大象传媒

My father Ron Amatt, lived in London, but moved to Somerset with his Mum and Brother Sid and Sister Jean, not long after the war had started. Dad's father Sidney Amatt was in the army and stationed at Houndstone Camp. The family first stayed on a farm near Tintinhull, before moving to a house in Queen Street, Yeovil, then to a rented house in Chelston Avenue and finaly ending up at a semi in Coronation Avenue. Dad's youngest sister Jenny was born in Somerset. Dad remembers the Americans kept food supplies in the row of shops in Coronation Avenue, which were not used as shops until the end of the war. Interseting the only shop in the area was Raison's the grocers next to St. Peter's Church. When the Americans went to collect further supplies from the stores, they would form a line from the stores to the truck, and then pass the supplies to each other, now and again one of them would chuck a tin of something to the children who use to hang around, my dad included. Then one day the Americans empted the stores, but they forgot one supply store, a hut or barn off Ilchester Road, where Thatcham Park Housing estate is now. Some lads broke in and found a room full of food. Soon word got around and in no time at all, children and their mothers were rushing to the Supply store with bags and prams to take what they could. By the time the Americans remembered the stores and returned to it, they were shocked to find it empty. They deceided not to investigate and left it as a sort of 'thankyou'to the people of Yeovil, or at least those lucky ones who helped themselves to the supplies.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.