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This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Sarah Butcher of the CSV Action Desk at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Mr Harold Glen Butcher and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

During the war Glen’s parents used to let rooms to Officers while they were stationed locally as accommodation could be hard for them to find, and of course it was a little extra income for the family also. They were sent to them by a local hotel proprietor who would send the Officers to local families if he couldn’t fit them in at his establishments. One day though an officer was expected with his wife, although when they arrived it turned out to be a Private along with his ‘fancy woman’. To make matters worse, the couple then left without paying, which put the family off from ever letting rooms out again!
The most memorable guest for Glen though was an Army Officer who was a dentist, and one day upon discovering that Glen had tooth ache, offered to oblige with the examination. So 7 year old Glen was taken to the Officer’s surgery, and experienced his first tooth extraction from an Officer in full uniform during the war. A memorable extraction indeed!

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