Decapitation competition.

originally posted by: Lazy88

originally posted by: midicon
a reply to: RussianTroll

Sometimes I think human history is a horror story.

Funny growing up I was worried about monsters in the closet. Or under the bed. The real monster has always been my fellow man. Maybe the monster under the bed is a subconscious realization of the true monsters are hidden in society.

This is what I tell my children, 'the only real monsters that exist ...are humans' .

On topic, that's some pretty heinous stuff there.

Those two-handed swords are very sharp. At least is would be fast and almost painless. My dad was on his way to Japan in a boat when they dropped the bomb. Army. His boat turned and went around the pole and waited before making its way to landing in Japan. Dad was Medic.

On Christmas eve 1945 my dad and his unit were taken to a Japanese armory. They were sent single file into a lock up room to select a Japanese two handed, as their Christmas present. He oiled the blade and wrapped it in some type of ultra-thin clear wrap for protection. The handle is like a hard woven material. It looks like the Sword pictured. I cant remember if it has a tassel, but I think it did, and I think is says something in characters on the blade.

In about 1964 I got in the closet where he kept it. I pulled it out of the sheath and barely touched the blade. It cut me. You cant even touch the edge. So anyway, I wrote a note in 1964 and taped it to the leather sheath. It said "Dad, save this sword for me for when I get older".

Now fast forward to about 1998. My sons are playing at my parents house, and they find the sword in the same place, and read the note. I dont know if they cut their hand, but they told me about the note and wanted to know all about the sword. Dad will be 97 in a few days, and the Samurai sword is still in the same place it was in 1965 . But now I dont want him to give it to me. Id rather he stay around.

a reply to: visitedbythem

Dad will be 97 in a few days, and the Samurai sword is still in the same place it was in 1965 .

97! It's great that your dad is still around and has such a life and history.

Although I'm sure there might be parts of it relating to the war he finds anything but great.

My grandfather made 91 and was a Morse code operator on the S class subs and then the HMS Searcher.

He saw a lot of places in the Pacific Conflict and Atlantic war with places like Burma, and Japan, that spring to mind among many others.

Ive still got his medals and picture hanging on the wall(charcoal image done by one of his fellow able seamen during the war).



We lost my grandpa back in 2014, unfortunately, and my dad last year.

Sure you are old and wise enough that i don't need to tell you to treasure the moments visitedbythem.

All the best to your dad, im sure he did a mans job and then some.

Hope he has many more years and thank you(him) for his service.

Thats nice how you have his picture and medals set up like that.
I have my dads patches, and my great uncles silver pin ons with red and blue propellers enameled on them. Dad missed the worst of WW2. I think they put him through college twice. Once before deployment to become an Engineer at their request, then after to Stanford to study medicine. He didnt have too bad of a time, and he wasn't hateful toward the Japanese either.

a reply to: Lazy88

Excellent observation.

a reply to: andy06shake

Handsome feller.

And no doubt very brave.

a reply to: 19Bones79

Cheers 19Bones79.

Aye he was a gent and some character.

Pretty much he and my gran brought me up.

His stories were priceless and he was one of the most funny and generous people i have come across.

Born and bred in Oatlands/Gorbals Glasgow from a place called Daisy St that does not exist any longer on a map.

a reply to: andy06shake

We got a lot in common there Andy .

I was raised by my grandparents ,grandfather was ex navy and had to stay on until 47-48 taking all the service men home after the war etc !Gran worked at Stobhill hospital and my mother was born there .

My grandfather sounded like uncle Albert with the amount of times he was torpedoed or sunk by jerry , They had a special hatred for the Japanese and would not buy anything made in Japan or allow it in the house , He had witnessed some sights while evacuating men from Asia and I heard it all every New year when everyone decended on ours , there was easy 15 old service men there one even pre dated WW1 And had fought in the Africa campaign and fought at the Somme and was a pensioner in WW2 shaking his walking stick at the doodle bugs , I can remember him telling me about rats eating men alive at nights who were wounded and could not move and their screams, He said the WW2 vets had it easy ?.

The hatred for the Japanese among those men always puzzled me as a kid especially as there were a few questionable Germans !!!!!! Living very closely to us and to where they had a WW2 re education camps after the war .

Everyone got on fine with the German people and they were part of our community, which I found odd as a child considering we had not long fought a war with .

My history teacher however he called him a Gestapo bzxs@Rd dude was always immaculately dressed in a 3 piece suit and I just loved being the first to raise my right hand and shout me sir .

Turns out all those stories I heard as a kid , we're not stories and just about everything I heard as a young boy could be proved

a reply to: stonerwilliam

We got a lot in common there Andy.

It's a small world mate.

I don't think my grandfather hated anyone in his life.

The man had skills in that department, always calm, tranquil, and cool as a cucumber.

Sometimes i wish i had more of his disposition there.

He loved his drink all the same, but most of all he loved his family.

a reply to: andy06shake

Sorry for the late reply Andy been busy .

I don't remember any of those old soldiers ever getting drunk much a few drams at new year and that was it .

Even my mother was shocked at a story I told her about my grandfather and his buddies one Saturday afternoon 50+ years ago all having a bevvy and a heated debate ensued over what they were talking about in Ww2 .

We had family who worked in distilleries and had a massive cupboard of whisky , I always wondered what happened to it when he died and we moved .

My aunt nearly died after a leg amputation 18 months ago and had to move house because of this , in her basement was 2 big trunks full to the gunnels of old bottles of whisky ,some of that bottles go back to the 50s and most have a good bit in them , I hardly touch the stuff now and get 4 day hangovers when I do .

Some of those bottles I remember playing with 50 odd years ago