大象传媒

My father was a Baptist minister and in about 1944 my father took a church in Ilfracombe. They had virtually never heard of the war there: they had rationing of course, but no bombs. One of the mines blew up in the harbour and that was all they had of bombs.

A lot of my father's parishioners were farmers. My parents were assiduous visitors. They visited everyone, including the farmers. We went round the farms and ate very well. I didn't have a big appetite in those days but we ate chicken and so on and for afters there was always a huge bowlful of devonshire cream on the table. You had thick crusts of bread and you put a very thick helping of devonshire cream and then on top, some golden syrup or honey - and that was known as 'thunder and lightening'. I've never had it since, but it was absolutely marvellous.

For a while, American troops were stationed in Ilfracombe, getting ready for going across to Normandy. At the time they were stationed my father was assistant chaplain to the Forces.

The regular chapain to the army, a Baptist minister like my father, used to come up to the house and for the first time, we encountered popcorn. The first time he came he said 'I'm coming up to your house to pop.' We couldn't imagine what he meant!

Anyway, my father dined in the officers' mess and on one occasion my mother and I joined him. It was a terrific banquet. There must have been four or five courses and the food was amazing. As a young child I just remember the last course, which was a huge knickerbocker glory. You didn't have ice cream during the war.. but the American Forces had it!

A lot of soldiers used to come to my father's church. Many of them - perhaps the majority - were Baptists and the gallery was always packed with Forces. Whenever my father had a baptistmal service it was very moving because we'd come to the end, and, as was the custom in Baptist churches in those days, he would make an appeal for anyone who wanted, to come forward and be baptised - and very often it happened, on the spot. The Americans used to slide down the pillars, one after another, and just take their jacket off and go straight into the water.

As I child I was amazed - how were they going to get home! I didn't understand the full significance of it, but the atmosphere was very charged; they were going and they may not be coming back again. Quite a few of them almost certainly didn't come back.

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