I remember interviewing my grandfather, who fought in WWII, for a school project in 1994. He answered every question I had and was very forthcoming with those answers. After we were done, my grandmother pulled me aside and said, "I've never heard any of that!". He couldn't stop talking about it after that. He even joined a veterans group that traveled and gave talks at schools about their experiences. We didn't think to ask why he never talked about it before or why he finally decided to open up since.

What's wrong with the world today? Right-Wing thinking! Can't they go find another sandbox and play by themselves?

My dad fought in Burma and Tobruk etc, POW twice in a Japanese camp and escaped both times, then 4 SAS missions in Europe and badly injured and out of it for 8 months then back to Burma as an RSM till the end of the war, mentioned in despatches twice with gold leaf and bar, he didn't speak of it till I was old enough to ask, eventually I got all the horror stories and floods of tears for his fallen friends from the smartest toughest man I've ever known and admired, opening up helped him a lot and he clearly had PTSD, he'd say there's no glory in war but he had no choice and fascism had to be stopped at all costs, he went went back into the newspaper business and married my mum after it all, he'd have liked you James, he always warned us against the likes of Farage and his ilk, and would've been disgusted that his sort are even given the time of day after everything these brave souls went through.

I'm only 58 and my mum met my Dad at RAF Tarrant Rushden. He was a tail end Charlie in 644 Squadron. the only thing i ever remember him saying was "You never knew whether the bloke in the bunk next to you would be there the next day."

My grandfather, a 19-year-old American, was on those beaches and, as he put it, was “scared to death.” He met a British girl in London, my grandmother, who never slept through the night because of her fear incurred from the Blitz. She had to keep the lights on in every room. My grandfather never complained, not even at night. He married her and they spent 63 joyous years together, brought together by their pain from the war. Shame on the Prime Minster, honestly. A great disservice to the people of Great Britain. My grandparents’ generation was truly special. Makes it sadder in this age of gratuitous self-interest.

My grandfather never spoke to his daughters about his experiences in the war. But he did speak to us grandchildren. He told me about the shrapnel in his body from a hand grenade and was able to show it to me now and again when one was visible under his skin. He told me how he held his school friend in his arms and watched him die. About the pain of his frozen toes when he returned from the Eastern Front. How at the beginning of the war they only took a very small amount of Pervitin and at the end they took the whole pack to stay awake and to keep the fear under control. He returned from the war as a severe alcoholic and was never able to stop drinking. It will aways be puzzle me how such loving, dear grandparents could support such a cruel, inhumane system. Pretty everyone here knew more or less, what was happening. Neighbours were disappearing and a lot had read "Mein Kampf". We start learning in history class about the atrocities committed, when we are about 12 years. And there's no polishing or sugarcoating. At age 15/16 every pupil is obligated to go on a school trip to visit a concentration camp in Germany.

To hear the sons of these men, so freely show their emotions and cry openly shows how far we've come since that generation as a society that allows men to be more open in this way.

Disabled veteran here. We dont tell you guys because there are things we don't know how to describe. There are things that go beyond what mere words can tell you. And because you guys treat us differently.

Anyone remember Integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Sickening.

Diane was describing what black Americans call colourism. Meaning those who are lighter in colour or white passing like jews, Irish travellers etc dont get the same treatment as those with obviously brown or dark complexions are regularly treated differently. White people who got upset by what she said dont or won't understand that and therefore made a hue and cry of it, but what she said is completely true

Our parents hated to talk about The War (WW2), because they wanted to move on from such horror. Human Resilience is a wonderful thing

I was born in 1956, barely eleven years after WWII ended. I went to school in Glasgow where some suburbs still had cleared sites from the blitzkrieg. Even up to the end of the 60s I believed that an improvement in the world was an inevitability. By late 70s, and the rise of Thatcher, that was entirely dispelled. That's what "woke", i.e. the rejection of naivete, actually meant. I resolved never to accept the premise again that an improvement in the world's condition must be an inevitability. In a world of increasing greed and selfishness, everything must be constantly fought for. Constantly.

