my grandad has just died and 1 thing he had was a picture with his name on it and something like runnigyrth written on the back i cannot understand this and looked everywhere wondering what it is or what it means it is a picture of a soldier in front of the eiffel tower fighting in a war?
2007-01-01 02:55:32 · 11 answers · asked by gullsgirl2000 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Was it a real picture or more like a drawing? I'm pretty sure there wasn't a lot of real fighting in the center of Paris during WW I & WW II.
My guess is this: the closest that real battles have gotten to Paris (after the invention of photography) must have been the French-Prussian wars of 1870.
But, as previous posters also pointed out, there have been numerous brawls and urprisings in Paris during the 19th century.
Was the soldier really fighting or just posing in front of the Eifel Tower? If the picture had your dad on it, I guess it must have been a WWII picture. But then I suppose, he 's only posing there no?
2007-01-01 03:13:50 · answer #1 · answered by pipo2981 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In ww2 Paris was declared an open city, this means that it was not fought over but surrendered so that it would not be bombed or destroyed. So there was no fighting in Paris in 1940. In 1944 it was liberated not by American troops but by Free French of the French 2nd Armoured division under General Leclerc. This didvision was supplied in part y the US so mostly wore US uniforms.
Soldiers of the Allied army were often granted leave to go visit paris after its liberation so this could be what the picture is of. The fighting in ww1 never reached paris, and so the only other war i cn think of that took place in paris in the last 150 years in the Franco-Prussian war but that would mean the 1880's.
2007-01-01 23:21:32 · answer #2 · answered by Emma L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
World War 2
2007-01-01 02:57:24 · answer #3 · answered by thundergnome 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would have been useful to know how old your Grandad was and what sort of soldier was in the picture, but it is likely that this was World War II as he is probably the right age. Either before the German invasion in 1940 of after the liberation of Paris in 1944. I do not know what the word Runnigyrth means.
2007-01-01 03:26:59 · answer #4 · answered by Tanks 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In 1939, my Ma was a Bluebell girl in the Folies Bergere, and when WW2 broke out, the troupe was touring Italy. They were given 48 hours to get out of the country (most of the Bluebells were Brits) She arrived in Paris by train in late 1939, remembers seeing people carrying all their worldly goods along the platform(mattresses, pots and pans, dressing tables) As is well documented, the Nazis occupied Paris for the duration.
Was your Grandad with the British Army ? Are you certain it is him in the picture ? If so, there are websites which will help you with putting a date to the picture and that might give a clue to deciphering the note on the back. Google around, you'll find it.
2007-01-01 18:14:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Paris was occupied by the Nazis during World War Two, and then was liberated by American troops. That probably was a picture taken sometime in 1943-1945 with your grandafather in front of the tower.
Chow!!
2007-01-01 04:37:07 · answer #6 · answered by No one 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My condolences on your loss, If you contact the Imperial War museum they might be able to fill in some details for you if you are interested, but first speak to you Mum or Dad, Gran (if she is still with us) any other relative that you can think of, and get some details. His Regiment, service number, rank.
2007-01-01 03:11:52 · answer #7 · answered by ♣ My Brainhurts ♣ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You mean aside from World War II?
2007-01-01 03:03:09 · answer #8 · answered by Firespider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The war between dignity and vanity.
Oh, you didn't mean Paris Hilton? Sorry. My bad.
2007-01-01 03:02:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
1940...was taken by the Germans (after...fun and games in Vietnam) - before...bundles - 1790 etc.
Top man, Charlie!!
2007-01-01 03:01:24 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