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As told by Pat Lloyd

My father and grandfather were both in the war at the same time. My father was waiting to embark for the Middle East. His father was asked to dispose of a bomb at the Speke Aerodrome in Liverpool. So they were digging a hole around the bomb and they made a big crater around the bomb came out of the hole and one of the chaps dropped a shovel. The shovel hit the bomb and the bomb exploded and blew all the other guys into pieces except for my grandfather he lost an eye as he was shielded from the blast by the other guys in front of him.
My father was on guard duty and they came up to him and said, “Your father has been killed doing his bomb disposal work.�

So they sent him back home to visit and when he got back he found my grandfather wasn’t dead but seriously injured. My father was still in his battle dress - it was all torn. He went into the hospital and didn’t recognise my grandfather’s face — it was like a football.

I remember holding my father and he had a big hole where his eye used to be then a general came round the ward and said, “What’s this?�
So the hospital staff explained the circumstances and the General said, “What a wonderful thing! Father and son in the army together.�
My father said, “What a bastard!�

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