Lunester Lounge 2017.... for ANY topic you wish to discuss

[jukebox]

Jeff, a few suggestions to help out / keep the ball rolling wheels turning.

 

You could complement Lunester Lounge with Lunester Parlour / Pullman / Open / Sleeper  ...er perhaps not that one / Trailer.

 

Or have Lunester Lounge (relating to KL) and Lunester Lounge Unclassified (BR Code "U", denoting everything else).

 

I do like Polly's suggestion that it be Lunester _______   ; it makes good sense to have it themed with The Lounge.  

[Physicsman]

I do like Polly's suggestion that it be Lunester _______   ; it makes good sense to have it themed with The Lounge.  

 

Yes, Scott, I agree. I'll pull together the suggestions that have been made up to this evening and people can vote tomorrow.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

An interesting observation here. In which thread did Polly post those comments? I can't find it in the Lounge threads.

 

Jeff

 

Edit: Found it! Timed at 09.52, not the 10.52 it gives in Scott's quote. Open your eyes, Jeff!!

Edited May 9, 2015 by Physicsman

[peach james]

As some of you know, I am a serving member of the Royal Canadian Navy.  So, I have my own medals, thanks...

 

I hold a CD (for 12 years undetected crime), and a SWACM (with bar) for the ship's tour in 2002 (Op Apollo, Roto 3). 

 

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-ddhr/chc-tdh/chart-tableau-eng.asp?ref=SWASM

 

In terms of other medals kicking around the house, the highest award I have here is a MBE, which belonged to Harold "Pop" Collins, my great grandfather.  There's stories to go with it- it was probably mostly awarded for long service, as it was awarded in 1942, during the middle of his 3rd war.  He'd served in South Africa (Boar War), then sailed through the first world war, during which his ship was torpedoed (at least, that's what his record of continuous discharge says), and allegedly mined as well... (I _think_ I know which ship that is, but the timings don't line up all that well...mind, his record of discharge doesn't have a lot of detail for the WW1 trips), then he continued at sea through the 2nd lot of difficulty, including sailing to Norway in 1940.  I have some of his cheer up cards from TORCH as well.  He was Chief Steward onboard MV Reina Del Pacifico and SS Orduna (mostly Orduna) during the war. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Reina_del_Pacifico

 

Granddad (on dad's side) was a schoolteacher/headmaster, and is also a bit of a Enigma.  Dad says that he was teaching/headmaster of one of the schools at Bletchley Park, which wouldn't surprise me.  Grandmum on dad's side stayed in the Mold area during the war, she too was a teacher.  Her father had been killed in the first war, or at least, the man we presume was her father...there was some interesting shananagans played with children in that timeframe in her family anyway.  (Dad was told not to date any girls from Buckley, as he was related to some he didn't know he was...). 

 

On my mum's side, Granddad and mum were married in 1940, after meeting in Liverpool.  Prior to that, grandmum had worked for Captain (N) Doust, of the Salvage Association as his secretary.  I have a lovely letter from Captain Doust to her congratulating her on the occasion of her marriage.  I understood from Grandmum that Captain Doust had proposed to her, now if that was lighthearted or not, I don't know...certainly the letter gives the feel of it having been somewhat serious.  I also have a copy of Captain Doust's book (The Ocean on a Plank) which details his work both prior to the war and during it.  It was published in the early 1980's, and clearly there are still stories that weren't told then.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Thetis_(N25) must have happened literally right in front of them, I would suspect that Capt. Doust was one of the individuals who offered advice and was ignored by the RN as being a bloody civvie...). 

 

Granddad was a Chemist, and as such, that was a protected occupation.  He also had heart issues from being born premature.  He served in the Birkenhead Police Force as an auxiliary bobby through the war, apparently he had one bomb land close enough that he and his partner were in the doughnut of the blast- right where you want to be if one does go off near you. 

 

Grandmum's 2nd husband, Hugh (Taffy) Evans fought in Burma in the 2nd World War, I have his shadow box & medals as well. 

 

Gone, but not forgotten.  We will remember them.

