Compo and Foggy's Military Backgrounds?

codfanglers

codfanglers

Dedicated Member
I began this topic in the old forum right before it expired, but the topic got a lot of traction. As I write this, I plead a little ignorance because I have not seen FOTSW nor the Last Post and Pigeon. Without viewing those, Summer Wine offered no sign of Foggy's actual performance in the military. Yet in Last Post and Pigeon (I only know a little from Its Never 10 Years) Compo is honored for his military service with a trip to France. I am fascinated by real life WWII veterans in that are so humble in their own way. They get sent off to war at an early age, perform heroic acts, and then return to quiet and simple living. Therefor I always appreciate the Seymour episode (I believe it is The Heavily Reinforced Bottom) where Compo's clothes are in the wash and he is left with his military garb. It is a sign of his secretive honor. Whereas Foggy appears to be the opposite; all talk.

This reminds me of my late grandfather. He had a humble upbringing. Ironic enough he was about a 3rd generation German American and was called into war. He was a medic and stormed the beaches of Normandy along with British soldiers and saved numerous lives on the beaches at D-Day. He was awarded a prestigious medal by a high ranked American general and after the war he simply returned to a quiet life working at a gas station and factory. That kind of reminds me of Compo but he wasn't quite eccentric.

I think Foggy and Compo reflect real life because one really might not know the stroy behind someone during that time.
 
I know a lot of their generation don't like talking about the war, my dad was a child in the North East living near the dock yards which were targeted very often. His house was bombed but up until recently that's all I know, its only now he's older that his family's war stories are coming out. Its just not something that they talked about, those memories have been hidden away and only just beginning to surface. I think for a lot of people went though hell and when it was over tried not to think about it, many years later when they can't remember what they did yesterday but remember the schools and homes being bombed and their loved ones dying do they start to talk about it.

There was no counseling then, you were told to brush your self off and join the next Que for bread.
 
My dad only told the funny stories. He was all over, North Africa, included. He and his mates sold some beer to a group of Arabs under cover of darkness. This was fine until the Arabs brought the bottles back, in broad daylight!!! Not such a good thing after all.
He also told of being asked by his brother, did he actually see the Rhine? He replied that yes, he had built a 'so and so' bridge over it!
Susan have you watched Joe Maddisons War? Most of it was filmed at Beamish, which they also used for the pilot of First of the Summer Wine.
 
Ess said:
My dad only told the funny stories. He was all over, North Africa, included. He and his mates sold some beer to a group of Arabs under cover of darkness. This was fine until the Arabs brought the bottles back, in broad daylight!!! Not such a good thing after all.
He also told of being asked by his brother, did he actually see the Rhine? He replied that yes, he had built a 'so and so' bridge over it!
Susan have you watched Joe Maddisons War? Most of it was filmed at Beamish, which they also used for the pilot of First of the Summer Wine.
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I've seen it, it was great a programe it made my dad cry he said it was so real. We bought it for him on DVD, it was set where my dad was born so I think thats what made it so real for him :)
 
Susan said:
I know a lot of their generation don't like talking about the war, my dad was a child in the North East living near the dock yards which were targeted very often. His house was bombed but up until recently that's all I know, its only now he's older that his family's war stories are coming out. Its just not something that they talked about, those memories have been hidden away and only just beginning to surface. I think for a lot of people went though hell and when it was over tried not to think about it, many years later when they can't remember what they did yesterday but remember the schools and homes being bombed and their loved ones dying do they start to talk about it.

There was no counseling then, you were told to brush your self off and join the next Que for bread.
Click to expand...

Certainly my experience of my grand fathers, my maternal grandfather when asked what he got his medals for replied "eating bully beef in the trenches" and that was it. He was too old for military service in WW2 having been born in 1882 or thereabouts. Exact age not known but we do know he enlisted while Victoria was still on the throne.

As you say - no counselling. Just stiff upper lip and carry on ....
 
