The Daily for Wednesday May 05, 2021

[Himself]

6 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Thanks for the information.  I only had the Field Post Office number, but one of my stamp friends found the location of that FPO at that date.  

I love History and I have learned a lot reading these posts.

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

I don't think I ever rode my bike to school - too many hills in Pittsburgh.

 

I did ride the streetcar to elementary school for a few years. We lived in Ben Avon and the elementary school was in Emsworth. I love streetcars to this day!

 

I probably road this route too, maybe on the way to West View Amusement Park -

 

 

 

Rode them a lot while growing up in Amsterdam; very nice and easy way to get around. They have a museum dedicated to them over there

 

http://hampage.hu/trams/amszterdamsamml/e_index.html

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Copper10-8

[sailingdutchy]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Your uncle was part of the Greatest Generation! We are forever in debt to that generation who left their home countries to fight across both ponds for freedom! Many of those heroes never returned and lost their lives at a very young age! The Dutch, for one, will never forget and pay tribute to their liberators each year.

 

I had to look up Delden, thought perhaps it was Den Helder, the navy town which was my dad's birthplace. However, Delden is a municipality in the east of the Netherlands in the province of Overijssel, close to Germany. You learn something new every day 😉 

 

 

 

 

I have to be honest and had to look it up also John . Great to hear your dad was from Den Helder We were there a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the Maritime Museum and have good friends in Koedijk .

 

For you a couple of pictures of the "Tonijn "

 

 

[Overhead Fred]

32 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Rode them a lot while growing up in Amsterdam; very nice and easy way to get around. They have a museum dedicated to them over there

 

http://hampage.hu/trams/amszterdamsamml/e_index.html

 

 

 

Whenever I visit San Francisco (which hasn't been recently), I'll ride the old streetcars not caring where they go!

[Copper10-8]

29 minutes ago, sailingdutchy said:

 

I have to be honest and had to look it up also John . Great to hear your dad was from Den Helder We were there a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the Maritime Museum and have good friends in Koedijk .

 

For you a couple of pictures of the "Tonijn "

 

 

 

 

Great pics Tony! I read about HrMs Tonijn (Tuna) sub at the Marinemuseum. We are far overdue to go back to the old country and see those sights again! This is a pic of my dad (seated), his older brother and their parents/my grandparents when they lived in Den Helder. My Opa was a career petty officer/torpedo maker in the Koninklijke Marine/Royal Netherlands Navy so, of course, my dad did his compulsory military service also in the Navy. His dad tried to get him in the Navy academy, also in Den Helder, as an officer but that didn't work out. I left the old country to come to the States at age 18, just before I had to go in the service, so I did it here in the USMC 😉  

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Copper10-8

[Vict0riann]

14 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Your uncle was part of the Greatest Generation! We are forever in debt to that generation who left their home countries to fight across both ponds for freedom! Many of those heroes never returned and lost their lives at a very young age! The Dutch, for one, will never forget and pay tribute to their liberators each year.

 

I had to look up Delden, thought perhaps it was Den Helder, the navy town which was my dad's birthplace. However, Delden is a municipality in the east of the Netherlands in the province of Overijssel, close to Germany. You learn something new every day 😉 

 

 

 

After all that, I had to delve a little deeper into my uncle's war letters, which, unfortunately, I have to give to one of his daughters, so I only have my notes on them.   Evidently, in the training for D-Day he was injured when a PIAT exploded when being fired.  Two were killed, my uncle had damage to a hand and a  lung.  He was in hospital for 3 months, and did not participate in D-Day.  (My grandmother was relieved about that!)  He joined the Canadian Reinforcement Unit in England and was sent first to the Oldenburg Area in Germany (May '45) then joined the 1st Canadian Army in Delden, after that he was in Ermelo and finally through August, '45 in the Apeldoorn area.  I think the Field Post Offices followed the men around, so I was very lucky that my philatelic consultant was able to tell me where they were at any given time!  

[Copper10-8]

32 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

After all that, I had to delve a little deeper into my uncle's war letters, which, unfortunately, I have to give to one of his daughters, so I only have my notes on them.   Evidently, in the training for D-Day he was injured when a PIAT exploded when being fired.  Two were killed, my uncle had damage to a hand and a  lung.  He was in hospital for 3 months, and did not participate in D-Day.  (My grandmother was relieved about that!)  He joined the Canadian Reinforcement Unit in England and was sent first to the Oldenburg Area in Germany (May '45) then joined the 1st Canadian Army in Delden, after that he was in Ermelo and finally through August, '45 in the Apeldoorn area.  I think the Field Post Offices followed the men around, so I was very lucky that my philatelic consultant was able to tell me where they were at any given time!  

 

A PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank), a British-designed man portable anti-tank weapon. Delden, Ermelo and Apeldoorn are in the eastern (the first two) and central (the latter) portion of the country