Tell us about your family...

**Simon43** · 23-09-2021, 12:00 PM

My father was born in 1918 ,in Alexandria, Egypt, where his father was doing something for the British army. He grew up as trilingual, speaking English with his family, Arabic with the maid, and French at the local international French school. He came to the UK in his early twenties, but then suspended his university education to sign up for 12 years in the British army. He was promptly sent back to Africa, since he was relatively immune to the various tropical diseases that he had grown up with.

During WW2, he was employed as a signals officer, and apparently spent most of his time upcountry in some jungle hellhole, where his fellow soldiers were all succumbing to black water fever etc. He never dared fire the gun issued to him, since it resembled a Victorian blunderbuss...

Towards the end of WW2, he was seconded to the Nurenburg trials, where he coded up daily reports for Winston Churchill.

After the war ended, he gained employment at Leicester University as a lecturer of various obscure languages, such as Old Norse, Middle High German etc. I remember being 'babysat' by him in a lecture hall, where he presented a lecture to the students, whilst I played with my toys in the corner.

When he retired many years later, the university had to end the courses that he previously taught, since no-one else knew these languages!

My father wrote various academic books, notably about the Arthurian Legend. He died at a good age of 89 years, having lead a healthy life

My mother was born in London in 1928. She was evacuated to the USA during WW2, where her father lived. After the war, she returned to the UK, married my father and had 3 sons (I'm the youngest). She was fluent in French and wrote several biographical books about French personalities.

Tell us about your family...-barbara-jpg

Unlike my father, my mother didn't really look after her health, smoking and drinking rather excessively (I blame this on living with my dad!). She suffered from several strokes in later years and was disabled and confined to a 5-star nursing home, where she died at the reasonably good age of 84.

My 2 elder brothers were more academic than I. Both studied at Cambridge University (I only managed London Uni!). The eldest was a theoretical mathematician who worked all his life in government military radar research, and has published numerous academic papers - the contents of which are way beyond my simple brain! My middle brother studied Cosmology as a student of Steve Hawking, and went on to become Dean (or something at that level) at an unnamed university.

I was lazy at school, failed my A levels, and then spent 7 years slogging through colleges to achieve my MSc in Space Technology. After many years of enjoyable work in the Space sector and AI software, I moved to Thailand, lost all my money and most of my sanity with ex-wife #2, then reinvented myself as a Science teacher. I expect to become a dollar millionaire (again) next year

**tomcat** · 23-09-2021, 12:20 PM

...*cough"...and?...

**Simon43** · 23-09-2021, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by tomcat

...*cough"...and?...

Interesting experiences of everyday life and history obviously mean little to you. Tell me about you and your family Tomcat.

**can123** · 23-09-2021, 01:15 PM

Tell us about your family...-annotation-2020-06-27-192831-png

**nidhogg** · 23-09-2021, 01:42 PM

I personally found Simons post quite fascinating. What a rich family history. My families is far more boring and mundane.

**Simon43** · 23-09-2021, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by nidhogg

I personally found Simons post quite fascinating. What a rich family history. My families is far more boring and mundane.

On the contrary, I think every family history has interesting events and aspects of everyday life

I left out the details of my dad's sister being imprisoned in Egypt as a spy, me being imprisoned (briefly) in Pattaya for fraud (not true!!), my brother going on lecture tours with Steve Hawking as his 'translator' (when his illness rendered it impossible for others to understand his mumblings) etc - so many memorable events

**Saint Willy** · 23-09-2021, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Simon43

On the contrary, I think every family history has interesting events and aspects of everyday life

Quite true.

However, I'm not prepared to share personal identifiers on this forum that (a minority) can use to dox, stalk or harass other posters with.

**Stumpy** · 23-09-2021, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Saint Willy

However, I'm not prepared to share personal identifiers on this forum that (a minority) can use to dox, stalk or harass other posters with.

Yeppers...

**Simon43** · 23-09-2021, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by Saint Willy

Quite true.

However, I'm not prepared to share personal identifiers on this forum that (a minority) can use to dox, stalk or harass other posters with.

I quite understand. Luckily - being 'ancient and old school', I don't give a FF what people say about me

If they steal my bank details by phishing or ID fraud, I'd kindly ask that they deposit some $ in my bank account, since it's a bit on the low side!

**cyrille** · 23-09-2021, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by nidhogg

I personally found Simons post quite fascinating. What a rich family history. My families is far more boring and mundane.

Who’d have guessed.

Almost certainly every family history has interest though. It just depends how much and how far back we know.

