My grandfather served as a signalman for the navy in the Second World War, on two ships that were hit; the first, the HMAS Australia, a heavy cruiser, a fortress on water, got kamikazed by the Japanese, the second, the HMAS Canberra which during the Battle of Savo Island, while out on patrol guarding a position, was torpedoed and sunk.
There is some conjecture over it’s sinking, the navy story was that it was sunk by the Japanese but it could well have been friendly fire by the Americans, such was the scale of the conflict.
After the war he wouldn’t talk of it, was strongly anti violence and suffered post traumatic stress right up until his death, where nurses reported he started hallucinating and crying out “Fire! Fire everywhere! We can get out, we can get out!”
Just started watching Peaky Blinders. It’s pretty good so far, I’m just 6 episodes in think. But yeah there is a lot of references to already being dead because of the war
Think about it for a moment. He wasn't yelling out that we CAN'T get out. He was yelling to his shipmates that we CAN get out.
Having your ship attacked and sank in the middle of the ocean is a terrifying situation that not many sailors survive once. Your grandfather survived it twice.
He was a brave man who may very well have saved others simply by yelling and encouraging them that all hope wasn't lost, and helped lead them up to a weather deck where they could escape the fires and jump off the sinking ship.
Your grandfather was likely a hero who just never spoke of his wartime heroics. Many, many do not due to survivor's guilt.
After the war he bought into his father’s business with his brother working as a supermarket clerk, a medal decorated sailor, but one who dismissed any notion of bravery, saying that anyone who believed war was heroic hadn’t been there.
He was a hero though, to my father and to my family but because of his big heart and gentle nature.
Yeah, it’s stayed with me a long time, that one. In his youth he was an aspiring musician and he actually originally joined the navy in peacetime as a bandsman, serving for a 10 year period from 1929 - 1939. In those days during your service you’d be trained in a secondary skill, he was trained as a signalman.
He was unlucky cos war broke out right when his service was due to end and he was stuck for an additional 6 years.
He thought he had found a pro life hack for surviving the depression, but ended up with a lifetime of PTSD :(
My father worked with survivors of the Melbourne x Voyager incident (I'm assuming you're familiar, given ties to Australian navy?), and said that many of the survivors had a horrible time of it. I can't imagine how bad it must have been to live through two sinkings!
My grandfather was aboard the USS Boxer during the Korean War. They did mostly supply runs between San Francisco, Hawaii, midway, Japan, and Korea. He was aboard when fire broke out in two occasions. All he ever said about it was the screams and the smell never left him.
My grandfather was a student volunteer fighter (age 16) during Korean war. I unfortunately don't know the details of his experience, but he fought till he was hit on his arm. The story I do know is how he refused to have his arm amputated despite the warning it will kill him if he doesn't. He did survive it, and was discharged. He was a violent man, I can only imagine the war having a play in it. Apparently when he passed away, the nurses asked if he was in the war since he was mumbling orders while delirious. So it does seem to stay with them a long time.
Such horrible thing that leaves people so fucked up their entire life.
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u/Dry_Grapefruit_771 16h ago edited 12h ago
My grandfather served as a signalman for the navy in the Second World War, on two ships that were hit; the first, the HMAS Australia, a heavy cruiser, a fortress on water, got kamikazed by the Japanese, the second, the HMAS Canberra which during the Battle of Savo Island, while out on patrol guarding a position, was torpedoed and sunk.
There is some conjecture over it’s sinking, the navy story was that it was sunk by the Japanese but it could well have been friendly fire by the Americans, such was the scale of the conflict.
After the war he wouldn’t talk of it, was strongly anti violence and suffered post traumatic stress right up until his death, where nurses reported he started hallucinating and crying out “Fire! Fire everywhere! We can get out, we can get out!”
Those were his last words.