大象传媒

The army barracks in Trowbridge had for many years been important in the life of the town - and part of its history. It was from here that the Royal Horse Artillery left to go to war on the 4th August 1914. Now with the advent of the second World War it was once again to be part of military operations. The adjoining fields soon became one large military camp. My memories are however mainly of the eastern side of the town. Union Street where I lived was on the edge of the countryside. This led into St. Thomas Road - then just a few houses - and on to Middle Lane. The right-hand side of this bordered on to parkland and large gardens which belonged to the large houses of wealthy business men living in Hilperton Road. Soon all these houses with their land were taken over and we were also living on the edge of the town's second camp.
Just at the start of the war County Council Headquarters had moved to the newly built County Hall, and their old offices in Hill Street were immediately taken over as a canteen for the troops. I afterwards heard (when working at County Hall) that it had nearly been this new building taken over but the staff moved in before it was really complete to stake their claim! Back to the soldiers. My earliest memory is of long lines of troops marching down Union Street with mugs and plates for their meals. Evidently they were not too well treated by the sergeant majors. Our next door neighbour - a local coal merchant who also had a very good voice complained to the officers in charge. I don't know whether this made any difference. Very soon the army vehicles arrived. From looking at photographs since I think initially they may have been the smaller armed personnel carriers. It was probably before Dunkirk as a lot of this equipmnt would have been lost. Then came the larger tanks. Union Street then became a tank park - tanks on both sides of the road. Maintenance and cleaning was carried out in front of our houses - you could almost look down the turrets from the bedroom windows. At night these tanks disappeared.We were told by the grown-ups that they were on manoeuvres. Or was it to avoid attack by the German bombers? I have since wondered. When the bombrs were passing over at night the only vehicles around were those of the wartime emergency services. Come morning the tanks were back. We were always excited when we heard the rumble of tank conveys passing our house - to go up Timbrell Street which was more a main road. I remember being at a service in the Chapel next door. Just as the last hymn was being sung came the noise of tanks - but we were certainly not allowed out -and by the time the service was over the tanks had gone! I was of course much too young to know or be told about the social activities of the time but I can well remember many young ladies going to town perhaps in pairs -all dressed up in 1940s style - going to the many dances and entertainment put on for the troops. Later in the evening they would be escorted back up Union Street arm in arm in the soldier of their choice! Some of the older ladies also had a good time - quite often in the local pub. As time went on the British Troops left - as we now know fighting in many parts of the world. Their place was taken by the Americans - once again the vehicles arrived. I remember large half-tracked lorries. There were many more of these and soon their tanks and vehicles were also parked up Middle Lane on the side which was still farmland. This was of course the build up to D.Day. One thing we had to do - all the children did it! We would walk behind the soldiers and say 'Any gum chum?' and being kind they usually gave us some. These days we have Operation Christmas Child - but I tell people that in a way I know how these children feel because the Americans in Trowbridge did just the same for us. One Christmas every child in our school was given a small parcel - collected by the GIs. This contained such items as soap, a face flannel and sweets. This to us was wonderful. Another memory is of a group of soldiers sitting on a broken down wall - a lovely American choir singing spirituals and other songs. I can still point out the wall - long since rebuilt - where they were singing. After D.Day our part of the town was never occupied by troops again. Indeed should there ever be such a conflict the days of Trowbridge being a military town are gone for ever. The barracks have long disappeared and at both ends of the town the land occupied by the camps are now large housing estates. For the older folk - and I am sure by surviving British and American soldiers stationed here the memories live on.

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