**david44** · 23-09-2021, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Simon43

On the contrary, I think every family history has interesting events and aspects of everyday life

I left out the details of my dad's sister being imprisoned in Egypt as a spy, me being imprisoned (briefly) in Pattaya for fraud (not true!!), my brother going on lecture tours with Steve Hawking as his 'translator' (when his illness rendered it impossible for others to understand his mumblings) etc - so many memorable events

Thanks Simon fascinating.
as a child all I knew was my folks went to offices, later I discovered my father had done "Voluntary work overseas"

Ironically just up the road from here. It was a special scheme for adventure seekers , rather like a long version of
"I'm a celebrity get me out of here"

As an adult learned it was a one way cruise to Burma free food and lodging , meet the Imperial Japanese Army coming to the party, limited ammo 6 beers a years gratis US Air Force in China !

Despite meeting a POTUS various PMs,drinking wth David Coleman, the Bernsteins and lovely Delia Smith I think he found life a little dull afterwards as he often remarked Mrning Dull, Evening Standard, my mum was a Saint.

**cyrille** · 23-09-2021, 03:19 PM

From zero to a million US$ in a couple of years though - simon must be a wizz at online teaching.

**david44** · 23-09-2021, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by cyrille

From zero to a million US$ in a couple of years though - simon must be a wizz at online teaching.

think he means kip , uness that John Bull prnting press uses linen.
Last time I was in Laos tho a million kip was the price of a meal for 2!

**Simon43** · 23-09-2021, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by cyrille

From zero to a million US$ in a couple of years though - simon must be a wizz at online teaching.

Lol, wait and see! I have a cunning plan...

Tell us about your family...-cunning-jpg

**Edmond** · 23-09-2021, 04:31 PM

Males on both sides were men of the cloth*.

*Removing the cloth off as many females as they could.

**VocalNeal** · 23-09-2021, 05:02 PM

My family tree goes back to 1365

**armstrong** · 23-09-2021, 05:22 PM

My father was born on 29 September 1941 at Bickerton Cottage in Herodforshire. He was from a poor family of farm workers, close-knit and mutually protective; his father was a disciplinarian and his mother overprotective.

In 1946, the family moved to Moorcourt Cottage at Moorcourt Farm, where my Grandfather milked cows as a farmboy.

People remember my father as scruffy, dim, lethargic, and regularly in trouble. Throughout his life, he remained scarcely literate, yet displayed an aptitude for woodwork and artwork. He left school in December 1956 at age 15, initially working as a labourer at the farm.

On 29 January 1972, my father and mother married. The ceremony took place at Gloucester Register Office, with no family or friends invited apart from my father's brother John, who acted as best man.

Several months later, with my mother pregnant with her second child, they moved from Midland Road to an address nearby.

And I guess we all lived happily ever after.

**sabang** · 23-09-2021, 06:41 PM

On my mothers side, I am a descendant of bog Irish serfs from Mayo, one of whom became famous- Michael Davitt, co-founder of the IRA, and still patron of Celtic football club.
Fathers side, a strange mixture of a Welsh non-practising Jew who's family fled Silesia two generations previously, and a common as muck brummie lass from the inner city slums.

**pickel** · 23-09-2021, 08:45 PM

I'm distantly related to Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln.

**cyrille** · 23-09-2021, 08:49 PM

Fucking Canadians

They've always got stories from people less dull than them.

**Saint Willy** · 23-09-2021, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by armstrong

People remember my father as scruffy, dim, lethargic, and regularly in trouble. Throughout his life, he remained scarcely literate, yet displayed an aptitude for woodwork and artwork

Wow, and they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

**pickel** · 23-09-2021, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by cyrille

Fucking Canadians

They've always got stories from people less dull than them.

Go on, tell us your story then.

**Joe 90** · 23-09-2021, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by pickel

Go on, tell us your story then.

I'll tell it for you.

Born in a two up two down with an outside toilet in Smethwick, England.

Scraped an Olevel in English and spent his spare hours delivering papers so he could afford to go to University were he scraped through in Sociology and Womens studies.unable to secure employment in his chosen field of teaching he opted for the easier route of Tefling abroad, 40 years later the rest is history.

He's swapped his two up two down in the Midlands for a n almost identical property in the arse end of nowhere in Thailand.
Only difference is the toilet is inside but there's been a compromise on that front, it's a squat toilet.
He's been searching frantically and saving for a commode because his knees can't take the strain anymore as he's got so more shit to off load

**Chico** · 23-09-2021, 10:03 PM

Mothers family we're from county Wicklow, from a mining management background though seems they were really gangsters, they moved to Whitehaven as a manager of mine there after having police problems in Ireland seems his brother was the hitman in Whitehaven he got done for murder.

Fathers family is a mystery, know his father owned a dairy in Glasgow, and ended his life a chronic alcoholic, one of my fathers brothers was head of the Scottish communist party and seems a real character, believe he got stabbed to Death in the religious wars of Scotland.

**helge** · 23-09-2021, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by Joe 90

I'll tell it for you.

With poetic license and all, you just couldn't let him begin as an apprentice at the BSA factories, could you ?

You are so full of hate

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