- Contributed by听
- cornwallcsv
- People in story:听
- Dougie Alford
- Location of story:听
- St Just
- Article ID:听
- A6080591
- Contributed on:听
- 10 October 2005
329 CSW080604 19:01:50 - 10:04:32
This story has been added by CSV volunteer Linda Clark on behalf of the author Dougie Alford. His story was given to the Trebah WW2 Video Archive, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2004. The Trebah Garden Trust understands the site's terms and conditions.
The American solidiers were a great help to the village because where we lived we had to go about three quarters of a mile with a stand barrel to fetch our water. We used to go to the well and wind up water but when the American soldiers came they would come in their jeeps and take water out of the tanks. When they realised that we didn't have water they brought out a trailer type thing with a tank on the back which they took to Nancherrow,(?) to the running water or shute, as we used to call it, to fill it with water. They then brought it and filled up our tanks for the cattle. We got on very well with them and we missed them terribly when they went as we had to go back to carrying water, either by hand or by horse and barrel. They were a great help to us and they were very friendly.
Some stayed I do believe in the Lnads End Hotel but the majority of them stayed around the battlefied in Penzance, up towards the Firfield (?). They stayed in the big houses there and everyday they used to take convoys of army trucks, jeeps and brenn gun carriers onto the cliffs. They fell in with the local community and Charlie George (?), the landlord at the pub was particularly friendly with them as some of the Americans stayed overnight at the pub.
The Americans had a hard welcome at Utah beach, I think it was, with most of them being blown up. A lorry driver we knew well called George came back to the Botallack pub after the war and he said that out of the division that went from our area, only one or two had survived. He was one of them. He said that no-one would have recognised him due to the scars and loss of hair: the only thing that he could be recognised by was his voice. They were great people.
漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Recommended story
Story with photo