- Contributed by听
- HnWCSVActionDesk
- People in story:听
- Derek J Woolf
- Location of story:听
- Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A7614515
- Contributed on:听
- 08 December 2005
I was evacuated to Ross on Wye in 1939 and lived with relations there for 2 years, going to school firstly in Ross on Wye then on to Forest of Dean. When my parents came down, I went to Weston under Penyard School and Ross Grammar School.
In 1944, springtime, huge members of U.S. troops and equipment were going to the South Coast from Liverpool, ready for D. Day. They used to stop at lunchtime on the road through Weston and we used to get sweets from the US Soldiers. They organised races for us down the road and gave us sweets and other goodies as prizes. Of course, we were late back at school one day and the Headmaster, Mr Ward-Smith, was furious with us. He took all the goodies, which we had been given, from us and we never saw them again. As a result we were banned from leaving the school at lunchtime again, we were very disappointed, because the tinned goods, fresh fruit and sweets would have been very welcome at home.
In the holidays we helped on local farms, and in the summer helped to harvest crops. This was on farms when they also used Italian and German POW鈥檚 and we got very friendly with them. Some stayed for many years, even after the war. It lead to our interest in Twinning schemes with a German town twinned with Ross.
This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by John Boileau of the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Derek J Woolf and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.
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