大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by CSV Storygatherer Robin.D.Bailey on behalf of the author Kenneth John Sweet. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

As the war progressed, we began to see more and more American troops and Indians, together with Italian and German prisoners of war. A group of Indian troops were in a tented encampment at Duporth. During a gale, one night, a tall tree blew down and crushed a tent, killing all three soldiers inside. They were buried in Campdowns Cemetery, standing upright and facing East. The Indian troops used to go on long marches, led by their officer on horseback. The horse would only progress diagonally to the required direction of travel, and there was a constant battle to make him go the right way.

Two Americans, Bill Frieve and Danny Ericchetti used to spend a lot of time at our house, and we shared many meals with them. They brought Dad 鈥楤lack Cat鈥� and 鈥楥amel鈥� cigarettes, brands we had not seen before. The cinema in Truro Road, St. Austell (was it the Glove ?) was taken over by the Americans, and Bill and Danny were receiving aero-engines there in large wooden crates. They turned up at home one day in a lorry piled high with crates to see if we wanted them. They were stacked some five high in our back garden, where I cut holes to connect them, and would disappear inside for hours on end.

Among the unpleasant things 鈥淛erry鈥� was dropping on us were 鈥渂utterfly鈥� bombs and aerial mines which were dropped by parachute. The 鈥渂utterfly鈥� bombs were anti-personnel and they had a casing which sprang open on metal arms. If these 鈥榳ings鈥� were twisted, the bomb exploded. Brian Hambly produced one of these during Assembly at Carclaze School, causing instant pandemonium. Fortunately, there was no explosion and the bomb disposal squad dealt with the situation. An aerial mine was dropped one night at Treskilling Downs, across the road from the gypsy camp. The next day, the mother of the gypsy boy who had been hurt in the blast came around collecting for her son鈥檚 funeral. There was widespread indignation when the unfortunate lad did eventually die, some days later. The water filled crater caused by this mine is still clearly visible.

Shipping and areas of importance were protected by barrage balloons. One of these, possibly from Falmouth, broke away and drifted over Bethel, trailing cables. A Spitfire caught up with it off Par and a short burst of fire caused the balloon to erupt, drifting down to the sea in a mass of flame.

The build up of the invasion forces prior to D-Day is something I shall never forget. American troops and military equipment were everywhere. They were camped on Crinnis Beach and the Golf Course, and in the surrounding woods and fields. Pentewan Beach was used for practice embarkation and disembarkation. Large ships with opening bow doors were moored in the bay, and DUKWS, amphibious tanks and landing craft were constantly shuttling between the beach and the ships. As the big day approached, army lorries, tanks, bren gun carriers and jeeps towing field guns lined the roads nose to tail. We went down to Holmbush to witness the spectacle. The troops all seemed in high spirits, and were even more generous than usual with their 鈥渃andy鈥�. One American officer even gave one of the local boys a steel helmet, with his lieutenant鈥檚 silver bar on the front. I wonder if the lieutenant and his mates made it home ?

Then Cornwall became a different place overnight. By the morning all the troops had gone, but overhead there were many gliders, mostly towed by Dakotas, and I believe, some by Lancasters, going out to join the fray. From now on, we were relatively unaware of military activity, apart from newspaper and radio reports.

Italian prisoners of war had become a familiar sight, but now as the European campaign gained momentum, we saw more and more German PoWs. The old American army camp at Tregrehan Woods was now used to accommodate Germans. Before Christmas 1944, the commandant of the Tregrehan camp advertised in the local paper for families willing to receive PoWs to share Christmas dinner. We responded, and duly received our German guest. He was very polite, quiet and inoffensive, and he visited us often. He was very shy and would never come directly to the house, but would hang around on the corner of the road, hoping someone from the family would see him and bring him in, which I did on several occasions.

After the horrors of the war and witnessing the grief of the bereaved, it made us wonder what on earth it had all been about. If individuals can live together peaceably, why not countries? The sense of loss, the needless loss, of so many fine young people from all the countries involved, lives with me still.

For many combatants who survived the war and returned home, life was never the same. Mr Robins, our local painter and decorator had the biceps of his left arm shot away, but with great determination and courage, resumed his occupation quite successfully. For many the mental trauma they had endured was as bad, if not worse, than physical injury. Bert Reynolds, who with his wife, Loveday, had run the little general store in Boscoppa, was mentally devastated by his service in submarines, and never recovered. For so many the anguish continued long after the cessation of hostilities.

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