My Grandfather was deaf resulting from bursting an eardrum from diving off of London’s Southwarke Bridge into the River Thames as a young man. He had enlisted immediately and been sent to France after training and it was some months before anyone noticed his handicap and he was shipped home to spend the rest of the war as a member of the Home Guard.
My Mothers Aunt Daisy lived in a south London borough known as the Elephant and Castle that had a mandatory evacuation. “ Aunt Daise ” refused to leave her home and spent those nights of German bombings in a near by sub way tunnel……hers was the only home still standing on the block at the end of the war and I recall spending some weekends there in the 60’s.
Not every veteran of war is a military veteran…..my Mother became one at seven years old. It’s so very sad at how many other young children worldwide can lay similar claim to that.
