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This story was submitted to the People’ War by a volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Bill Bryant and has been added to the site with his permission. Bill Bryant fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

Home Life

We darkened the window, we had real dark stuff against the window. We didn’t let a bit of light out ‘cos they used to come from Gloucester, from Bristol out round here and back in again. When parts Bristol had it it was terrible.

When the war was on we was living at the Mynders, and they dropped a couple of bombs there. I was there on my own with the children, oh yes, the door came in like that it did. It did on me once when I had the vacuum cleaner on and the door blew open. I had Betty as a baby then and I got to the nearly to the foot of the stairs and the door went in and out like that.

Travel

I used to go drive to London to pick up damaged wheat, flour wheat and all sorts for Chepstow Farmers. I used to go to Liverpool, Bristol and London Albert Docks. I used to haul tin wagons, sometimes we used to go up to London, solid tyres paraffin tail lights and that was all the way to London. 16ton with paraffin lights it was. I used to do two journeys a week we didn’t see a bed from one time to the other, no we slept in the cab. We were going through High Wycombe one night, and I had coal on look. My mate he said to me ‘now Bill’ and I said ‘what ‘ he said ‘you know that policeman’s saying don’t you’ no I said ‘no what’s he saying’ he said ‘dim them lights’.

Voluntary Services

Oh yes he was in the Home Guard he had a lovely time . And we used to go all of the way to Tintern, we walked. Yes, and when we got there there was barrel of beer waiting for us. I used to Rogiet on the firing range.

We used to sleep in there, in the Institute at Shirenewton. One night in there, two of the boys had slipped in and tied his bootlaces together. When he came to go away he couldn’t get out, tied his bootlaces together.

Work in Wartime

He went to work for Reg Reece first, then he left Reg Reece’s and went to Cae Pwcella. Then he had to leave that because they would have called him up, so he went back to Reg Reece it was agricultural you see, he was exempt.

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