Tales of Two: A Father Who Returned and a Father-in Law Who Did Not
Creators: name: Project Team, Their Finest Hour
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 430304
subject: British history
classificationCode: 430308
subject: European history (excl. British, classical Greek and Roman)
classificationCode: 430316
subject: International history

description: Contributor's (Arthur's) father-in-law John Arthur Venn (1917-1942) The contributor's father-in-law John Venn was in the war prior to his own father, due to John being younger. He enlisted on March 5th. 1940. He got married during the beginning of the war in 1940; and his daughter, Arthur's wife, was born in September 1942. John served in the M.T. Division and did an NCO (Non-Commission Officer's) course, before serving in the Transport Division as a driver. About two years into his service (likely around 192), John started developing an illness: tuberculosis. As a result, he was considered unfit for regular physical duties, receiving a certificate of discharge on January 8th, 1943 for "ceasing to fulfill the army's physical requirements." However, his military conduct was noted as being "very good." He ultimately passed away from the disease after his discharge in early 1944 when his daughter, the contributor's wife, was an eighteen-month-old baby.Contributor's own father Joseph Edwin Jones (July 25th, 1905-October 7th, 1980) Meanwhile, the contributor's own father enlisted at Carlisle on January 6th, 1943. Prior to enlisting, Joseph was a glazier (glass installer). Prior to heading off for service, he was married with seven children, Arthur (the contributor) being the youngest at the time. Thus, this left his wife with a large household to manage--ultimately, there would be eight children with the youngest sibling born while Joseph was off serving. During the war, he served with the Royal Engineers as a stevedore, unloading boats and handling materials. He arrived in Europe about six days after D-Day. In France, he was involved with building the Mulberry Harbour, a substantial harbour. Once that was built, the troops moved on. Joseph then travelled through France, helping build bridges along the way. Amidst this period, he faced his closest brush with death: while building a bridge in France, he fell over; and being unable to swim, he nearly drowned.Fortunately surviving, Joseph journeyed on and arrived in Belgium in late 1944 after its liberation; he remained there until 1945, residing with a Belgian family. In fact, the contributor's family kept in touch with the Belgian family for many years after the war, before the connections slowly faded away. He was due to be transferred to the far East (Burma); however, the war finished in the far East before that could materialize. Therefore, with the conclusion of Joseph's war service in Belgium, he was discharged after the war; upon which he returned to civilian life and his former trade as a glazier. In closing, the contributor Arthur relays a striking childhood memory with a remembrance of the day his father returned home from service. About four years old when his father left, he was about seven years old during his return. Arthur closes by recalling the playful memory of how, upon his return, his father found his young (but older) son Arthur playing with a water tap which he should not have been playing with - thus, was the beginning of their reunion.