Memories of the US Army in Saltash Passage, 1944

I was lucky to know Marshall Ware, the St Budeaux historian, and I have many of his cuttings and notes amongst my collection. Marshall wrote down many things that happened in the Second World War and some of his reminisces I've included in my book, 'Memories of St Budeaux.' When the American troops took over Saltash Passage in preparation for D-Day in 1944, everyone was issued with special passes so that they could enter the area. Marshall remembered, 'We all had identity cards but Saltash Passage residents were issued with yellow Certificate of Residence Cards. It bore the holder's National Registration Identity Card number and stated that the holder was thereby certified to be a resident within the specified area and that it must be carried out of doors at all times and shown to any Constable or member of His Majesty's or Allied Forces on duty. It bore the signature of the holder and was signed by the Chief Constable of Plymouth and the distribution was completed by 19th April 1944. One resident, wearing tennis gear, forgot to carry his card and was taken in a jeep for interrogation to the US Naval Advanced Amphibious Base at Vicarage Receiving Barracks at St Budeaux.' The troops were very friendly and polite to the local residents and were loved by the children because they would give them sweets, gum, cocoa and other items that were rationed to the English. The Americans didn't have their food and supplies rationed at the time and were happy to share it with the locals.

Maurice Dart remembered, 'I remember the American's camp at Vicarage Road. When I was a boy, we would go down to the gate sometimes and they would give us chocolates and sweets and items to take home, such as tins of cocoa, biscuits and butter. My mother used to tell me off for scrounging but she was pleased to receive it all!' The rare photo above shows the smiling faces of the American troops as they left for D-Day. Residents remember that the area was a hive of activity while the troops were there but, one day, they awoke to find that they'd all gone, leaving just a baseball bat behind.

The Hoe Lodge Gardens 1930s

This photo of the Hoe Lodge Gardens in the 1930s is an old picture used by the Keystone Press Agency. A quick search on the internet shows that Keystone are still in business.

Looking at this photo, not a great deal has changed over the years and the only noticeable thing that is now missing is the old bandstand which was destroyed during enemy bombing in the 1940s.

This picture would have been featured in a newspaper or magazine at one time though it's impossible to discover what the story behind it was. This is possibly the only copy of this picture that survives. There is some information written on the back in pencil which reads, 'A pretty scene of the flower gardens on Plymouth Hoe. In the background can be seen Smeaton Lighthouse.'

It must be spring as one of the two girls in the picture is admiring the tulips while the other girl is holding an umbrella. In the background, Smeaton's Tower is painted as it is today though it's seen some variations over the years including being painted green and white during the 1960s.

Some think that this might have been in honour of Plymouth Argyle but it was probably because green and white are the colours of Devon. Also, in the background, can be seen the Victorian watchtower.

The garden had a small pond in the days before the Prejoma Clock. The clock was erected in April 1965 in memory of the parents of a Mr John Preston Ball.

It's amazing that this photo was taken approximately 70 years ago and how little has changed. Incidently, this photo was another 99p buy on Ebay. An absolute bargain, I think!

Jack Waller

After my blog entry in September about H Leslie's Gay Lieutenants who appeared on Plymouth Pier in 1909, I heard from Susan Allgaier in Wixom, Michigan who wrote:
'I live in Michigan and work with people who have Alzheimer's. One of my patients is the nephew of Jack Waller. Reggie's wife brought in an old scrapbook today with newspaper clippings and pictures of Jack Waller. How interesting! I hope to hear from you. Susan -Wixom, MI.'
I was amazed to hear from anyone who knew of, or remembered, Jack Waller and his troope as he hardly gets any mention on the internet. It was lovely to correspond with Susan and to hear from Jack's great neice, Linda Margolin. Linda's memories of Jack certainly make interesting reading and give an insight to his personality, character and way of life.
I've reproduced Linda's email below:
'Dear Derek,
I am Reggie's daughter and remember Uncle Jack well. I used to visit him whenever I returned to England. It was always exciting as they were "different" than the rest of the family. Very posh.He was always dapper, with a cigar in his mouth and wearing beautiful clothes. Jack played the violin and used to soft-shoe dance down the corridor of the flat in Queen's Gate. He and his wife, my great-aunt Cecelia (my grandmother's sister) also had a fabulous "cottage" called Nanette (for obvious reasons) on the coast. I am having a senior moment trying to recall the exact town. They later moved to a huge gorgeous flat in St Johns Wood. After Jack died, Celia lived there with her sister Sylvia and the maid, Lizzie. Jack's portrait in oil, with cigar, always lived over the lounge fireplace with a special spot light on it. Celia and Jack called each other mummy and daddy, and so daily Celia would talk to Daddy and tell him the news. After Celia died, Sylvia continued to live in St Johns Wood. When she died, as my dad and I were two of the heirs, I went to London to help sort things out. I have many old pictures of the two of them. I will try to get my scanner working again so I can send some to you. There is also a funny cookery book with Favorite recipes of the Famous. Jack has one in there (Lizzie got NO credit!).We will be celebrating my Dad's 92nd birthday this Sunday at sunrise. I will tell him again of your interest in Jack. He will be pleased. Please keep in touch, I'd love to hear about your project. And perhaps there is more info I can give you. My husband and I hope to come to England next year, and we always go to Bournemouth as well to see my aunt and uncle. They also have great stories about Jack.Hope you are well. I am so glad Susan told me of her interest, and yours, in Jack.'

