- Contributed by听
- krisblabla
- People in story:听
- Roy James Pratt
- Location of story:听
- Totnes Devon
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4079469
- Contributed on:听
- 17 May 2005
War in Totnes South Devon
My father was bought up in Totnes during the War. By the end of the war he was 13 years old. He has many stories but the one, which a stands out for me was the second Totnes Bridge.
As part of the DDAY landings the hole of South Devon was full of G.I.鈥檚 training off the South Devon coast. The problem was Totnes being the lowest crossing point of the River Dart it had an old medieval bridge. The Americans could not drive their trucks and equipment over it, as it was too narrow. So they built a new bridge a little further up the river. This was wide and well constructed. At the end of the war the Americans offered to sell the bridge to the town council. The council thinking that they would have to leave it there anyway were 鈥渘ot interested鈥. So the Americans didn鈥檛 leave behind, they blew it up. The hole of the Town was on the riverbanks to watch as the G.I.s reduced the crossing to match stick wood.
It took the town council 50 years to build new bridge, which as luck would have it is exactly where the Americans bridge was. I am sure there is a moral there somewhere鈥.
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