Those who Served
Seaman David O'Brien . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HM Rescue Tug Frisky from St John's, Newfoundland) (d.28th Sep 1942) David's brother Michael was an Able Seaman in the Candian Merchant Navy fell on the 30th of March 1941
while on the SS Eastlea out of Newcastle upon Tyne. His brother Maurice was lost on HMS Forfar on the 2nd of December 1940. |
Able Seaman. F. O'Brien . Royal Navy HMS Forfar F. O'Brien is listed as a survivor of the crew of HMS Forfar. |
Able Seaman Maurice Francis O'Brien . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from St John's Newfoundland) (d.2nd Dec 1940) Maurice's brother, David also fell 28th Sept 1942 whilst serving on HM Rescue Tug Frisky. Their brother Michael was an Able Seaman in the Candian Merchant Navy fell on the 30th of March 1941
while on the SS Eastlea out of Newcastle upon Tyne. |
Able Seaman. Michael O'Brien . Canadian Merchant Navy SS. Eastlea from St John's, Newfoundland) (d.30th Mar 1941) Michael was an Able Seaman in the Candian Merchant Navy fell on the 30th of March 1941 while on the SS Eastlea out of Newcastle upon Tyne. His brother Maurice was lost on HMS Forfar on the 2nd of December 1940 and his brother David also fell 28th Sept 1942 whilst serving on HM Rescue Tug Frisky.
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"Red" O'Conner . US Navy 105 Sqd. Fleet Air Wing 7 This photo is from Virginnia Quaifs's collection, my Mother was the Red Cross Director, assigned to Dunkeswell Navy Base during the last years of the war. |
John "Paddy" O'Connor . Army Ox & Bucks Light Infantry from Dingle, Rep of Ireland) My father's name was John 'Paddy' O'Connor. All I know is that my father joined the Ox & Bucks Regiment when he was 15/16 years old in about 1937. He lied about his age (so he used to say!) He came over from Ireland as there was nothing for him there. He said he was at Dunkirk. We have a photo of him, very young, in his uniform but with no insignia - I presume he was a private. Mum said he was a 'valet to the Padre'. He also mentioned being 'in the Gliders'. His only physical war wound was losing his big toenail of his right foot!! My father hardly ever talked about the war. He died over twenty years ago now but as a family we would love to know his history. He was demobbed at the Cowley Barracks in Oxford sometime between 1947 and 1949. Post war he worked as a Brickie, and at Morris' Car Works in Cowley Oxford. |
K O'Dell . Land Army I was a Land Army girl and one memory I have was when my friend and I had a
job to do collecting brussels sprout stalks with a horse and cart and
filling in bomb craters.
The idea was to back the horse and cart to the crater, put the back down and
release the sprout stalks. Being such conscientious girls we pushed the
horse as well as the cart down into the crater - and my friend went down,
too. You can imagine the pandemonium. I yelled for help and eventually some
farm men came running over and.
One had to unharness the horse and another saw to my badly shaken friend
while a tractor pulled out the cart. The dear old horse, Deba, was none the
worse for wear and we carried on with our work, feeling quite sheepish about
the whole affair.
The friend,Vera, still lives in America. She married a GI and moved there
after the War.
It was a great life on the land - hard, hard work, often in the icy cold and
wet, but we did have some lovely summers. We worked till late at night,
cutting corn, stacking sheaves, thrashing, but the worst for all of us was
collecting the ghastly barley chaff with its dirt and prickles in your
clothes in the sweltering heat.
Can any ex-Land Girl remember the lovely harvest teas we had brought out to
us by the farmers' wives? Do they remember cutting the legs off our
dungarees in the summer to get a lovely tan?
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Kathy O'Donnell . Timber Corps |
Sergeant Donald O'Donoghue . RAF 460 Squadron (d.9th October 1943) |
Greaser Michael O'Hagan . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar from Glasgow, Scotland) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Trimmer Thomas O'Hanlon . Naval Auxiliary Personnel HMS Forfar from Liverpool) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
F/S Leo Francis "Pat" O'Hara . RCAF mid upper gunner 419 Sqd. from Canada) (d.10th Oct 1944) |
Lilian O'Hara . Land Army My mother-in-law, Lilian O'Hara, died last year, and amongst her posessions were two badges - one which I think is a Land Army hat badge and the other looks like the Olympic rings. We also found a photo of her with the Olympics ring badge fastening her shirt at the collar. Please can anyone tell me if the Olympics badge is something to do with the Land Army? We would love to know.
