大象传媒

As D Day approached we saw a lot of the preparations. All through the Avenue to Basset Avenue and down Basset Wood Road to Stoneham Lane passed the Stoneham Arms were Army lorries and soldiers waiting to embark for France. They were all camouflaged under the trees. They were there two or three weeks before D Day as they went on more came.
The Americans going to France would have a rest stop on Eastleigh rec for about an hour. They got out of the lorries and sat on the grass.
Word went round as soon as they arrived and we children rushed to the rec and asked, 鈥淕ot any gum, chum?鈥� The soldiers were going overseas and did not need their gum as they would get more supplies and they were always very generous with children and old people.

My grandmother lived in Winchester Road, Shirley, on route to the docks and as the lorries went by she used to rush out and wave 鈥榞ood luck and good bye鈥� to them. The Americans used to throw her some of their rations in particular dried egg powder, which was fine for making cakes with.

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