,907]

How many of you had ancestors who fought in World War 1?

Edited December 27, 2016 by heavens-champion

[Zachary 5,522]

None because My Family never Fought in World War 1.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Zachary

[Brony Number 42 10,093]

My grandfather did. My dad says he didn't talk about it.

[JonasDarkmane 19,790]

None, though my family was affected. A great grandfather of mine, a fisherman, died at sea as his boat was sunk by a German U-boat.

[Corgis 574]

None that I know if in WWI but I had a uncle who went MIA in 1942 when the Japanese took over Singapore.  My aunt still has stories of WWII as well and in one case the church at the end of the street was bombed which caused parts of the roof to fall down in her house.

[N.W. 3,619]

I have a great uncle who fought with the AEF, my grandmother still has a few of his letters along with a few other things from his time over in Europe. 

[Derplight Sperkle 1,017]

My great grandfather on my grandfather's side fought on the side of Austria-Hungary during the war.

 

I know what you may be thinking, my ancestor was part of the losing side? But my family is Polish. Poland at the time was divided by three nations: Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Unlucky for my family, they were in now southern Poland where the Austrians held power.

 

Anyhoo, to continue the story, my grandfather was wounded in a battle. Don't know which one in particular. He was left for dead overnight in the middle of no man's land. When the Austrians came in to collect the dead, my great grandfather was found still barely alive. He made it home.

 

To think what would have happened if he was never found boggles the mind...

[Kiri 7,295]

I don't know if any of my ancestors fought in World War I, but my grandfather served in World War II. 

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,507]

I don't actually know if any of mine did. I know we were in the civil war, though. My grandfather was in World War II. He took part if the D-Day landings at Omaha, I think. His barge hit a mine. Of 100 people on board, 10 survived. He was one of them.

[BlueStreak98 828]

Most of my family had already left Eastern Europe by the time World War I broke out. Some of them went back before WWII broke out, though, which meant my paternal grandfather spent his teenage years in German-occupied Poland. My great grandfather was killed in crossfire when the Russians pushed back through toward the end of the war. 

 

 

I don't actually know if any of mine did. I know we were in the civil war, though. My grandfather was in World War II. He took part if the D-Day landings at Omaha, I think. His barge hit a mine. Of 100 people on board, 10 survived. He was one of them.

I had a great uncle who was an engineer that was part of the first wave onto Omaha Beach on D-Day. His particular sector spent the entire day pinned down on the beach; he spent most of it puking his guts out from seasickness. He said the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan was as close to the real thing as he ever saw. The sound of the wounded crying for their mothers haunted him for years.

 

Another great uncle of mine was captured in France and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp. He survived, but weighed under 100 pounds at the end of the war.

 

My maternal grandfather was drafted for the Korean War, but received a deferment due to the death of his father. The peace treaty was signed when he was in basic training; he went to Trieste instead.

[Spark Thunderbass 1,731]

I had a great uncle who was at Fromelles during World War I. Sadly he didn't survive for very long, nor did he ever got a chance to land a bullet on someone.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Spark Thunderbass

[nolongerabout 403]

My great-grandfather was one of three brothers who served, and the only one who survived. He enlisted at 15, the youngest of the three, in 1914 and fought at the Somme and in northern Italy. Unfortunately he died a few years before I was born, but I have most of his medals, and the medals issued to his godfather, who died at Ypres in 1915. One brother died at the Somme (I've been to his grave) and the other's body was never recovered. He's most likely buried among the Germans in one of their mass grave cemeteries.

 

on my father's side of the family, my great-grandfather was in the 95th Rifles, now the Royal Green Jackets, stationed in Egypt in the years running up to the war. He was wounded early on, as part of the British Expeditionary Force, at the Marne, and returned to fight a year later. He survived, and died in the sixties.

 

And those are the only ones I know about. It's likely there's more members of my family who served, as my family on my mother's side is huge. Those are just my "immediate" family. Glad that my family has such a storied history when it comes to the great war.

Edited December 29, 2016 by ForthEorl

[Silver Letter 1,832]

As far as I know, I have no family that had anything to do with the wars in Europe.

[Red Cedar 1,408]

My grandfathers were both lucky enough to be too young for WWI and too old for WWII. My mother remembers air raid drills where she would leave her house and lie in the ditch during the last days of WWII.

[StormBlaze 993]

not any that I know in WWI, but my mum's Dad was in North Africa and Italy during WWII, think there was some special Scottish squad, but I really dont know the details of it. 

[Sonic Shimmer 4,138]

My dad told me about his grandfather being a stretcher bearer bringing in wounded soldiers during the First World War. I don't even want to think about the things he must have seen and experienced doing that.

 

I don't know about any other my other ancestors who were in the war, but I know they must have because just about every young man was conscripted.

[CT-1138 3,184]

The only ancestor I know of that served was on my maternal Grandfather's side. He served in the German army. 

[Nara 84]

My great-grandfather did actually! We still have his medal awarded to him after the war

[Twiggy 2,967]

I had a great grandfather who fought for Germany in WW1. He received an Iron Cross 2nd class for dragging two wounded soldiers back to the trench with him after a failed charge..

[Nsxile 29,153]

My great grandfather fought against Germany in WW1.

[Lucky Bolt 35,246]

My great grandfather if I remember my family history right...

[Northern Star 1,024]

My great Grandfather was drafted into the calvary towards the end. Not alot was ever said about it, he may have went over just to come back, or may not have left at all. His uniform is in my grandparents basement I heard.

We have a picture if him in both uniforms in the farm yard.

In theory there are distant relatives who served on the German side too, as some didn't come over when the others did, for unknown reasons. 

Otherwise homesteading was still going strong and farmers and their families were usually told to stay home and feed the war effort during that time, so I think he's the only one.