About the contributor

I was 6 years old in 1941 and used to travel daily, by H & C bus, from South Petherton to school at Park School in Yeovil. I remember sheltering under the desk in the classroom as the bombing started. The target was probably the Westland’s Aircraft factory which was no more than half a mile from the school. I later understood that in fact the factory was not hit, the bombs falling on the town.
Due to the disruption caused by the raid I was late getting home which prompted the remark by my mother “that I would not be going back to school in Yeovil!”
I was then sent to Streete Court School at Barrington Court, near Ilminster, which itself had been evacuated to Barrington from Westgate-on-Sea at the outbreak of war. The school remained there until 1945 and I was almost completely oblivious of what was going on in the world.
My father had a petrol station on the A303, which was used by the army, both American and British, as a refuelling depot; I remember well the sweets and lumps of sugar we were given particularly by the US troops.