I have a friend in Canada. His father fought in Europe. He told me his father never talked him about his participation in Europe. He was never the same man when he returned back home.

Misogyny definitely played a part too

My Grandad only spoke candidly about it to me once. I would ask over and over, because I was a curious child, and he would never go into any detail or speak about it in any depth. The one occasion he was candid with me about it, I was 16, and I think he probably saw me as old enough to understand by that point. He said "Nick, the reason I don't talk about it is because I've seen some terrible things. I've seen men burnt alive with flamethrowers. I don't talk about it because I don't want to remember those things". That one sentence right there, albeit coming from a single person, likely covers a lot of the reason why that generation did not, and in many or most cases still do not, talk about what they experienced.

My American grandfather served in the Pacific Theater as a radio operator. I don't remember him ever speaking of it. My mother said he rarely did with her. He simply didn't care to. He was fairly stoic, like many from that generation. My mother regrets not asking him more about it.

My mum joined the WRNS in 1944 and was sent to Bletchley Park. She never mentioned it until Channel 4 aired the series Station X. She would still not talk about her service because, 'We all signed the Official Secrets Act'. So many questions I wanted to ask but she passed away later that year.

My father hardly talked about it here in Amsterdam Holland. He was 21 and falsified passports , without the J or jewish name, and food stamps for the people in hiding. He just did what he had to do. Never wanted a thank you. My mother was 11 and saw Jewish classmates disappear one by one or familes dragged out of their houses. It leaves scares for life.

James now sticking up for Diane after initially toeing the line with the MSM and lambasting her when it happened and supported Kid Starvers treatment of her. Used to respect this guy but he's one of the biggest hypocrites in the media right now

Much gratitude for what you do, James!

My uncle is buried in Belgium, I saw a picture in the private stuff bag I sneeked a look at when I was a kid, a war grave. Ive never visited but I always think of him being alone over there.

My Grandfather, who was to old for WW2, did not speak of his experiences. He was in the Royal Horse Artillery, moved over to communications (telegraph and Morse code).

My mum just out the blue said your grandad was pulled out the water at Scapa flow after an explosion. He had shrapnel injuries and frostbite. My mum and my aunt when the were kids sat and watched the sky go red and flashes when clydebank was bombed. I know next to nothing about it all, they never talked about it. Next door neighbour John had his military gear polished up in the wardrobe, we were not allowed to touch it.

Bless you sir they where the greatest people thankyou for them

The UK joined the EU in 1973, so the relationship with Germany had taken on a completely different face to that shown during the second world war.

I am 71 my father and uncles all fought in WW2 - none spoke of it until they reached the last few months of their lives. The last was a Bomber Pilot serving in Burma against the Japanese he received the DSC and bar. He was 21 and in the Oxford University Air Squadron. He contributed a chapter to a book on WW2 from the air. On a lighter note he on being introduced to a young German student who asked him if he knew Germany said ‘No not well’. As an aside he murmured to me ‘Only from the air’ and turned away. He lost his faith and did not wish to have a religious funeral. We will remember them ……

I was born in 62. Living in East Anglia as I did where I grew up there were several wartime airfields with much infrastructure still intact. So why did our parents and grandparents not talk about the war? and I wonder if for many of those people they felt that talking about it would seem to trivialise it, but also perhaps neither did they feel able to adequately articulate anecdotally the scale of their experiences. Like words could never be enough.

Thankyou to all the people who give there life for us to be free thankyou sirs

My Grandfather was in the Big Red 1 as he ran signal wire behind enemy lines for comms in N Africa, Sicily, D Day, Battle of the Bulge. He never talked about it ever.

Just reflecting on a point, i was born 12 years after the war, what i do remember was the hardship my mum and dad had bringing their family up there was 6 of us kids, make no mistake they done a great job, but i have no doubt they maybe didn't eat as they should have making sure their kids did, im eternally thankful to them, and most familys then were in the same boat, i feel nothing but disgust for the governments of that time, a country for heroes, how did that promise go absolute failure,

My granddad gave me his medals, didn't tell me what he won them for. Found out his ship had been sunk in the Med by Italians. He was part of the Maltese Convoy.

