Father Loses Child During War

​5 month old child, Jackie Jordan dies from disease while his father is fighting in World War 2.

By: Jackie 
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Peter Jordan was fighting for Britain in the Black Watch Military because of the ongoing battles of  World War Two, from 1939 through to 1945, against the axis nations. In order to contribute to the peace and freedom we enjoy today, Peter Jordan had to answer duty’s call and go out to war. Even though Peter missed his son, Jackie Jordan’s birth, he fought and persevered through the war to help keep peace. Unfortunately, in June of the year  1944 Pneumonia claimed young Jackie’s life.

Before the war Peter was a coat maker, he was the second of ten children. “Peter Jordan was working in London at the start of the war but he knew he would be called up, so he went  to Glasgow and registered” stated his son Peter Jordan Jr. Peter Jordan was part of a convoy, he was on ships fighting Germans and he was on rescue ships saving other soldiers. “The convoys would stay together because they knew the German ships couldn’t sink all of them” mentioned Peter Jr. During the war it was a “big secret” how many ships were sunk, the information was not published because it would be demoralizing to the people reading the newspaper.

Peter Jordan was on one of the first rescue ships, the name of his ship was the “Dundee”. Peter Jr says,“Peter liked being on rescue ships because they sometimes went to Glasgow. This gave him a chance to visit with his family.” Sometimes the Germans sunk the rescue ships, Peter’s best friend Miller Green was on a rescue ship when it sunk, he survived but was in the water for a long time and was injured. Peter rarely got to see his wife, Janet while in the war, they mostly wrote to each other. At Christmas when Peter Jordan got a break from fighting he married Janet even though they had only met four months earlier. Janet was a director in the war but one day she fainted, and was discharged because she was pregnant and later gave birth to Peter Jr.

In 1944 Janet Jordan gave birth to her second son, Jackie Jordan. Peter Jordan was away as a gunner defending troop ships and rescue ships, missing the birth of his son. Before Peter Jordan ever got a chance to meet his little boy tragedy struck and pneumonia stole Jackie’s life. This news was devastating for Peter when he found out but since he was at war Peter and Janet had to grieve separately.
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“My Grandpa spoke of Jackie up until my last visit to Glasgow for his 90th birthday, he never forgot him”, Peter Jordan’s granddaughter, Sarah Olson said “He was very touched that we named our daughter Jackie” Peter Jordan didn’t talk of the war very often because it was painful for him, the war made him miss the chance of ever seeing his son. Peter Jordan died in 2011 at the age of ninety five, he was still in good physical condition well into his nineties.

For more Information about the Black Watch Military you can go to this link: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/236/black-watch-royal-highlanders/