大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by Doreen Bennett on behalf of Graham Swanson, the author and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

A TEENAGER鈥橲 WAR

In 1944, 61 years ago, I was a teenaged boarder at Launceston College. The old A30 then ran beside the college鈥檚 playing fields. Across the road there was a military camp at Hurdon. The camp is now an industrial area and the playing fields are covered with classrooms.

Earlier that year the camp became the temporary home for many young soldiers from the United States. The GI鈥檚 played softball on our grounds. This is similar to baseball but the larger ball could not be struck so far. The GI鈥檚 were very kind to us schoolboys, as well as being very fond of the local young ladies!

Then one morning in early June the camp was empty. Of course we knew nothing of the planned invasion of occupied France. It was only much later that we realised that many of our softball playing buddies had given their lives for us on the beaches of Normandy.

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