 

James

[trisonic]

Well, even my Mother worked on Patton’s Operation Fortitude in Signals......she did not even know it.

 

Still, sometimes it is best to remain silent about accomplishments like that.

 

Best, Pete.

[ChrisN]

My dad served through all the war but because he spent time in what was a 'training regiment' he did not even get a war medal

 

I knew a guy, called Harry who was living in the East End during the war.  Only a little man.  He joined the air force 16 1/2 and became a navigator, first on Beaufighters, then on Lancasters.  Flew 16 missions, including Peenemunde, and had to land once in Sweden due to damage.  One of my sons had a lot of time for him as he thought he was a hero.  I think he was right.

 

He was Jewish and had come from Germany before the war with his parents.  He said to me that on one raid he thought to himself, "Why am I doing this?  That could have been me down there."  Fortunately it seems European politics have moved on since then.

[45156]

My dad joined the RAF voluntarily, but was "sorted" at Padgate for ground service and was trained as a ground wireless operator, reaching the dizzy heights of LAC!  Much to his regret, he never saw any combat, though he was posted to the Middle East and to Cyprus.  However, his role was one which did save a lot of aircraft as he had to contact them and to give them the bearings back to base if they were lost or off course, so though he didn't actually do any fighting, he probably saved many aircrews from getting lost and crashing through lack of fuel.  He did leave me one legacy other than music, as he also taught me morse code, which is a skill that I've still got, though he could operate at about 30wpm, and I never got past 10.  He was a music student, and the last thing that he did before leaving for service was to play a G7 chord on the piano, and the first thing he did on demob was to resolve the chord to a C (musicians will understand the suspense of an unresolved dominant 7th).

 

Also quite interesting was a neighbour whom I discovered during one of these "in the street" conversations had served at Station X as one of the operatives who had to apply the cribs to intercepted Enigma messages and to convert them to German from gobbledygook once the code breakers had worked out the cribs - more than that, I cannot get from her, as even now, she has this need to keep her role a secret, as of course many at that station did.

Edited May 9, 2015 by 45156

[Clive Mortimore]

My dad joined the RAF voluntarily, but was "sorted" at Padgate for ground service and was trained as a ground wireless operator, reaching the dizzy heights of LAC!  Much to his regret, he never saw any combat, though he was posted to the Middle East and to Cyprus.  However, his role was one which did save a lot of aircraft as he had to contact them and to give them the bearings back to base if they were lost or off course, so though he didn't actually do any fighting, he probably saved many aircrews from getting lost and crashing through lack of fuel.  He did leave me one legacy other than music, as he also taught me morse code, which is a skill that I've still got, though he could operate at about 30wpm, and I never got past 10.  He was a music student, and the last thing that he did before leaving for service was to play a G7 chord on the piano, and the first thing he did on demob was to resolve the chord to a C (musicians will understand the suspense of an unresolved dominant 7th).

 

Also quite interesting was a neighbour whom I discovered during one of these "in the street" conversations had served at Station X as one of the operatives who had to apply the cribs to intercepted Enigma messages and to convert them to German from gobbledygook once the code breakers had worked out the cribs - more than that, I cannot get from her, as even now, she has this need to keep her role a secret, as of course many at that station did.

Hi 45156

 

It seems to be a bit of a theme with musicians and military signals. My father-in law was a Royal Navy signaller, he was also a jass saxophinist. It must have something to do with how musicians hear sound. He was stationed at Scarborough where the navy had a listening station.  He said that they could tell which German signaller was  on duty by the way they tapped out their morse code. On the run up to D-Day he was sent to Bletchley Park so that any Kriegsmarine signals could be given straight away to the boffins to de-code. After D Day he was listening to Japanese morse code signals. His party trick was to tap out happy birthday in Japanese morse, well that's what he told us it was.

[Jock67B]

Evening all,

Slightly better this evening so a short post before bed. My dad was one of four brothers, the two eldest being regulars in the army before the war started. He was denied the chance to sign up as being an engine driver, he was required to stay here. He did his bit moving bombs and munitions out of the Nobel site at Ardeer especially as D-Day approached!

