I HAVE been following the letters regarding Sylvia?s Meadow at St Ann?s Chapel. I remember going to this field, then known as Brake, in 1943 to visit US soldiers who were in canvas tents. White Americans were in this field and black Americans were billeted in a field opposite. US officers were billeted at Honeycome House. These soldiers were part of the US 29 Infantry Division (1313E service unit). We boys would go and ask for ?Any gum, chum??. We would be given Beeman?s Gum and sometimes a Hershey bar, a treat in wartime England. Today, the only evidence of the Americans? stay is a partially overgrown concrete base which was once the soldiers? mess hall. The troops left the camp around April 1944. In 1945, St Ann?s football team played at the field and used the old mess hall as its changing room. They had an excellent team and were runners-up to Halls Engineers in the P&D Combination League, finishing above Argyle A and Tavistock first team. I used to go along and watch them with my Dad. Older readers may remember the team who lined up with Cyril Matthews, Geo Reynolds, Nip McCabe, Jack Lee, Bill Shaw, Alf Striplin, Duggie Reid, Ben Denley, Ike Burleigh, Bill Pengelly(Capt) and Horace(Dixie)Warn. John Snell [email protected]">[email protected]
