Paul Hollywood lives in Kent with his wife Alex and their son a baker
Paul is best known as judge on The Great British Bake Off the whole thing about a
biscotti is it's dense with flavor and you've got large areas of big empty
crust and viscosity should be absolutely round so what do you think I'm gonna
find about my family you say no what are you gonna find that's the fun bit
we'll be peasants on the land tilling the fill in the fields or you could end
up at a message that's a sound check what come on I don't think that'd be
funny I think about anyway I'll be coming to for me shaft Oh as if there's
a pub called Chateau at Birkenau everyone wants to find out where the
family's from I know we've got family and sort of Scotland and bits around the
country so what makes me tick what's my genetic structure where did it come from
now I'd be fascinated to find out I had a great childhood sent me up to the age
of 10 and then my mum and dad got divorced when we moved to another house
with my mother and my brothers I mean growing up out I was very close to my
nan Amy and granddad Norman who were both my mum's parents and they were the
ones that soon spend most of the time being around you know certainly a Easter
Christmas they're around all the time and pretty much every other Sunday if I
was getting upset with mum dad getting divorced then my granddad was always the
one that told me stories he became more the father figure for me he was a great
man my granddad's eyes are identical to mine because when you when you block off
his eyes and look at him it's me I can see me
my granddad played the piano in church he was he sometimes he do it's like less
Dolson so we play some bit and then drop a bum note in and we're doing it the
lippy enough but I was cracked up we were close I felt close to my granddad
we it I think it was just part of the way our family was you know I know
during a war he spent time in North Africa and I know he spent
time in Italy Anzio and that is pretty much it to find out what he did and what
he went through emotionally that will affect me but I bit I'd love to find out
are you nervous excited the reason why I'm nervous is a good upset about me
granddad yeah yeah that's why I'm kind of nervous by finding out whether you
did go through any really hard stuff
now this is my hometown of Wallasey we're on the we're all just over the
wards are from Liverpool and this is where I grew up really this is actually
the area where my London granddad used to walk was went on and rounded live
just around the corner and I'd often catch them sitting on the
benches down here just watching the world go by just leave me in love even
if I don't know arguments they were just together all the time my granddad used
to do is preaching from here on a Sunday he used to run open services for the
church on that slope there and I'd stand on the side there and watch you and we'd
shoot off down the beach and build sandcastles what a backdrop their day
the docks
well I'm on my way to my mum's now my younger brother it's gonna be there as
well Lee my other brother Jason calm because enforcement is working today and
I want to find out what information she's got in relation to my granddad's
the bailiffs we see mom's latest picture to your shrine
I'll see sure about that one though I love you Lee yeah I'm sweatin over take
that down when you've although it's embarrassing
did you find granddad's medals well amazingly Jason came up with them yes
yes yeah you did right so show me you got em if you gottem here
yes okay look what was Jason doing with them anyway you talkin to me
wait he stole them yeah there you go
massive decorations awarded the service number 391 296 - sergeant Norman Arlen
the service with 90th la regiment Royal Artillery during the Second World War -
in Britain Tunisia and Italy including the Anzio landings hmm I'm a man
sticking this on yeah she did all cockeyed blue check on the bottom there
you can move it
I've come here Monday years I've been sitting there you can't be here and I
say it's got blue - no change he lends his mom he was he was he on T aircraft
wasn't he so he was on the guns mm-hmm the anti-aircraft guns you know grounded
add that that pick yeah really what intensive purposes yes I
always thought that was because of shell shock hmm was that what it was we think
so it was you known that you said it was he
you know he came back from the war with that he wasn't like it wasn't like that
before yeah I thought we got whereas he got old isn't it yeah yeah just in spasm
yeah when granddad came back you're about to
three yeah three well that was the first time you saw him when he came back from
the war it was any in the journey form and he just came in the house and I just
sat in at him and then set her on the mat norm and tapped the rug mommy had to
come up next to me on the road you remember a siege is underway for more
information on granddad's activities abroad while he's in the war hmm did
anything come through yes yes have you good idea yes why don't just bring it
all out or rather doing 18 trips it wouldn't make life a lot easier you know
okay okay there you go what assistance service and
casualty for rectification it grosses assistance date and place a marriage
Juna first nineteen forty yeah yeah don't married well at war was on
yeah just before he got good striptease go in the army yeah and he went to
Africa 28th of February 1943 and came back 21st of December 1945 mm-hmm it
takes you a while to go through this is a lot of information will be does any on
the end of this it says no G conduct exemplary exemplary yeah what the photos
well yes well I remember this this is the 50th anniversary wasn't it yeah when
he went back yeah yeah this is Anzio wasn't it yeah hmm listen
this the place where none said it's the first time is she talking kinda cry yeah
I think it was yeah and this is that loads of little telegrams from my dad
these are the granddad's correspondence dinerral leaves away yeah in from 1943
oh they're perfect to look at okay so can I take them with me as well Norman
was 29 when he was sent abroad leaving his new wife behind in Liverpool she was
expecting their first child now my journey is to go to find out what
exactly my grandmother was doing for three years in North Africa and Italy
I'm a little bit nervous about it from honest but also a little bit excited as
well
you