His oldest brother, a Sgt. And Sapper, was invalided out after being shipped home from Dunkirk, and had impaired movement due to shrapnel lodged close to his spine for the rest of his life. The next in line became an officer in the Guards, making the rank of Captain with a couple of decorations he kept tucked in his bureau - earned in the Western desert and at Monte Cassino! The youngest brother was at school, shortly before university.

Great grandfather came through some of the worst battles of WW1, and then risked the rest of his working life down the damp Ayrshire coal mines, living to his late nineties!

As big a hero/heroine was their mum however, she walked an eight mile round trip to the munitions factory south of Hurlford in Ayrshire to make bullets and shells - as small children we were told about how they worked in small units so that, if one blew up, it didn't affect the production at the others! I was very proud of my grandmother.

Remember them all we should indeed!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[Mythocentric]

Two of my most memorable family members and (to me) heroes from the wars was an uncle, after whom I was named, William. Younger brother of my mother, he enlisted and eventually found himself in Burma and fought until capture and interment as a prisoner-of-war. During this period he suffered starvation, was constantly brutalised and eventually contracted malaria. When he was released, he was closed to death but with the help of some wonderful medical attention, he survived and returned home to start life anew with his new bride and returned to his old job together with some of his ex-army mates. Sadly his future never came to pass. Just two months after his return, as he left work he collapsed and died in the arms of his brother, my uncle John. I never met him but I'll certainly remember him with love just from the memory of that sparkle that came into my mothers eyes as she recalled their childhood and the mischief she and William got up to.

The other is my Grandpa Jack Turner, and what an amazing character he was! One of my greatest joys as a child was to visit my grandma and grandpa and be enthralled by his stories! A small, wiry man with his white hair and constantly lit pipe and it's tendency to knock you over due to his smoking uncut Black Sh*g {stupid bl**dy editor!}, (fortunately unseen these days but a pipeful probably contained a similar amount of tar to a mile of motorway!). Too many stories to recount here but as to the man himself. His first encounter with conflict was via the Boar War for which he enlisted by lying about his age (he was actually 15 at the time)  and, on completion of his training joined the Lancers (12th (The Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers). One of our families proudest possessions is a photograph of him in uniform complete with little pillbox hat set at a jaunty angle, standing alongside a horse which was probably big enough to require him to be lifted up to reach the stirrups. After that little jaunt and unwilling to return home he joined the Merchant Navy and spent a few years "getting up to malarkey" around the China Sea and Indian Ocean until the onset of WW1. He enlisted again by lying about his age (he knocked a few years off this time). Like many of his comrades he was very reluctant to talk about his experiences during the conflict although we know he took part at the Somme and the (2nd) battle of Ypres. He claimed he managed to get through the "shenanigans" without a scratch although his helmet "got shot twice". My grandma revealed later that the first time the bullet was close enough to ricochet off, leaving him unconscious and concussed enough to end up in hospital where the doctors decided to send him off for R&R, in answer to which he raised Holy Hell until they gave in and sent him back to his regiment. The second one was a little closer and left him with a fractured skull and neck injuries. It was close enough to the end of the war that by the time he got out of hospital "the bu**er's had given up and gone home" so that's what he did! A brilliant character well-loved by everyone who knew him. Always smiling, always up for mischief and never without his pipe. He passed away aged 98 and my grandma found him sat up in bed, pipe in hand and still smiling. I hope the angels knew what they were in for!

And that's our families military history, until this William decided to join the Royal Navy! No medals, no great heroes (although they were, each and every blessed one of them!) but two men who had a great influence on a little lad and both of whom taught me respect both for our own soldiers, male and female, (thoughts here for daughter Emma's best friend Amy who is currently serving in Iraq!) and for all those who find themselves drawn unknowingly into conflict, wherever they are!

 

Regards

 

Bill

Edited May 10, 2015 by Mythocentric

[Allegheny1600]

Hi all,

Just a very brief "pop in" before I go down to Derby, a name suggestion for you all,

How about "Lunester Lunacy"?

