WHEN Tavistock Museum re-opened to the public last April no-one knew just how popular it would prove to be.

The two rooms above Court Gate where the museum has organised many popular exhibits, along with its resident display on Tavistock, have been open to the public since 2003. However, many visitors were put off by the steep staircase leading up from the archway.

Fortunately in 2006, Tavistock Town Council stepped in to help and agreed to lease the vacant former Librarian's Cottage to the Museum Trust.

This allowed the museum to extend as well as to provide a more visitor friendly entrance from Guildhall Square.

Trevor Kerswill, treasurer of the museum, said: 'This cottage has given us a lot of extra room. We still have a way to go but it has been a very successful season.

'This is the first season in this building — we didn't know how it would go but we are pleased it went well.'

As a charity, the Museum Trust was able to apply for grants to restore the cottage — the first awarded in 2009 was for £30,000 towards refurbishment windows and restoring an internal link doorway between Court Gate and the Cottage.

The work was funded by the 'Discover The Extraordinary' project, managed by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Team.

The second grant in 2011 was for £50,000 from Biffa, and along with a locality grant from Devon County Council of £3,000, the museum was able to re-furbish and further improve the cottage, and provide a kitchen for the stewards who help keep the museum open daily from Easter to mid-November.

In total more than £100,000 has been spent improving the museum — and the new welcome area, ground level entrance, and audio-visual room were opened in April this year.

Rod Martin, secretary to the Museum Trust, said: 'This has been an absolutely brilliant season for the museum which has been helped by having good exhibitions, and by the good weather which brought visitors to the west country.

'Visitors this season — from Easter to mid November — were approximately 7,630. Our thanks to all our stewards and other volunteers.'

Due to the entrance now being in better view of the public and with an exhibition on the 29th Infantry Division of the US Army, the year's figures have shown all has been a success.

The exhibition this season was the collection of the late Jim and Margo Stanger who over many years liaised with the American veterans.

It took a month of hard work by Peter Gallie from Chillaton, with help from other US Army vehicle enthusiasts, to assemble the exhibition.

Nearly 70 years have passed since the American soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division of the US Army were based and trained in Devon and Cornwall, May 1943 until early June 1944, prior to the invasion of mainland Europe.

During World War One, the 29th was deployed on the Western Front in France and involved in heavy fighting.

After World War One it was disbanded but remained a National Guard Unit.

The division was reformed when America entered World War Two, and on October 5, 1942, about 10,000 men from the division embarked for England on RMS Queen Mary, which had been converted to a troop ship.

The soldiers initially trained around Oxford but in May 1943, they were relocated to Devon and Cornwall with bases including Tavistock, Okehampton and Plymouth.

During the brief period that the Americans were in Tavistock they played baseball in the Meadows, and there was a social club for them in West Street.

In Duke Street there used to be Matthew's Garage, where a lot of work was done on US military vehicles by their own mechanics.

Local hostelries did a roaring trade, a particular favourite was the former White Hart in Brook Street, now the Oggy Oggy Pasty Shop, which on occasions was almost drunk dry.

The Americans were popular in the town and local villages, and most local people around during that time have a story to tell.

Trevor was even able to share some of his memories of when the Americans were stationed in the area when he was 11 years old.

He said: 'They came in mid '43 and left June '44. They were all over Lamerton and all around the country lanes in their trucks.

'One day a fella said "have this", and it was a tin of fruit cocktail which is something we weren't used to, and when I showed my grandmother she said "we are not charity" and I had to give it back.

'We used to have three chaps come to the cottage and one took a shine to my sister, who was older than me, and before they went away he gave her his "number one" uniform but she never saw him again!

'This exhibition has brought back a lot of memories.

'For one woman when she came in she said she recognised the men in a couple of the photos in the exhibition. She was able to tell us some of her memories.'

Next year's season will be connected through the 29th Infantry Division US Army — it will focus on the 115th Field Hospital Unit of the US Army on Plaister Down.

• IF you have any stories you remember from when the Americans were based in West Devon or remember stories your parents or grandparents used to share of the Americans, then please email Lindsay Turpin at [email protected]">[email protected]