We Sons of World War Two Vets

Classical music conductor, Robin Smith, talks about his father, Ron, who was a prisoner-of-war held by the Japanese - in Changi Jail and in the railway death camps.Ron hated the film The Bridge on the River Kwai because, he said, "The reality was far worse than that..."Ron witnessed savagery during his four years as a prisoner. When he got home to Ipswich in 1946 his body and his faith in humanity were damaged.But he built a happy postwar life - as an Ipswich postman (delivering letters to Alf Ramsey); as a loving husband and father; and as an Ipswich football fan.Robin, who became a classical music conductor, was always an immense source of pride to him. And in Ron's later life, Robin gave him four grand-children whom he completely doted on.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Comedian Arthur Smith talks about his dad Syd who was a prisoner-of-war in Colditz.Syd was captured at the Battle of Alamein. He was taken to Sicily, paraded in Palermo as a trophy of war, and then sent to do forced labour in a copper mine.But he finally ended up in Colditz, the Saxony castle that became a prisoner-of-war camp for Allied officers who'd escaped from other camps - or who were deemed a security risk.But Syd wasn't a committed escapee. So, Arthur explains why his dad was sent to Colditz.Syd hand-wrote his memoirs when he was 70. Arthur says they're his most-prized possession. And reads the odd extract from them during the interview.This podcast is a tribute to a much-loved father but it does contain the odd profanity and occasional reference to “getting his leg over”.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Before WW2, Nick Wells was an engineer who specialised in commercial vehicles. At the outbreak of war, he joined the Royal Navy and became an engine room 'artificer'. He was at sea for four years.Ray arrived in 1946 - an early baby boomer.​​Nick didn't talk much about his war but one horrific tale stuck in his son's mind: Nick saw a colleague get vaporised by steam from a damaged turbine when their ship was hit by a torpedo.​Other stories included accounts of going ashore in Crete with commandos in small dinghies to sabotage enemy supply lines. Then hurtling perilously back to the UK across the Mediterranean. "Blood, sweat and tears," was how he described the voyage.​​There were also mentions of freezing Murmansk and motorcycling in the desert on a Moto Guzzi with a dangerously rogue flywheel. (It shot off into the sand at 60mph.) The overall effect of his father's war on Ray was a lifelong wariness of moving parts in engines. He's never serviced his cars. Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Richard Foster tells Matthew about his father, Jack, an ace night fighter pilot who shot down nine enemy aircraft - three of them within 50 minutes!Richard brings his father's log books to the interview and reads out reports of combats - as well as a crash in Libya. After the war, Jack became a test pilot at Farnborough, exploring the possibilities of supersonic flight. He flew over 50 aircraft, including British, American, and captured German and Italian planes. His outstanding flying talents - and his modesty - shine out of the discussion. Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Matthew met Edward and David Toms in the picture framing shop they ran. When they framed a booklet of Matthew's father's quotes (which included a few lines about WW2) he got to know a little about Edward's war. But it was only when Edward died and obituaries appeared in national newspapers, that Matthew found out quite how extraordinary Edward Toms' war had been.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Eric Grant talks about his father George who took 11 bullets after parachuting into Arnhem.He also talks about his mother, Pearl; about wartime romance; and about a desire to erase wartime history.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Matthew talks to Robert Sackville-West about his father Hugh.Hugh won a Military Cross for his heroic actions in a tank battle during the liberation of France. But none of his family knew the full details of how he won his medal until after he died.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Richard Hicks and Matthew met in prison - when they were teaching in Wormwood Scrubs. Richard's father, Thomas, was a Wellington bomber pilot with 458 Squadron. Thomas had so many lucky escapes that his crew thought he was in league with the devil (because the devil looks after his own....) and his crew refused to fly with any other pilot. Thomas was a survivor but, says Richard, his war experiences left him desensitised. Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Matthew speaks to Cumberland farmer Joe Roe about his father John.Joe was born in 1947 but describes the Second World War as "a thread which ran through my entire life".John's war took him to Dunkirk; the Western Desert; Italy; and, afterwards, to Palestine.When he came home, John took over the local post office. But, says Joe, "Not a day seemed to go by when the war wasn't mentioned in some way."Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Matthew speaks to Londoner Andy Trevillion about his father, also called Andy.Andy Senior's war saw him rescued from Dunkirk; fighting Rommel in the Western Desert; seeing action in Southern Italy; and, after the war, fighting in Greece.Retired architect Andy describes his father as "A good bloke, an easy person to be around". But it was only after his death that Andy Junior fully appreciated the extent of the toll that his father's war experiences had taken.Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Matthew speaks to Brighton-based journalist Murdo Morrison - who grew up on the Isle of Lewis - about his father John. John took part in the Normandy landings (on D-Day plus 4).They explore the huge cultural differences between the baby-boomer son and his war vet father. Send us Fan MailSupport the show

A pre-launch taster for this new series in which sons talk to Matthew Collins about their World War Two Vet fathers. Sons tell their fathers' stories. And explore the effects of the war – on both their fathers who fought in it and on themselves, the sons born after it.In this trailer we hear from some of the sons who appear individually in episodes of the series.We Sons of World War Two Vets - launching April 2025.  Send us Fan MailSupport the show