There were, of course, difficulties especially with the elderly folk many of whom had never left the area before and with sick people where it was necessary to find them beds in nearby hospitals. These and many other problems were overcome by a willingness on most people’s part to pull together and make the most of it. The war was on and this was one consequence of the times. As the few weeks passed so the land and villages took on a deserted appearance. The once crowded roads, down to the shore, the busy farms, the cattle grazing the fields, the people talking in the village shops were to be no more. The large villages were soon empty then came the many farms and finally the isolated houses. The various churches had to be cleared of valuables and very old furnishings. No guarantee that anything left would be undamaged during the exercises. Treasures such as crucifixes, silver crosses and plateware were carefully packed by experts and monuments, windows and fittings were protected by sandbags. Almost all the churches had a lot of old and fragile woodwork. This required very careful dismantling and packing helped in many cases by the incoming U.S. troops. The inns closed their doors for the last time and the cellars were emptied of their stocks of cider and beer. During the last few days of the evacuation sentries came into the area. American officials checked on the clearing operation, the last people left, taking with them as much of their crops as possible and finally the centres closed and the volunteers moved out. A silence fell over the area, an
Alan and Bernard Fardon, whose father was the blacksmith in Blackawton, help out with a wheelbarrow
uncanny feeling that this was the lull before the storm. Weeds soon appeared in unattended gardens and fields, hedgerows grew out of shape and houses, farms and other buildings quickly gathered dust during those last days of 1943.
Reproduced by kind permission of Orchard Publica- tions from “Preparing for D-Day, American Assault Exercises at Slapton Sands” by Arthur L. Clamp. Cop- ies can be purchased from the Dartmouth TIC, The Harbour Bookshop, Dartmouth or direct from the publishers tel: 01626 852714
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