How I found out what Granddad Livings did during World War Two

While in the attic, finding Gummidge Mk 1, I found a suitcase of things I’d rescued from my maternal grandfather’s home in 2007 after he passed away. He was the only grandparent I knew, the other three passed away before I was born. At the time of his death it was all too much to deal with, so I had left the photos and letters in the attic. Since 2007 I’ve used his mixing bowl, cutting board and some random plates, but the letters and photos proved too hard to see at the time.

Among the photos I found a yellow exercise book, in which he’d written his account of working as an auxiliary nurse in a field surgical hospital, working just behind the frontline. Mum explained that he didn’t tell any of his family about what he’d done in the war. The only account of that was in the yellow exercise book he’d written to me.

Nowadays we call an auxiliary nurse, a health care assistant, and Mum explained that my grandfather worked as an auxiliary after the war, but because he wasn’t allowed to do nearly as much as he’d done during the war – operations, dressings etc – he stopped that work and got other jobs instead.

I wasn’t too sure what to do with this, 2200 word account, so at first I typed it up, keeping the phrases and words he’d used, and only breaking it up into paragraphs and sections to help reading it later. I wanted to retain his voice, and as I typed it, I could hear him saying it, which was moving. What was even more impressive, is that he wasn't really one for writing, so for him to have filled an exercise book would have been a major under-taking for him.

I contacted Charlie Cochrane and Jean Fullerton as they write historical novels, and asked for suggestions about what I could do with this memoir.

The Guardian wrote a story about it – The Epping Forest Guardian, but I wanted to do a Margot Leadbetter from The Good Life for a moment ;-)

The newspaper article, me holding the exercise book my grandfather wrote in.

The only slight issue is that the woman next to him in the photo is not his wife, Margaret ‘Peg’ Livings, who died in 1978, but in fact his sister-in-law, or my Great Auntie – the Great Auntie, who I help look after with Mum.

2002, Granddad, Frank Livings on holiday having lunch with his sister-in-law aka my Great Auntie, NOT his wife.

After I’d regained my composure about this mistake, I was able to see the funnier side. At least it’s not some random person, it is at least a member of the family in the photo. 

My typed version of his memoir has been accepted by the Imperial War Museum and I’m still finding out some more information about what my grandfather and his brothers did during World War Two.

IWM's letter - I was so pleased when I read they'd accept it.

L to R Mrs Livings - Frank's mother - Mrs Livings, ?, Morris Livings brother of Frank Livings, Frank Livings, Margaret 'Peg' Livings, my 'Great Auntie' - Peg's sister, ?, Peg's parents - Mr & Mrs Mansfield.

Mum called some family to check details about my grandfather's life, as the Imperial War Museum have asked for further information. The positive outcome from this is that she's got back in touch with her auntie, and we're going to visit her this summer. I'm sending Great Auntie D, a copy of the newspaper article.

It's been an emotional journey but I'm glad I've been on it, and that I've done something positive with my grandfather's memoirs.

I really hope my grandfather is pleased I picked his surname as part of my pen name.

Until next time,

Liam Livings xx