Pre D-Day, May 1944

Pre - D - Day May 1944
It was a warm spring morning when I and my school friends set off on our daily run through Kings Heath park. As usual we were late for school.I was then thirteen years of age and rapidly nearing the brink of womanhood. At the same time Britain was on the brink of something much larger. It was the planned offensive to turn the tide of war in Europe.

Thus we arrived at the park gate which led onto Vicarage Road, quite breathless, and soon wide eyed at the sight which now greeted us. For not only was our beloved policeman not there on duty, yet neither was the sight of Major Cartland to be seen. Usually mounted on his white horse and taking off for a canter on his grey mare. Instead we were witness to a long khaki column slowly snaking along the road completely blocking our route to Colmore Road School. The great American War Machine was on the move towards the ports of departure. Every conceivable form of military motorisation seemed to be there including jeeps, tanks, armoured vehicles and bren gun carriers. All bore the huge yellow stars painted on their sides. At last, the Americans were on their way towards Europe's theatre of war, and many of them to their death. They were only boys, so full of high spirits and anticipation. We girls waved to them and cheered. They responded by shouting to us whilst throwing candy bars and chewing gum in our direction. I think that we must have been marooned outside of the park for about two hours. I know that it seemed an eternity. Eventually all was clear, and we scampered across the then strangely deserted road. All of us in a highly elated state,
and the business of getting to school had been briefly erased from our young minds.

Strangely enough I have often discussed this event with those friends who were with me on that significant day, and yet the impact seemed to have made little impression upon them. Maybe there was a little of the,"So what?" attitude lingering in their minds. Yet, as far as I am concerned, the memory is still as vivid as it was half a century ago.

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