Trying to find

It can't have escaped our notice that in the Trying to find section, there often appears some poor child looking for their long lost dad who just happened to have been a serving member of HM Forces Germany in the past.

It's a difficult one I agree and as we know, some dads might not want to be found but I think we should do all we can to help these people if at all possible.

My best mate is married to a girl whose father was a GI in the war. She tried for years to locate him and she had the added bonus of knowing his full name and according to American law, they are entitled to a certain amount of help from their records. It was all to no avail and it is such a shame because like most who post on this site, she wants nothing from him, just to know who he is/was etc. It truly is an emotional rollercoaster for these "kids" who didn't ask to be born so we should do what we can without causing anyone problems if possible.

Just my opinion.

I totally agree with you mate.

I agree as well. I knew a fair few guys who had 'squaddie' dads and didn't know who they were also, when a soldier (as the former was when I was a kid at a German school) I knew dozens of girls, up the duff and their boyfriend back home never to be seen again. Not fair in my opinion!

there was a time when having got a a young local lass in trouble your friendly OC would organise a posting for you. Very catholic church eh

I undestand that relationships often break down and for whatever reason the partners don't wish to have anything to do with each other. What I can't understand is the selfishness of a Mother who witholds information from a child about their Father. Surely it would be preferable for the child to make a decision about their Dad?

Quote :

What I can't understand is the selfishness of a Mother who witholds information from a child about their Father. Surely it would be preferable for the child to make a decision about their Dad?

I agree, the girls must have had some information about the father, surely. Certainly my German Girlfriends did about me.

What about the Birth Certificate? Is he mentioned by name on either a German or British Certificate?

Shelldrake wrote:

I undestand that relationships often break down and for whatever reason the partners don't wish to have anything to do with each other. What I can't understand is the selfishness of a Mother who witholds information from a child about their Father. Surely it would be preferable for the child to make a decision about their Dad?

I can understand it to a certain degree going back to the second war when it still had a stigma attached but not these days.

In the case of my friends wife, her mother told her what she knew but it was like getting blood out of a stone.

Looking at some of the ones on this forum, it appears that they do know names but not much else. Probably things like F Troop 2 Sqn 21st Signal Regt don't mean much to foreigners (Russian intelligence apart), especially when you are a young girl and madly in love with a handsome British soldier/airman. I use the word handsome loosely.

Look at it from a different angle...

German girl meets squaddie in bar or nightclub

Get to know each other over 4 or 5 months

girl gets pregnant

John (6 foot, wide shoulders and a tash) vanishes shortly - promise I'll keep in touch or... simply gone!

Girl has name, JOHN, maybe even surname but do you really think girls, german at that, know what REME, RCT, Black Watch or ACC is?

Stupid little things on both sides chaps

Totally agree, can' be anything worse than not having any idea of your past, I have been doing my family tree for years and luckily have not come across such a problem, don't know how I would have got on otherwise
Les