My uncle drove a tank in the Italian campaign, my next door neighbour to the right was captured by the Japanese and my neighbour to the left was with General Wingates Chindits in Burma. He once showed me some of the stuff he still had from that time. A silk map which had been sewn into his uniform, a knife and some photos. He'd been separated from his unit, but had captured a Japanese soldier and together they walked the length of Burma from north to south. By that time they were almost friends. My neighbour said this guy hadn't wanted to be a soldier at all, he was an accountant and just wanted to go home to his wife and son. After the war they stayed in touch. But he was the only one of them who ever spoke about the war. My Dad wasn't allowed to join up, he was in the mines and it was a reserved occupation. He ran away loads of times to try to join up with his mates but was caught out and had to join the L.D.V. instead.
 
My dad said that when the word went out that there was a Que somewhere his mam would make him go and join it, he said you never know what you were queuing for until you got there he said you be standing there for hours. He hates queuing now, it drives him potty.
 
Susan said:
Ess said:
My dad only told the funny stories. He was all over, North Africa, included. He and his mates sold some beer to a group of Arabs under cover of darkness. This was fine until the Arabs brought the bottles back, in broad daylight!!! Not such a good thing after all.
He also told of being asked by his brother, did he actually see the Rhine? He replied that yes, he had built a 'so and so' bridge over it!
Susan have you watched Joe Maddisons War? Most of it was filmed at Beamish, which they also used for the pilot of First of the Summer Wine.
Click to expand...

I've seen it, it was great a programe it made my dad cry he said it was so real. We bought it for him on DVD, it was set where my dad was born so I think that's what made it so real for him :)
Click to expand...

I worked it out that Joe could have been a friend of my Grandfather. He was a left handed riveter, which was quite important as riveters worked as a team, right and left handers. My family are all mostly still in Jarrow.
 
Foggy obviously stayed on in the army till he reached sixty or near that age ,probably in a civilian capacity as many ex soldiers etc do although with the current situation on funding this does not happen now.He probably worked in the stores ,a quiet place to work and a case of ,no chit no hand over,and gave him a chance to embelish his enviroment with signs and painted stones outside the building.As for Compo he obviously did his basic training and was sent out with the BEF to France and then got caught up in the retreat to Dunkirk .These chaps were in fact mostly construction troops so Compo could well have been building dugouts ,trenches etc and certainly only having to fight if he had to.When he came back to the UK he probably ended up in Catterik or Aldershot not doing a great deal except wrestling a big ATS girl in a ditch and of course doing something unmentional to Norah on VE night! By the way Cleggy ended up at Catterick but no mention of his war has ever been made.All totaly ficteous but probable.
 
chris said:
Foggy obviously stayed on in the army till he reached sixty or near that age ,probably in a civilian capacity as many ex soldiers etc do although with the current situation on funding this does not happen now.He probably worked in the stores ,a quiet place to work and a case of ,no chit no hand over,and gave him a chance to embelish his enviroment with signs and painted stones outside the building.......All totaly ficteous but probable.
Click to expand...


I guess the same happened to Blamire, although possible that they would leave at some time in their 50s. At one time it was possible to draw some government based pensions at 55 which cold well be the case for these.
 
barmpot said:
I guess the same happened to Blamire, although possible that they would leave at some time in their 50s. At one time it was possible to draw some government based pensions at 55 which cold well be the case for these.
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The standard time in the forces as a non-commisioned regular was 22 years. Early 40s was the typical age for leaving. Certainly the case for those who stayed on after the war as regulars. Around 1958 there was a big reduction in force numbers, particularly the army and troops were encouraged to take early demob with quite good inducements. It was not called redundancy money in those days. I am fairly certain a pension was payable immediately on leaving the army. If someone then got a job as an MOD Civil Servant another pension would be accrued and kick in at sixty.
 
It's quite possible that WWII has colored peoples lives more than anyone can really image. Take for instance, Wally's love of pigeons. Carrier pigeons were widely used during the War and it's possible that Wally tended to them as a wartime assignment. I know that my father could peel potatoes at the drop of hat and he probably learned to do that while in boot camp.
 
My uncle was in the pay corps before the war and went to France with the BEF but was captured at Dunkirk,he stayed in the army till 1956 and went on to be the head safety officer at Higgs and Hill construction .He took early retirement and led a good life,many of his staff were ex forces from the officer ranks.
 
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