大象传媒

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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bramley History Society and has been added to the website on behalf of John May with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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Peperharrow Park (near Elstead, Surrey) was one of the holding areas used for American armour prior to D-Day. Two days before D-Day my father, mother, elder sister and I were cycling along the road to pass the Lodge Gates of the Park when we were brought to a halt by a motorcycle across the road with a soldier directing a stream of tanks onto the road on their way to their embarkation point on the South coast. When asked by my mother how long this convoy would take, the answer was until the park was empty of all the tanks! My mother said this could be an unreasonable length of time for her children to be expected to wait and suggested in a fairly firm voice that the convoy should be halted to let us all through.

Albeit a clear disruption to the preparations for D-Day, the soldier saluted smartly, stopped the convoy and let us through!

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