Danny McG
"Anything can happen in the next half hour!"
I was trying to find out online about some WW2 history that I know happened as I was shown proof. However, probaby 'cos it wasn't seen as significant in any way, it was never recorded and now the man with the proof is long dead.
What happened was, as a young craft apprentice in the coal mines a long time ago, I spent some time with different sections of the industry to broaden my training experience.
For a while I was on the surface with a repair dept. This was in late seventies and I was privileged to be working with a lot of men who'd saw active service in WW2.
One day they all were swapping war stories and, not to be outdone, a dwarf who was part of the team joined in the yarns.
Some doubt was cast on his involvement so next day he arrived with a battered old photo album.
It seems that, during the First World War there was a height restriction and men under that were excused service until a national campaign which then let them join up.
However, in the Second World War, my old work colleague was instead sent off to a 'special' troop made up of dwarves. They were used as camp guards for Axis POW's in Scotland.
His photo album was full of pictures of him and his squad mates, sometimes with a standard size corporal, going about their duties with rifles almost as tall as they were.
He said a lot of Luftwaffe got very indignant about being guarded and roll called by dwarves, they took it as an insult.
He had photo's of lines of German prisoners marching about with a much younger him and others escorting the prisoners.
As I said, no records exist nowadays, only references to World War One can be found.
Forgotten History
What happened was, as a young craft apprentice in the coal mines a long time ago, I spent some time with different sections of the industry to broaden my training experience.
For a while I was on the surface with a repair dept. This was in late seventies and I was privileged to be working with a lot of men who'd saw active service in WW2.
One day they all were swapping war stories and, not to be outdone, a dwarf who was part of the team joined in the yarns.
Some doubt was cast on his involvement so next day he arrived with a battered old photo album.
It seems that, during the First World War there was a height restriction and men under that were excused service until a national campaign which then let them join up.
However, in the Second World War, my old work colleague was instead sent off to a 'special' troop made up of dwarves. They were used as camp guards for Axis POW's in Scotland.
His photo album was full of pictures of him and his squad mates, sometimes with a standard size corporal, going about their duties with rifles almost as tall as they were.
He said a lot of Luftwaffe got very indignant about being guarded and roll called by dwarves, they took it as an insult.
He had photo's of lines of German prisoners marching about with a much younger him and others escorting the prisoners.
As I said, no records exist nowadays, only references to World War One can be found.
Forgotten History
