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This story was submitted to the People's War site by volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Vera Elizabeth Robson and has been added to the site with her permission. Vera Elizabeth Robson fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Vera Elizabeth Robson (nee Dickens )

Home / Work Life.
Parents came to Chepstow in 1931 and took over the King鈥檚 Head Hotel which was tied to the Stroud Brewery. Vera worked with her parents running the hotel for the duration of the war. Her father was too old for service and she was barmaid, receptionist, chamber maid, waitress etc. There soon became shortages of beers, wines and spirits, to which some people, especially the Americans objected - - they felt that money should be able to buy everything.
Licensing hours were 11a.m. to 3p.m. and 6p.m. to 10p.m. there were no extensions on Saturday nights and the hotel was closed on Sundays. This would be the chance to clean through and catch up on paper work. The hotel was divided between the 鈥渓ounge鈥� for officers and the 鈥渂ar鈥� for other ranks. Vera normally served in the bar and would sometimes be chatted up by the officers and went to several functions held at Chepstow racecourse. Some of the staff were called up, including the 鈥淏oots鈥� and the waitresses left.Vera cannot remember that any special events took place at the hotel during the war. Apart from shortages in the licensing area of the hotel, she was not aware of too many food shortages, felt that the local trades people helped each other.

War events.
Vera cannot remember being too particularly aware of the possibility of war, until she heard the radio broadcast announcing the commencement of hostilities. Blackouts were soon put on all the windows and many of the regular customers were called up. Some of the locals were on T.A. training camp at the outbreak of war, so they returned to Chepstow and were sent off to various regiments. Most of the people she knew returned after the war. She remembers the following regiments arriving at Chepstow and being stationed at Bulwark and the race course - - Cheshires; Duke of Wellingtons; Scots Fusiliers, London Scottish and some Polish soldiers that were attached to one of the British groups and of course the Americans. There was a great deal of agression between some of the black and the white Americans and the family witnessed one fight inWelsh Street from the windows of the hotel, having first locked all the doors of the hotel, which was sorted out by the local police. Vera regarded most of the black soldiers as being very polite and courteous, not all the white Americans were aggressive, but some found it difficult to come to terms with rationing due to short supplies. Quite a few of the local girls maried men stationed in and around Chepstow. Vera remembers that Piercefield House still had a marble staircase at the beginning of the war, but much was destroyed by target practice . Heard about the bomb falling down by the river from some customers, but did not have any time to go and look for herself. Used to watch the bombs being dropped on Bristol from one of the upstairs windows of the hotel, and could tell by the sound of the engines which were the German planes.
Because Vera could drive she would often go with Dr. Horan鈥檚 wife to Chepstow station to collect the evacuees and take them to the homes to which they had been assigned. Used to take them as far as Tintern, but always within the country boundary of Wales. Some of them were so young and pathetic looking that she often felt very sorry for them.

War defences.
There was no air - raid shelter at the hotel , they used to hide under the stairs, one of the first to arrive there was usually their dog - - an English Sheepdog. Vera had learnt to drive when she was quite young and so became an ambulance driver with the local Home Guard, this work would take priority over the hotel work. She used to go to bed each night dressed in her siren suit and would have to report to the local Police station when called. Her car was often used for war service and she would frequently go to Pontllanfraith to collect equipment for the A.R.P.office. Remembers one particular poignant mission soon after D - Day when she went with Jimmy James (funeral director) to a railway siding near Abergavenny station where they picked up wounded soldiers and took them to the American hospital base outside Crickhowell - - there was a fleet of 29 ambulances and they had to make the journey several times. They were the only ambulance from Chepstow.

The town.
There were dances most weekends in the Town Hall ( present day Senior Citizens ) with a band - - Bertoni鈥檚, all local players. Unfortunately, Vera could not go to many as she would have been working.
After D - day, many of the soldiers stationed locally left and the town became much quieter.

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