Smeaton's Tower

Smeaton's Tower was built by John Smeaton on the Eddystone Reef in 1759. There had been two previous lighthouses in the same location. The first was built by Henry Winstanley in 1695. Unfortunately, seven years later, during a storm, it was washed away taking its builder with it. The second lighthouse was built in 1711 by John Rudyerd but it was destroyed by a fire in 1755. Work commenced on Smeaton's Tower in December 1756 to replace the damaged lighthouse. Smeaton's Tower would still be there today but the rock underneath it was undermined by the sea. James Douglass built a new lighthouse on an adjoining rock. It was felt that if Smeaton's Tower was left standing beside the new lighthouse, that it could eventually collapse onto the new lighthouse if the rock beneath it became even more undermined. It was decided to blow it up but a Mr FJ Webb suggested that it should be dismantled and erected on the Hoe where the Trinity House Navigational Obelisk once stood. This was quite a task and the lighthouse was removed stone by stone and rebuilt on the Hoe with a new base to support it. The original base can still be seen beside the present Eddystone Lighthouse. On 24th September,1884,the Lord Mayor opened Smeaton's Tower on the Hoe to the public.

Tram at Saltash Passage

This very rare photo shows a tram at Saltash Passage in 1929. To the right of the tram, is the Royal Albert Bridge Inn and the building on the left is now a cafe. The foreshore has now completely changed and nowadays, the area to the left in taken up by a small park built in the 1950s. It's interesting to see the lack of traffic. There would have been few cars in the towns of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport at the time and there was probably none at all in Saltash Passage. It's also interesting to see the tramlines which, apparently, still lie there today underneath the modern tarmac. The tram's destination is 'theatre' which referred to the termination point at Derry's Clock near to the old Theatre Royal. This is tram number 148 which had the longest route in Plymouth. At the time, trams would have brought many visitors to the nearby Little Ash Tea Gardens, the annual regatta and the St Budeaux Carnival. The area by the cafe is where the American soldiers left for D-Day in 1944. Saltash passage has certainly seen some changes over the years but is still instantly recognisable from this old photo though one thing is noticable - it was a far quieter place!

Memories of St Budeaux

I have just finished a new book called, 'Memories of St Budeaux'. When I finished my book on St Budeaux a few years ago, I received lots of emails and letters from people who had enjoyed reading it and who kindly sent me their own memories and photos of the area. There was so much information, it seemed a shame not to record it so I've collected all these memories together in this book. There are memories taken from the notes and cuttings of local historian, Marshall Ware. I've also tried to recall the many stories that he told me about St Budeaux over the years. There are memories of the war, the people, entertainment, transport etc. The book also covers the time when a lot of St Budeaux was mainly farmers field and of a time when there were no trains, buses, cars, electricity or gas. Also included are the memories of the railway enthusiast and author, Maurice Dart. He tells of his time living at Tamar Terrace throughout the Second World War. There are also rare photos of the American soldiers who left from Saltash Passage for D-Day. I hope it will prove very interesting to people who live in the area and also to others who have an interest in St Budeaux. The book will shortly be available through Amazon and other online retailers and should be in Waterstones within the next few weeks.

H Leslie's Gay Lieutenants, Plymouth Pier, 1909

I recently bought this rare postcard off ebay for just 99p! Amazingly, the picture was taken in September, 1909 so it's exactly 100 years old.

The photo features H Leslie's Gay Lieutenants and the picture was taken on Plymouth Pier. Although little is known about the group, they were probably a theatrical troop and would maybe have made appearances at other venues within the town. Their names are written in ink on the photo and these include Jack Willcox, Walter Banett, Fred Shephard, Jack Waller, Ella Elgar and Cecilia Gold. A note on the back of the postcard reads, 'Jack Waller married Cecilia Gold in 1910.'

H Leslie appears in theatre history and the earliest reference I can find of him is a playbill announcing a performance of 'H Leslie's celebrated London company, in The Princess of Trebizonde, at the New Theatre Royal, Park Row, Bristol, 18 September 1871.' He is billed as an orchestra leader which would suggest that the Gay Lieutenants were a musical troop. Other references show that H Leslie wrote songs with a fellow composer, G. A. MacFarren. One of the songs that Leslie wrote in the 1800s was, 'Speed on,my bark, speed on!' with an M Dee. At the same time, there is a composer mentioned called Henry Leslie and this is probably the same person. He is also listed as Henry T Leslie.

Of the troop, only Fred Shephard and Jack Waller's names appear in later productions. Jack Waller went on to compose songs for music hall and to put on stage shows with his business partner, Herbert Clayton. These included, 'Good News' in 1929 and 'Tell her the Truth', in 1933 which featured music by Waller. The partnership of Clayton and Waller was still producing stage shows as late as 1964, although it's hard to tell if they were both still alive then. Waller wrote many songs for shows including, 'Got the Bench, Got the Park', 'Roll Away Clouds' and 'Babying You' with his writing partner, Joseph Tunbridge. Shows that they wrote music for included, 'Silver Wings', Yes, Madam' and 'Princess Charming', all now long forgotten. Waller and Tunbridge would have been well known in their day.

Fred Shephard wrote, 'Have we got the wind up, no not likely', another song that has long been forgotten.

It's amazing how much has changed in the 100 years since this photo was taken and anyone turning up to see a show called the Gay Lieutenants today would probably expect to see a whole different sort of act!