Keeffro (#9267),
...Upcoming Events ? Living History: Ted Jones and life in the RAF in WWII ? The Dublin Festival of History...
I was rather under the impression that citizens of the Republic who'd volunteered for the British Forces in WWII were not exactly welcomed as heroes when/if they came home afterwards. Has a sort of "general amnesty" for them been declared in Eire ?
Moves me to re-tell a story from a wartime "Readers' Digest", which illustrates the dichotomy perfectly. The RD man was enjoying the last rays of sunshine over the taffrail of one of the Holyhead-Dublin ferries which ran throughout the war. Next to him was an athletic young man in sports jacket and flannels; the following dialogue ensued:
"Why don't you Irish allow the British the use of your Channel ports ?"..."We hate the British"..."So do you want Hitler to win this war ?"..."Of course not !"..."So what are you doing about it ?"..."I fly a Hurricane !...." This, of course, makes perfect sense to the Irish mind.
...If I have an opportunity, I'll do my best to try to recruit the speaker to this thread...
Please do - the old-timers are thin on the ground now, another one would be most welcome, and would be sure of making many new friends in this our old crewroom in cyberspace.
Danny.