Cheers,

John.

[jukebox]

John, I hope you don't mind me evolving your idea a touch:  The Lunester Asylum

 

You'd be crazy to think I didn't mean it as a place where you could find refuge!*

 

*just reread that - it could read like I was calling John crazy.  I'm not.  Apologies if anyone thought that 

Edited May 10, 2015 by jukebox

[ChrisN]

I know not many are local to this but I shall be at Expo EM South next Saturday morning.  If you are planning to go please let me know.

[Jason T]

How about a bit of nature? Sat on the sofa watching this sparrow trying to work out how to use the feeder. It keeps watching the bluetits with confusion. Also, the river is pretty high still after Friday's rain. I will miss this view when we move (although the views from the new house are pretty good too).

[emt_911]

I know not many are local to this but I shall be at Expo EM South next Saturday morning.  If you are planning to go please let me know.

Hi Chris

 

As long as I don't end up working I should be there

[Physicsman]

The view from your lounge window IS stunning, Jason. Even sitting with the door open, listening to the river flowing by is very relaxing.

 

Did the sparrow figure it out? I doubt it.

 

Looking forward to seeing the new house.

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

Here is a list of potential names for this thread. I'm going over to see my dad for a few days, so I'll do the count-up later this week - maybe Thursday. In the meantime I'll keep reminding you to vote. Here are the candidates:

 

1     New Lounge

 

2     First Class Lounge

 

3     Lunester Pullman

 

4     Lunester Asylum

 

5     Lunester Parlour

 

If less than 10 votes (total) are received, the current name will stand. So get voting!!

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

It's been a humbling experience reading all the testimonies about your relatives. It's living history and, as times goes by, it'll fade away and be lost. If mankind still inhabits this planet in a few hundred years, the First and Second World Wars will probably be relegated to a paragraph each on "Galactic Wikipedia" - with twentieth-hand commentary from people of the time.

 

It's to be hoped that as much Primary Source material, from those who were actually involved, survives into the future. Humans are a self-destructive lot, so I'm not holding my breath!!

 

All of your posts demonstrate what a great bunch of people contribute to this thread. 

 

Jeff

[Jason T]

The sparrow gave up after 10 minutes and flew off. If it had any sense, it would eat the ones off the ground that the bluetits dropped. They (and a few Robins, Finches and a yellow bird with a long beak?) emptied the full feeder yesterday.

[45156]

One vote here for Lunester Pullman

[Andrew P]

Hi all,

Just a very brief "pop in" before I go down to Derby, a name suggestion for you all,

How about "Lunester Lunacy"?

Cheers,

John.

Hi John, I didn't see you there today mate, Maybe we should BOTH go to Specsavers, hahhaha.

[Andrew P]

Here is a list of potential names for this thread. I'm going over to see my dad for a few days, so I'll do the count-up later this week - maybe Thursday. In the meantime I'll keep reminding you to vote. Here are the candidates:

 

1     New Lounge

 

2     First Class Lounge

 

3     Lunester Pullman

 

4     Lunester Asylum

 

5     Lunester Parlour

 

If less than 10 votes (total) are received, the current name will stand. So get voting!!

 

Jeff

Stick me down for the New Lounge, at least I can remember that easily.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Andrew P

[Andrew P]

It's been a humbling experience reading all the testimonies about your relatives. It's living history and, as times goes by, it'll fade away and be lost. If mankind still inhabits this planet in a few hundred years, the First and Second World Wars will probably be relegated to a paragraph each on "Galactic Wikipedia" - with twentieth-hand commentary from people of the time.

 

It's to be hoped that as much Primary Source material, from those who were actually involved, survives into the future. Humans are a self-destructive lot, so I'm not holding my breath!!

 

All of your posts demonstrate what a great bunch of people contribute to this thread. 

 

Jeff

Just to add that I haven't contributed to the above as my Farther was in Bomb Disposal, but never talked of the War and I didn't even know he was in that until after his death.

[MikeHemmings]

New lounge looks good to me.

 

Mike

[AireValley1962]

Lunester Parlour [X]