I was born in 73 and the same as you I can only remember that it was history, this must have been because it was so horrific and insane that my parents and my bosses refused to make it part of their lives!

Wow!! I just did the same calculation, and being older than you, the difference between the end of the war and my birth was the same as the time since Cameron was elected. Presumably this will be the length of the Selfservatives' highly damaging stranglehold on the UK.

31:09 “Rishi Sunak is here”………… oh just you wait, mate….. just you wait

A reason why a lot of veterans don't open up is they compartmentalize their experiences. The war and conflicts they went through are painful and it's just easier to ignore it and get on with life. My military experience is incomparable to my life since and it feels too much like boasting when people want to talk about it so I don't mention it. It's like being in a room, and there is this dark corner you don't want to go to.

This is the james I like

John the Welsh Penquin chap was quite possibly my favourite caller of all time.

I echo all the callers comments about the silence, my father in law told me about his father, who was taken prisoner during the battle of France in 1940 and returned in 1945 broken and deeply traumatised who remained largely silent until his death.

He’s getting himself the front of the queue for govt tenders; or ermine!

I wonder how far the "norm" of NOT talking (because of national security, "loose tongues cost lives") was so strongly embedded that it carried over after the need was no longer there? Bletchley Park history still encounters that when members of the BP staff are asked to talk about their experiences. That would probably be intensified by the "stiff upper lip" British norm.

I'm a war veteran. Not the WWII, but the war in Croatia and I don't want to talk about it. But I understand the old gentleman.

The fist pointing... Pres Clinton used that. It was very popular during his period. Gesturing adds importance to your verbals. But actually pointing with a finger is considered offensive. Very trained.

How many ounces is that mug though? I thought it was just a Sports Direct sized mug. It's more like a KFC bucket! Just drink from the kettle, man

LBC please make JOB's humungous mug available to buy - thanks.

In closing..... (Diane Abbot bit) "we dont have time to continue (the discussion), time for some silliness!"🙄

Should either have given it back. Obscene and disgusting

I'm not sure you can say only that generations soldiers were reluctant to talk about traumatic experience. Growing up, the family opposite me had a father who had fought in the Falklands, and the story was exactly the same. He would never ever talk about it. I would put that more down to trauma itself, one of the defining characteristics of PTSD sufferers is that they are unable to talk about it, either because it overwhelms them, or because they don't want to burden their families with it.

I'm surprised nothing has been discussed when General Sir Patrick Sanders announced yesterday that we're facing a third world war? It seems that it's taboo to talk about this, and it's happening right before our very eyes. It's interesting how that part has also been edited out of nearly every news feed. Barr, the telegraph.

41:03 and what have we done with that world...

"It wasn't very nice..." made me instantly well up - thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who served to protect us 🤍

Cognitive dissonance

Mug means face right?

Black and white footage…that’s why D Day seems so far away Maybe I’m oversimplifying it but that makes a big deal to us

Another monologue

BoJo used to point with his fist as well, _"Get Brexshit done! Get Brexshit done!"_ {:o:O:}

I love James’ mug too, but John Oliver’s “Reece’s” mug from a few years ago on LWT was way bigger!

2:07:26 yeah i suspect its one of those " it helps when your are running away from lions on the African Savannah" things better sore legs tomorrow than get eaten today

25:00 are we to believe that Winston Churchill actually cared?

Saw your giant mug 😂

Think sports direct sell them 😅

recommended by dan wotten

Mr Obrien, you can represent the IrIsh travelers, not just because of your name as your family obviously liked to travel, and still do LOL

And labour don't want to tax the rich

It’s all lies

I wonder if James will apologize to all the callers back in COVID times with all the guilt trips and lies he told them about taking the vaccine and their loss of rights due to not taking it?

see james shooting richi sunak

James (I could be wrong) O'Brien, why are you still using that old photograph in the video intro, when you were 10 years younger, and 5 stone lighter?! 🤭

Diane abbot is s liability.

If the poor folks that gave their lives could see the awful state this country is now in...thanks to clowns like Obrien... So sad...!!