AN author has uncovered Tetbury’s vital role in the Second World War.
Merlin Fraser, 68, from The Chipping, has published “The Americans in Tetbury”, a detailed investigation into the six months 654th Battalion spent in the town before they were shipped to Normandy as part of the D-Day invasions.
For Mr Fraser, the journey began in the Snooty Fox, Tetbury, when he was asked to lead a historical tour of the town.
During the tour an American said that their father had been stationed there during the war and had always wanted to return but had never been able to “What can you tell me about the American’s in Tetbury?” She asked.
So started a three year journey in which Mr Fraser slowly acquired the documents that would transform the town’s view of its role in World War Two.
He had trouble finding an intact copy of the book that was given to each solider in the battalion at the end of the war.
“In the end I got the book off an American whose father had been here, the whole book had been lost to damp except the part that contained their stay in Tetbury,” he said. The book provided him with excellent photos, maps and a revelation as to the importance of the American’s who came to the town.
He said: “These weren’t just everyday soldiers, they were map makers who were very important to the war effort.”
Over the six months 300 soldiers took over the town, training for the upcoming invasion by mapping the area and building detailed models of Omaha beach for the landing troops. The men were billeted all over Tetbury, in tents, in spare rooms, and even in the Snooty Fox, where Mr Fraser started his journey.
Mr Fraser, who has previously published three novels, is now planning on widening his horizons, writing the entire history of Tetbury which, he says, will challenge the common interpretation.
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