VE80 at St James, Quedgeley

Celebrations and commemorations are taking place all over the country this week for the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2, in Europe. It continued, in the Far East, until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, celebrated on VJ Day, the 15th of August.
I attended a service at St James Church, Quedgeley, Gloucester, to mark this momentous event and wore my Fathers medals, which included the Italy Star as he fought up through Italy including the horrendous battles around Monte Cassino, 17 January to 18 May 1944. A fierce battle where my father lost some good friends. He, himself, was wounded a little later when they encountered German troops in Rimini. He told me the soldier in front of him stepped on a mine, my father catching a piece of shrapnel. I guess it was shock that he remembered it like that because his official service record says it was a sniper bullet, shattered his collar bone.
Apart from 1939-45 Medal and star he also has a GSM (General Service Medal) for his time in Palestine in 1946/47. He never knew he had that medal and I only found out when I enquired about replacing his lost medals (no idea what happened to them). The medal office sent me his unclaimed GSM. It was a very emotional moment when I opened the box containing it.
My Fathers Medals | djrose007 | Blipfoto