Reg’s War!
For our November talk, we welcome Paul Griffiths who will be speaking to us for the first time about his father role in WW2
Discover the remarkable, deeply personal, and sometimes humorous World War II journey of Reginald Thomas Griffiths (702 Artisan Works Company, Royal Engineers), as pieced together by his son from a treasure trove of forgotten memorabilia.
For decades, boxes of damp postcards, letters, and photograph albums sat tucked away in an asbestos garden shed. Discovered years later, this incredible archive reveals the wartime life of “Reg”—a man who, like many veterans, rarely spoke of the gory details but shared rich, vivid anecdotes over Sunday evening pints at his local pub.
This talk takes you on a chronological journey spanning from 1939 to 1946, tracing the footsteps of an ordinary clerk turned soldier:
The Narrow Escapes: Hear the harrowing “official” and personal stories of Reg’s evacuation from France aboard the SS Mona’s Queen just days before it tragically sank, and his miraculous escape from a bombed troop ship during Operation Torch in North Africa.
A “D-Day Dodger” in Italy: Follow his deployment to the Mediterranean, where he built strategic airfields in Foggia, witnessed the catastrophic 1944 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed a US bomber base, and put his self-taught Italian to work as a company translator.
The Lighter Side of War: Beyond the battle lines, discover the human moments—from a fellow soldier mistaking church ceiling frescoes for heaven after passing out from the heat, to Reg getting “blessed” by the Pope in Rome, attending the Opera in Naples, and tracking down his lost fountain pen left behind in France!
Richly illustrated with authentic wartime diaries, military leaflets, currency, and photographs, this talk is a poignant, humorous, and deeply moving window into the reality of the British soldier’s experience in Europe and North Africa.Come and see how a son used Google Earth, national archives, and a box of old papers to bring his father’s extraordinary history back to light.
