Commemorating D-Day

It’s the 70th anniversary of D-Day and we at Creative Spark want to show our appreciation to the men who fought to give us a society in which we can explore ideas freely and without boundaries.  To mark the occasion the Spark’s each brought in a picture of their family members taken around the time of the war and shared a few stories of their exploits…

Having joined the army as gunner in 1940, Ralph Marra unwittingly discovered a talent for cooking that led to him serving his country from the kitchen instead of the front line. His famous Oldham recipe meat and potato pie kept up both the morale and energy of troops and senior officers.

A keen smoker who picked up tobacco at every port and grandfather of our own head of design, James Henry Lawrence Stubbs spent the war aboard the Royal Navy’s Destroyer fleet hunting U-Boats in the Atlantic before sailing to Normandy on D-Day to help blaze a trail for the landing.

 

Ethel and Arthur Hurley are the grandparents of our latest recruit Nina Harris. Both served King and country during the War with Ethel helping to build the bombers that overwhelmed the German lines and Royal Marine Arthur landing at Normandy, beating back Jerry until he was injured by a landmine.

Harry Graham was an officer with the 9th Battalion who served in the Pacific Theatre of the War, helping to put down Hirohito’s men in Burma. He survived the harsh conditions and a relentless enemy, finally returning home in December 1945.

Thank’s for sharing these amazing photos and stories guys!