We had a short business meeting, various history societies
and the Devon Record Office have contacted me as to how we record and research the WW1
Commemoration. The men who died have already been recorded, but we have been
asked to find the men who returned home. So if any members can add to this I
would be pleased to hear from them. I have a page from the Deanery Magazine of
the time listing serving men, so will start with that:
The difficulty is deciding
whether we add the men who seem to be from outlying villages like Gittisham and
Broadhembury on the 1911 census.
We have been asked to
help with a fund raising event in July for the Melanesia Church. The Devon
History Society would like us to present our WW1 research at their AGM on 11th Oct.
2014. After that we can put it together to place in the Church over the
Remembrance weekend in November.
That done we viewed the
Blackdown Hills DVD on Dunkeswell Airfield during the 2nd War, wonderful
collection of memories and photos.
Alan then rounded of the
evening with his reminiscences of War time Feniton. A Spitfire in their garden
one Sunday lunch time. The glow in the sky when Exeter was bombed. The pulsating
drone of the German Bombers at night. The American High B17 the "Flying Fortress", often
returned damaged, holes, props missing and the odd fin. The boys cycled up to
Turbury Cross to view a fully laden bomber that crashed and left a huge crater
in the road and damaged the hedgerows, the gaps can still be seen. There was
parachute silk hanging in the hedges. It failed to take off and slid on along a
field. Alan remembers a glider coming down
near Cadhay, a Dakota from Smetharpe came to collect it, a frame with a
rope across it enable the glider to be hooked up and launched into the air.
They often saw Dakotas and gliders on the way to the Normandy Landings. Very
interesting Alan, thank you.
