'The Yanks are Here'

I was a small boy. We lived in the Marsh Lane area,close to the docks. The place was subjected to heavy bombing during May 1941. Many people were killed, and there was a lot of devastation in the aftermath.
Sometime in 1942,an American camp sprung up on a previously bombed site at the top of the lane. It consisted mainly of tents,large and small.
As children, we used to visit the camp, and the soldiers would give us chocolate ,chewing gum, etc. We loved the Americans. I suppose they became a substitute for our own fathers, who were all away at war. The soldiers were very kind
and treated us properly.I can't recall a single incident of improper behaviour towards us.
One of my mum's girl friends started courting one of the soldiers. She would bring him to our house. To a small child he seemed so tall-almost filled our living room. We loved to hear him talk-bowled over by the accent! He would shower us with goodies.
Their trucks,jeeps etc., filled our streets.
We would play on them.One day,my trousers got covered in oil/grease off one of the guns. Needless to say, Mum wasn't very pleased.
Then one day, the americans took down their camp and left us.I suppose this was the prelude to assembling further south in preparation for D-Day. We were sad for days afterwards.My mum told us, many years later,that as they drove off, local people passed rosaries, holy medals etc to the departing soldiers.
There are nice neat houses on the site now, I have mixed emotions. Happy that there is no war now,but feeling sentimental when i recall the memories of the camp there.

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