My father recently presented me with several documents, diaries and medals that my Grandfather, James Caddick, kept from his involvement during WW2.
The diaries are fascinating and provide a clear, if somewhat broken account, of his personal experiences during the war as well as some of the feelings and emotions involved, (including his receipt of a telegram about the birth of my father).
Some of the medals tell their own story and reflect his "areas" of involvement - one of the medals, though, is a DSM. The documents that he has kept, and my father after him, are fascinating, and include an apology from the King for not being able to present his DSM personally!
My Father, who is still with us, has passed all of these precious items onto me for safe-keeping with some very vague background information, (my Grandfather, as with many men of this time, was apparently very vague about what he did, what he saw and, to a point, where he went - some of his diaries have shorthand that I haven't translated yet!).
I would love to try and piece together as much information as possible about his war experience and link up the documents I have, the medals he received and the diary notes he kept so that my family and I can have a clearer understanding of his experiences and, hopefully provide my father, who is obviously proud of his dad, with his story - and ensure that it is passed on, when the time comes, to my own child for safekeeping.
My Grandfathers name was James Caddick. He was born, and apart from the war, spent his whole life in Warrington, Cheshire, (formerly Lancashire). He, from his diaries, spent quite a while being based on land but subsequently served on HMS Harrier. I am told that this was a minesweeper. He was a "Writer" and later a "Leading Writer" (although this may have been a temporary role). He received a DSM.
That's it - all the rest is family folklore until I find out more to either confirm or deny!
I've never done anything like this before, and, as my search starts, any guidance orhelp would be much appreciated.
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