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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 18th April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263925 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQ's
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Want to know more about 8th Battalion, Kings Liverpool Regiment? There are:1392 items tagged 8th Battalion, Kings Liverpool Regiment available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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L/Cpl. Joseph Harold Albert "Johnny" Smith 8th Btn. Kings Liverpool Regiment      Joseph Smith, also known as Smudger or Johnny was my father, and I would like to hear from anyone that either knew him, or knows anyone that may have known him during WW2 or thereafter.
My late father Joseph was born on 7th of December 1922 in Everton, Merseyside. He enlisted in the Army in Liverpool on 25th of April 1941 at the age of 18, proudly following the family tradition set by his father Harold Sidney Smith, who was a WW1 veteran.
Joseph was first posted to the 70th Battalion The Kings Regiment Liverpool, a young soldiers territorial battalion. He was later posted to the Lancashire Fusiliers 7th of January 1943 for a short period before being transferred again to the 8th Irish Battalion The Kings Regiment Liverpool on 3rd of April 1943.
On D-Day Joseph landed with the 8th Irish on Juno Beach at Mike Green in support of Canadian forces, namely the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. His battalion formed part of the 7th Beach Group. He spent around 6 weeks at Juno Beach before the 8th Irish were disbanded, and he was subsequently transferred on to the 1st Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles on 21st of July 1944 and joined the 1st RUR's at Le Mesnil, just east of the Pegasus Bridge.
Joseph continued his service with the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He took part in Operation Varsity, the allied airborne invasion of Germany, as part of the 6th Airlanding (Glider) Brigade, attached to the 6th Airborne division, landing on the 24th of March 1945 by glider at Hamminkeln. At this time Joseph was promoted to the rank on Lance Corporal.
After the war Joseph was deployed to Palestine on the 1st of October 1945 with the 1st RUR's still attached to the 6th Airborne Division. Joseph was also a member of the 1st RUR's football team.
For his service during WW2 Joseph was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, and the War Medal 1939-45, and I have claimed these medals from the MoD, and I am proud to display them.
During his service with the 1st RUR's Joseph became great friends with his comrade Sidney Everitt. During a period of leave, Sidney took Joseph home with him to the East End of London.
Sidney was married to Elizabeth Snell, and during this leave Joseph was introduced to Elizabeth's sister Rebecca (my mum). The rest is history and Joseph and Rebecca became a couple and later married in 1949.
Joseph's service in Palestine ended on 5th of September 1946 and he was subsequently then placed on reserve until 1954, the year I was born.
My dad died in 1963 when I was only 8 years old. I knew nothing about his Army service. I knew he had been in the Army and had seen some photos that my mum Rebecca had, but that's all.
I have carried out painstaking research to uncover his story and I am immensely proud of his contribution to the war. Everything I have related here has been a labour of love.
Again, I would love to hear from anyone who knew Joseph or knows anyone who may have known him. Maybe your father or grandfather were in Palestine or were in the same football team?
It's a long shot after so long.
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Capt. Peter Lange MM. 1st Battalion Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry Capt Peter Lange was commissioned into The Kings Liverpool Irish but later seconded into the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry and win the Military Cross on 27th of September 1944 for a raid across the Whilhelmina Canal.
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