Wikipedia talk:Wikipedia Signpost/2015-01-21/Interview


 * What an interesting story. Of course one reason the Caribbean and European theatres were quieter was that Germany had by this time surrendered (indeed so had Japan  although the final documents relating to the Japanese surrender were signed a little later). All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 10:51, 22 January 2015 (UTC).


 * Thank you for bringing this to The Signpost, and thanks to Mr. Pendergast for his service and for his improvements to Wikipedia. There aren't many individuals of his generation editing the extensive web of articles surrounding the war, so his contributions are greatly appreciated.-RHM22 (talk) 16:17, 22 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Indeed, the past is a foreign country (according to David Lowenthal) and the World War II generation may only be the ones who can really relate to those times. I am interested with further developments because I also work on Filipino military history. Hopefully, we can work together in the future. Keep it up Sir Pendergast. Arius1998 (talk) 02:57, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * How fortunate to have that first-hand historical contribution to these pages. Few veterans of Mr. Pendergast's generation are computer literate and his participation here speaks well of his own devotion to WWII history and to the support newbies receive in the Teahouse.  Blue   Riband►   03:32, 24 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Reading Pendergast's interview, I was reminded of my own connections to WWII: my father fought in the European Threatre as part of the 10th Mountain Division, while my mother was a teenager during those years. For a long time, the only memories he'd share of the War were things such as the huge size of the rats he saw in Venice -- although a farm boy, he'd never seen such large rats. Now that he's older (he turned 90 last year), he's started sharing some more of the details. For example, first day in Italy & lining up in the mess line for dinner when his unit was overwhelmed by a swarm of starving children begging for food. (The MPs were called to drive the kids away until after dinner, when they were given what was left over.) Or moving up a hillside at night to engage the Germans in a surprise attack, his first battle, & when some fool lost his helmet & hearing it clatter down the scree behind him. Details serve as a bridge to that foreign country. -- llywrch (talk) 06:05, 26 January 2015 (UTC)