Searching for WW2 facts about my father.
WW2 was a very intensive time for my family.
As we had a large family with quite a lot of young people who were always ready for some mischief, the occupation of the Nazis led to some underground developments. Part of the family were printers and writers, and they were quickly found to print materials that were unwanted by the Nazis.
The young women were very efficient distributors.
My grandfather and some others of his generation had huge networks due to their professions: teachers, priests and a council clerk.
They soon organised themselves into a resistance group, without any strangers involved.
After the priest was betrayed, interrogated without spilling any information and executed by the Nazis (1942) my father used the escape route to England.
There he joined the Royal Air Force.
He was send to Canada for training in spring 1943.
I saw his disembarkment papers of an English Defense vessel in Nova Scotia.
He never said much about his time in England.
All I know is that he stayed in High Wycombe with a widow and her daughter, Lillian or Lilian.
And in Wolverhampton with a family. They had a couple of daughters. One of them, Catherine, married with John Brotherton. They had 4 children. (Sara, Katherine, Mark Anthony (married with Carol, lived in Walsall in 1968/1969) and John)
As we had a large family with quite a lot of young people who were always ready for some mischief, the occupation of the Nazis led to some underground developments. Part of the family were printers and writers, and they were quickly found to print materials that were unwanted by the Nazis.
The young women were very efficient distributors.
My grandfather and some others of his generation had huge networks due to their professions: teachers, priests and a council clerk.
They soon organised themselves into a resistance group, without any strangers involved.
After the priest was betrayed, interrogated without spilling any information and executed by the Nazis (1942) my father used the escape route to England.
There he joined the Royal Air Force.
He was send to Canada for training in spring 1943.
I saw his disembarkment papers of an English Defense vessel in Nova Scotia.
He never said much about his time in England.
All I know is that he stayed in High Wycombe with a widow and her daughter, Lillian or Lilian.
And in Wolverhampton with a family. They had a couple of daughters. One of them, Catherine, married with John Brotherton. They had 4 children. (Sara, Katherine, Mark Anthony (married with Carol, lived in Walsall in 1968/1969) and John)
Dad in the seventies.
Dad and I went there 25 years after the war and the welcome and stay was outstanding. Ron, his RAF friend drove us around England, south Scotland, Wales. Maybe we visited the bases where they served, I don't know.
Ron and dad told me a lot about the dambusters and their training before the dambusters were a subject of attention. I still see their hands pointing out where and what they did during their training, standing there in the Lake District.
Maybe they had something to do with it.
Dad also knew a lot about coastal defense.
He flew in Lancasters and Spitfires.
He worked as a radiographer (also when he returned to The Netherlands). I have seen photos of that.
And he worked as a flight engineer.
As he was underage he could only officially join the RAF in 1945.
But he already trained and worked since 1943.
When we applied for his records we got no answer at all in 2,5 years.
Then I found his files online. As a lot of the records have been digitalized.
That's all!!
He must have been in a trainingsprogram.
He told me he had parachute training and jumped.
No squadron mentioned, no names of places.
I so want to know what my dad has done during the war and where he stayed.
He had three medals, a RAF logbook and a lot of other things, including hat badges, flight gloves, army knife and a lot more. Including a few photos taken from the air and marked at certain places.
And at least 3 shoeboxes with photos in uniform.
It all disappeared after he died. My mother couldn't cope with his things so she threw it all away.
I would love to know more about his life in England.
Who can help me?
He told me he had parachute training and jumped.
No squadron mentioned, no names of places.
I so want to know what my dad has done during the war and where he stayed.
He had three medals, a RAF logbook and a lot of other things, including hat badges, flight gloves, army knife and a lot more. Including a few photos taken from the air and marked at certain places.
And at least 3 shoeboxes with photos in uniform.
It all disappeared after he died. My mother couldn't cope with his things so she threw it all away.
I would love to know more about his life in England.
Who can help me?
Johannes Gerardus Geertsen (called Jan)
Born 15 march 1927 Nijmegen
Lived all his life in Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
Service number RAF: 2795320
He died in 1989.
From cancer,
like his 6 brothers and sister.
He is tremendously missed.
He died in 1989.
From cancer,
like his 6 brothers and sister.
He is tremendously missed.
.
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