大象传媒

From 1941 until 1944 I was living at Winslow Road Preston Weymouth Dorset.
There have been a lot of changes in the area since then.
Opposite the bottom of Winslow Road used to be Neath,s the local Bakery and I used to spend many an hour in the bakehouse watching them making bread,buns and cakes.
That has all gone now and the shop converted into a private house.
They had two horses named Tom and Flower and after their days work I was allowed to ride Flower bare back down to the stream in Puddledock Lane where they were allowed to drink their fill.
These horses were used for farm work and I remember they used to pull the binder and we would walk behind stacking the stooks of corn.
There was also a large strawberry field at the top of Winslow Road.
At the bottom of the hill in Sutton Poyntz there was the Blacksmiths Shop and he would let us go inside and watch him work and sometimes he would let us pump the hand bellows.He alse made iron hoops about 30" in diameter which we used to drive along the road with an iron hook (no skateboards,computers or mobile phones in those days).
Our milk was delivered by horse and cart and came straight out of the churn and into your own jug.
Then the Yanks came.They were everywhere.The black or coloured ones (i'm not sure which is correct)were located in Came Wood and unknown to our parents we made several journeys there to see what we could scrounge in the way of sweets and gum.
What is now the garage in Sutton Poyntz used to be the canteen for the Yanky Soldiers and I was once offered a slice of bread and butter there,the butter was a half inch thick slice which was the same size as the bread,I believe I wrapped it in paper and took it home as it was about 4 weeks rations at that time.
Those of us who were keen to earn a bob or two used to make up a shoe cleaning kit which we carried in an old gasmask case and would be paid two or three pence for cleaning the Yanks boots or shoes.
Mission lane hall was one of the favourite places,I remember the camp beds lined up along either side of the hall.
The soldiers used to practice firing their mortar guns behind the canteen.
My two sisters and I used to sleep in a Morrison shelter with our mother and father sleeping on top and I remember how it all shook when a bomb dropped near Preston Church.
We used to watch the aeroplanes fighting, what they called Dog Fights over Weymouth Bay.
I also recall the American Lorries lined up along the Sutton Poyntz road and also along the sea front at Weymouth.
I could go on for ever but I think that I had better stop now.

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