大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War website by CSV Storygatherer Carole on behalf of Isabelle Barker. The story has been added to the site with her permission. Isabelle Barker fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

My second story 1944
When those dear boys British and American went off to France.

Living above Bolton Cross, we could hear a lot of noise passing down Fore Street.
My mother and I walked down to Bolton Cross to see what was going on and saw all the GIs in jeeps, tanks, bulldozers and ducks making their way down Fore Street to the harbour.
I can remember their faces and their looks, not laughing, cheering faces we had seen before as they passed; their faces were sad and grim. Some did wave, knowing maybe they were going to their deaths. Very few folk were around as we were and I remember a Special Constable saying to us 鈥測ou should go home my dears, you shouldn鈥檛 be here.鈥�
They still passed on to the landing barges all ready for them in Brixham Harbour, there were hundreds of them, in fact one could have walked across the harbour to the breakwater without getting your feet wet.
We were still getting hit and run raids in Brixham. The night the troops left the Americans put up smoke screens. I remember looking out of my bedroom window, one minute I could see the moon and the next minute this 鈥渃loud鈥� came over. I ran downstairs thinking it was a gas attack. We need not have worried as we realised it was a smoke screen right over Brixham and the harbour.
The crafts all left the following day sailing away for D-Day and France.

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