What did your grandparents do?

**panama hat** · 21-08-2020, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by VocalNeal

Maternal GM Ran a coach business.

Coach, as in bus/train?

**Fondles** · 21-08-2020, 12:02 PM

No idea, my dad was dead before I was born and mum died giving birth.

**happynz** · 21-08-2020, 12:09 PM

Maternal grandfather - a man who was born poor and stayed that way who did a bit of this and that badly, usually depressed, and ended up dying by starving himself to death.
Maternal grandmother - she was the daughter of a failed gold prospector.

Paternal grandfather - a not very good farmer who barely scraped by.
Paternal grandmother - short blocky woman who yelled a lot at her five sons and three daughters. She always looked exhausted.

Yeah, bred for success, that's me.

**Norton** · 21-08-2020, 12:29 PM

Paternal grandfather railroad worker for Canadian Pacific Railway
Paternal GM Housewife

Maternal GF Teacher in Scotland, Farmer and store owner in Canada.
Maternal GM Housewife

All circa 1900

**bsnub** · 21-08-2020, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Fondles

No idea, my dad was dead before I was born and mum died giving birth.

Holy shit. That must have been a rough upbringing mate.

**docmartin** · 21-08-2020, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by bsnub

That must have been a rough upbringing mate.

One of my grandfathers was a son of an itinerant blacksmith with a lot of kids.
When he was nine his mother announced that they were leaving town again, an apprenticeship had been arranged for him, and ‘have a nice life boy, see you around’.

**reinvented** · 21-08-2020, 12:48 PM

Maternal grandfather: Worked a lathe
Maternal grandmother: Oversaw incoming logistics for 8th USAAF from teh US to UK
Paternal grandfather: Glass works gaffer
Paternal grandmother (Nonna): housewife (i think)

Good thread this Tom

**tomcat** · 21-08-2020, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by reinvented

Paternal grandmother (Nonna): housewife

...you have an Italian grandmother?...

**VocalNeal** · 21-08-2020, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by panama hat

Coach, as in bus/train?

Buses have a set route and timetable. Coaches usually do not. But a coach may be used as a school bus!

**Davis Knowlton** · 21-08-2020, 01:33 PM

Maternal GF: Army officer in WW1 and WW2. MGM: Housewife.

Paternal GF: Lawyer/prosecuting attorney. PGM: Housewife.

**jabir** · 21-08-2020, 02:00 PM

Paternal grandfather: Owned a soap/powder factory which got nicked, died close to broke.

Maternal grandfather: Butcher, also broke by virtue of giving free/cheap to locals that couldn't afford meat. Still managed to scrape together a copper for my tricycle rents (3-4 yrs old); safety was no concern but after the first few times getting lost another coin for an older kid to follow me around, which was cheaper than paying the overdues, and I am told one lost trike. I visited that slum >40 years on, the hole in the wall was still there, enquiries revealed it was being run by the owner's son, his dad having retired to a supervisory stool and sheesha, which he almost fell off of when I introduced myself as his butcher’s grandson. And he remembered my name.

**Simon43** · 21-08-2020, 02:03 PM

Paternal grandfather - In the British army stationed at Alexandria, Egypt, prior and during WW1
Paternal grandmother - Not sure, I met her when I was about 10 years old - she settled in Salonika, Greece after divorcing her husband.
Maternal grandfather - Working in the oil business in Iraq prior to WWII - I saw some marvelous old 'colonial' photos of him in Baghdad.
Maternal grandmother - Nut sure, I only met here once when I was about 4 years old.

Both grandfathers died before I was born (one had a car accident in the USA, needed a blood transfusion and the docs gave him the wrong blood type - oops!).

**panama hat** · 21-08-2020, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by VocalNeal

Buses have a set route and timetable. Coaches usually do not. But a coach may be used as a school bus!

Thank you

**Cujo** · 21-08-2020, 02:47 PM

maternal grandmother, nurse, maternal grandfather served as major in Africa in WW2 then qualified as a mechanical engineer. (designed and manufactured a machine that is to this day in use in the construction of roads etc. Unfortunately not being a business man never got rich from it but it was his whole life)
Paternal grandfather (Opa) P.E. teacher maternal grandmother (Oma) part time music teacher housewife.

**panama hat** · 21-08-2020, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Cujo

Paternal grandfather (Opa) P.E. teacher maternal grandmother (Oma) part time music teacher housewife.

Mine were also Opa and Oma and Opa and Opi

(Never met two of them, though)

**reinvented** · 21-08-2020, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by tomcat

...you have an Italian grandmother?...

no just a tendncy to be careless with cut and paste

my grandmothers people are spear chukkers from county Mayo
her recipes would be heavy on potato

**reinvented** · 21-08-2020, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by Cujo

maternal grandmother, nurse, maternal grandfather served as major in Africa in WW2 then qualified as a mechanical engineer. (designed and manufactured a machine that is to this day in use in the construction of roads etc. Unfortunately not being a business man never got rich from it but it was his whole life)
Paternal grandfather (Opa) P.E. teacher maternal grandmother (Oma) part time music teacher housewife.

Maternal Grandfather was with Rommel?

**Headworx** · 21-08-2020, 03:53 PM

Maternal Grandparents: Cattle/Sheep Station owners.
Paternal Grandparents: Church Minister and wife.

**Little Chuchok** · 21-08-2020, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by panama hat

Mine were also Opa and Oma and Opa and Opi

(Never met two of them, though)

Dutch,Flemish or Yerman?

**Little Chuchok** · 21-08-2020, 04:30 PM

Both sides Farmers.

**Cujo** · 21-08-2020, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by reinvented

Maternal Grandfather was with Rommel?

He had a part in Rommels downfall, let's A: put it that way and B: see if anyone gets the reference.

Oma, waving Opa off. (front right)

**tomcat** · 21-08-2020, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Cujo

He had a part in Rommels downfall, let's A: put it that way and B: see if anyone gets the reference.

...A) handed Rommel the cyanide pill B) I assume there's a prize...

**panama hat** · 21-08-2020, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

Dutch,Flemish or Yerman?

Dis one 'Yerman'

**Fondles** · 21-08-2020, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by bsnub

Holy shit. That must have been a rough upbringing mate.

Not really, was adopted at 3 months.

**misskit** · 21-08-2020, 06:28 PM

Paternal grandfather: high voltage electrician
Paternal grandmother: housewife

Maternal grandfather: WWII soldier after Allied victory at Rheinwiesenlager camp. Liquor store manager.
Maternal grandmother: textile worker

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