Taid, as he was known to me, lived with us at Barnston in his later years. He was a kind man who used to look after me when my parents were out the various church functions that regularly occurred. He would often walk down to Barnston Post Office and buy me sweets, Fry's Chocolate Creme was a favourite and still is.He used to love telling stories  and singing songs about the first world war.He had a ridge on his head that was made by a german bullet !

When he was a boy he was called Snowy because of his blond hair, as an older man he was  completely bald and blamed his hair loss on the awful helmet he had to wear during the war.

One particular story that I remember went as  follows.

'I was in the trenches one day and an officer came racing through, he was very well spoken and said that he needed my rifle. I handed it over and he ran off. A few minutes later some more soldiers came running through and asked if I had seen him I said yes and that he had taken my rifle. "he was a german spy" came the retort as they ran off in hot pursuit !'

He always ended the story by saying that it was the only rifle he had during the whole war that could shoot  straight.

Taid loved 'roll your own' Woodbines and was proud of the fact that they 'never did him any harm' - he lived till he was 80.

I've often reflected that if that bullet had been an inch lower mum, her brothers and sisters and me and my 4 children wouldn't be here at all.

George Henry was known to his friends and family as Harry. He worked with a Milk Delivery firm after leaving school. It was just before the War, and Harry and my brother Wil had joined the Territorial Army. On the Sunday that War was declared they had to report to the Drill Hall in Bangor. They were drafted to the 69th Medium Regt. RA and served in France until they were eventually evacuated through Dunkirk. After a period of recuperation, they sailed via the Cape to the Middle East, where they were part of the 8th Army under General Montgomery. They reached Tunisia, where at a place called Enfidaville, Wil was seriously wounded and suffered three fractures in his skull. Harry was near to him at the time.

'Enfidaville was the site of the last battle in the North African Campaign of World War II, and was the site of an Allied Airfield.

In April 1943 during Operation Strike, the American Corps II cornered the Axis powers force against the Tunisian Coast. The Eighth Army attacked Enfidaville on 19 April captured the village, but met strong resistance. Attacks further north saw the fall of Tunis on 7 May, to the British 1st Army and Bizerta on the 8th of May to the Americans. Resuming the assault on Enfidaville on 11–13 May, the city saw the defeat of Axis forces of Italian general Messe, but with significant casualties. 1,551 Allied casualties were buried in the Enfadaville War Cemetery, including Wing Commander Ian Gleed DSO DFC, an English RAF pilot and flying ace, who was shot down over Cap Bon.'

 Not so many miles away my other three brothers, Ivor, Reynold and Cyril were serving with the 1st Army. Wil was discharged eventually and returned to work in the Quarry when the War was over, Harry retumed to this country and was marred to a girl called Joyce from Sussex. They had a daughter called Dawn who would now be in her 50 or so years of age. Harry worked on an oil rig for a while but incurred a serious injury and his right arm was amputated. Joyce and Harry eventually separated and were divorced before Harry emigrated to Australia. There he had an association with another lady and Harry changed his name by Deed Poll to Staggs.He lived to good age but on the 15th of July 1998 he died at the age of 80 years.

HLW

Enid attended the Central Secondary School on Deiniol Road in Bangor. When War broke out, most girls were obliged to do some important work. Enid worked in a factory in Bangor also, at a munitions factory in Manchester. She was also in the Land Army. After living in Australia for a number of years, she lived with her husband Bob at Gresford near Wrexham. 

HLW

Joan, went to the same Schools as Enid. She, also worked at the same factories during the War. After the War was over she worked at Woolworth Stores in Bangor. There she met her future husband and were married at the same service as us at St. Mary s Church in Bangor on 1949 Johann and Joan had one son Christopher. Chris after attending School at Rock Ferry, graduated at Sussex University. He married Brenda. Chris and Brenda's home is in Croft Avenue, Johann lived with his grandarents at Beaumaris. His parents were divorced and his original name was Shultz. This German name was an embarrassment during the War, so he changed it to Shaw. His father was actually Danish by birth. Johann served in the British Army during the War, and when he was discharged he also worked in Woolworths. Then he took a job as an Insurance Agent, but he was not very happy doing this work, and, eventually he found a job with Lever Bros, in Port Sunlight. During this time, he lived with us at Barnston until he and Joan acquired a house in Port Sunlight Village.Joan and Johann continued to live at Port Sunlight until Joan died unexpectedly on June 1992. Johann also, died quite suddenly in January 1995.

HLW