Petra this is amazing! You know more about your unknown grandfathers than I know about mine. There was a spark within you that told your childhood self you were made of warrior blood! I find it fascinating that it came to be the truth. This essay is an amazing tribute to your family, thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you, Alisa. Love this comment! I'm becoming quite a history buff these days, so it's an honor to be compared to such esteemed historians. Rule, Britannia!
What a heartbreaking , credible article you have written about both your grandparents - it made me well up.
So important to honour our veterans and all they did for their country.
When a family member goes to war at such a young age I can’t begin to imagine the impact on your family members left at home….must have been painful and frightening. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Thanks for sharing your grandfathers' stories. They went through so much. You're so right about the trickle down effects of war trauma through generations.
I wrote about Gordon, a WWII Spitfire pilot in my own family, a few weeks ago (sadly he was shot down shortly before the end of the war and did not survive). I've become the accidental "keeper" of his story. Sharing it felt a little like bringing him back to life.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Wendy! I will go and look for Gordon's story. I'm so sorry he did not survive. Being the "keeper" of such stories is an honour.
Petra this is amazing! You know more about your unknown grandfathers than I know about mine. There was a spark within you that told your childhood self you were made of warrior blood! I find it fascinating that it came to be the truth. This essay is an amazing tribute to your family, thank you for sharing it with us.
Wow. This is an enormous, wild story. It could/should be made into a movie.
It is wild to think of this in epigenetic terms, and the influence experiences of the past impact the present.
I loved this Petra! A little window to the past❤️
Completely riveting! It reads like Michener meets Doris Kearns Goodwin and, by hook or by crook, everyone ventures forth to save Britannia.🇬🇧
Thank you, Alisa. Love this comment! I'm becoming quite a history buff these days, so it's an honor to be compared to such esteemed historians. Rule, Britannia!
What a heartbreaking , credible article you have written about both your grandparents - it made me well up.
So important to honour our veterans and all they did for their country.
When a family member goes to war at such a young age I can’t begin to imagine the impact on your family members left at home….must have been painful and frightening. Thank you for sharing ❤️
This is fascinating, Petra. And RIP The Lady.
Thanks for sharing your grandfathers' stories. They went through so much. You're so right about the trickle down effects of war trauma through generations.
I wrote about Gordon, a WWII Spitfire pilot in my own family, a few weeks ago (sadly he was shot down shortly before the end of the war and did not survive). I've become the accidental "keeper" of his story. Sharing it felt a little like bringing him back to life.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Wendy! I will go and look for Gordon's story. I'm so sorry he did not survive. Being the "keeper" of such stories is an honour.
This was Gordon’s story, Petra. Such potential. Such a short life.
https://open.substack.com/pub/wendyvarley/p/champagne-unopened-1945?r=cmaaf&utm_medium=ios
Added to my saved articles to read this weekend! Looking forward x
Fascinating Petra. Those wonderfully brave men.
Thank you, Sharon.
What a legacy!
So interesting. Lovely for you to share this and always so wonderfully written ❤️
What an interesting incredible article about your grandfathers! It affects how we feel about ourselves and adds to our identity. Bravo!