大象传媒

This story was submitted by Rod Sutton on behalf of Keith Solomon, the author, and has been added to this site with his permission. The author fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

As a child livng in Bodmin, we were brought up on a diet of propaganda via such illustrated magazines as 'Hutchinsons Pictorial History of the War'where reports that our Air Force bombed strategic targets, whilst the Luftwaffe 'blitzed' us. We had submarines to defend us and our Navy while they had beastly things called 'U-boats' and always the enemy were depicted with those unique coal scuttle helmets upon their heads and these were always emphasised in cartoons.

I suppose I was about five or even six years of age and 'Double Summer Time' or 'Daylight Saving Time' was in operation - a device to endeavour our farmers to make best use of the available daylight. This was a good excuse for some parents to get their hyperactive kids into bed at seven o'clock when realy it was only five pm. Lying in a bed with blackout curtains to a) simulate night and b) when it did become dark, to prevent light from escaping and giving the Hun a target to aim at! so one can imagine that when I heard the sound of marching feet in the roadway, I was out of bed and pulling the blackout curtains back, I saw - to my great horror, a huge phalanx of marching soldiers, quite unknown to me by dress and accoutrements, and all wearing a coal-scuttle type of helmet on their heads, not our easily recognised 'Agincourt' type of protective head wear. THEY HAD TO BE GERMANS AND WE WERE BEING INVADED! Terror gripped me and I screamed the house down! It took a long time to convinve me that these were not German invaders, but American soldiers who had just arrived at the Bodmin Barracks!

Incidently I only came to accept the US forces after the Childrens Christmas Party organised bythem at the Barracks and I came away laden with 'Lifesaver@ sweets (not unlike Polo's but fruit flavoured), chocolate,an apple and an orange - the first I ever remember seeing. This orange was duly displayed to the family and Mother suggested that we each had a segment and I felt like a lord sharing this wonderful fruit - a segment each to Mum, Dad, Gramfer and my elder brother and i was allowed to have the rest. I wanted to send a peice to my eldest brother in the Navy but I was told that it would spoil before he got it, so I ate it!

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