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Able Seaman Joseph Cecil Oakman . Royal Navy HMS Forfar from Eltham, London) (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Lt. Joseph Obosla . USAAF 360th Fighter Squadron 356th Fighter Group (d.8th Jun 1944) My uncle, Lt. Joseph Obosla, served at Martlesham Heath during World War II. He served in the 360th Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group until he was KIA on June 8, 1944. He served with Captain Bertrum E. Ellingson.
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Signaller. Olby . Royal Navy HMS Forfar Sig. Olby is listed in the cast of the revue
"Get Sailing" which was performed onboard the Forfar on the 19th of June 1940. |
Anne Edith Louvain Older . Women's Land Army My aunt, Anne Edith Louvain Older , who died in 1999, served in the Women's Land Army from 24/07/1942 until 30/11/1950.
She used to tell us many stories of her time during the war and when we cleared her little flat after her death I found some memorabilia.
I found your web site to be most interesting and I know she would have loved to read all the memories, unfortunately we only got our first pc after her death and so she never saw these. I know that for part of her service she was on a farm in Sussex at Pevensey belonging to Mr. Knight where she was billetted with a Mrs. Churcher and she was also in Devon near Tiverton. We live quite near to Pevensey and I think the farm has long gone and been built upon. |
George Oliver . RCAF rear gunner 408 Sqd. |
Hugh Oliver MM.. Army 4th Btn. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders |
Rfm. John Gerald Oliver . Army 9th Btn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.) (d.26th Sep 1944) |
Signalman Alfred George Olley . Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve HMS Forfar (d.2nd Dec 1940) |
Sgt. Lynn Sarrell Ongley . |
Pte. Percy Ord . Army Durham Light Infantry My father in law Pte Percy Ord served with the Durham Light Infantry, he was was
taken prisoner of war in Tunisa in Feb or March 1942, and then trasferred to
Italy, then later to Stalag 1VB in Germany. His p.o.w. no. was 263142 His
home town was Guisborough, Yorks. He was held prisoner until the end of
the war. I would be very gratefull to hear from anyone who may have
known him or have any information regarding him.
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Midshpmn. John Ormerod . Royal Naval Reserve HMS Forfar My father, had written below the photo: John Ormerod who was picked up after 15 hours on a raft by a destroyer. He was in a bad shape and was given artificial respiration for 6 hours before he regained conciousness. Lives in Bradford, Navigator's "Tanky". |
Sgt. Frederick George Francis Osborne . RAFVR air gunner 103 Squadron from Kendrick Mews, South Kensington, London) (d.20th Feb 1944) Freddie Osbourne was a member of Sgt.W.L.Bradley's crew, Lancaster 111, JB745 PM-1,shot down en route to Leipzig. He was only 19, whereas his other gunner colleague was 37. Sadly, I have no photograph of him or his aircraft. As a young lad, I used to go out with his Father, Fred Osborne, helping him with his flower deliveries on a Saturday morning, but neither he, nor my Aunt Grace, would ever talk of him, and it has taken a lifetime to find details of him via a good friend with splendid connections, who handed me many details. It appears that both Aunt and Uncle were too grief stricken to ever mention their only child to anyone, even family..If anyone surviving 103 squadron could give me some idea what Freddie was like as a lad of 19 doing a man's job, and what he was like at the tail end of a gun, and how many German planes did he shoot down? I would love to know, as I am immensly proud of him. If anybody knows of a picture of him, I will gladly pay for a copy and all expenses. He died on the 20th.February, 1944 and I consider it my duty to pay his grave a visit in Hanover, as a mark of respect to him and the other members of the crew.
- Sgt W.L.Bradley
- Sgt F.J.Taylor
- F/S T.F.Johnston
- F/S J.Luck RCAF
- Sgt E.W.Hamilton
- Sgt F.G.F.Osborne
- P/O A.Stevens
Sadly, bad health has held me back for some time, but I will get there somehow. Thank you in anticipation. |
Will Osborne . British Army Dance Orchestra REME My father, Will Osborne, was with the REME Dance Orchestra and went out to Cairo and Alexandria. He returned in 1946 aboard the SS "Caroloinen" (Caroliner?). If anyone has any information please do send me an email. Thanks in Advance. |
Fred H Otte . from Lowden, Iowa) My grandfather, Fred H. Otte, from Lowden Iowa, was captured 14th February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, and was held as a POW at Stalag IIB for 30 months. It was hard for him to talk of his time there, and I have tried to find out as much as I can since his death in July of 1994. |
Dennis Over . Royal Air Force 106 Sqd. |
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