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Man Shares “The Most Precious Thing I Own” Grandad’s WWII Diary As A Prisoner Of War

Left image shows a portion of a war journal showing a man listed as missing after a mission. Right image shows a man's grandad's war diary that was written as a Prisoner of War.

Many have grandparents or relatives who served during World War II (WWII). They may have left behind some mementos, but we mostly have their verbal accounts of the war. HistoryBoyfriend on TikTok gifted us with videos showing his grandad’s war diary, which consists of several bound journals that record events from the war.

Videos by InspireMore

Calling the stack of written records “the most precious thing I own,” he gives us a sense of adventure before he opens the first logbook. The stack of records includes WWII logbooks and his grandpa’s POW war diary. He holds up two pictures of his grandad. The first is his grandad, who is 18 years old and wearing his flight suit. The second is in a dress uniform, looking rather handsome.

Left image shows a 19-year-old Brittish airman in a flight suit, held over a war diary. Right image shows the same airman in his dress uniform.
Images from TikTok.

The history buff carefully guides us through the meticulously written logbook, sharing details including the date, mission information, and his grandad’s role as an air bomber. An entry states that the 13th mission was his last and lists HistoryBoyfriend’s grandad as Missing in Action (MIA).

The plane was shot, and the seven crew members parachuted. Five of the seven landed in German-occupied Holland and were captured. The man’s grandad kept a separate war diary of his time as a Prisoner of War (POW). In a second video, HistoryBoyfriend reads an excerpt.

Listening to the man speak, you can hear the love and respect he has for his grandad. Each word carries feeling as he reads details about the 13 sorties flown by his grandad from the war diary. It is easy to see that the stack of written records contains more than mere memories. These records are pieces of his grandpa; holding them is a loving hug from the past.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.

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