The Wooden Wagon.

The Wooden Wagon.

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During the Second World War, the Odney Club was taken over by troops returning from Dunkirk. Then after Pearl Harbour in December 1941, in 1942 it was taken over by American troops. This also included the Mill and old stables and garages in Mill Lane. The Americans used the old stables and garages for stores and a place to keep their ammunition. They must have used some for practice on the range as the empty wooden boxes were stacked against the coppice fence. Of course as boys we had our eyes on this little pile. One day we found that there was a guard on duty having a smoke near the fence, so in chatting him up we asked what the chance was of three empty ammo boxes coming over the fence. As quick as a wink we had our boxes.

We sanded out the US markings and with the help of Sid Burfoot and Larry Smith farm carpenters at White Place Farm and Ernie Holland farm engineer to do the oxy-acetylene welding and drilling of holes on his bench drill so the pram wheels that we had already, we had ourselves three good sturdy wagons.

One good use I put mine too, was to haul home to Widbrook sacks of potatoes that my father had grown on his 20-pole plot on Sutton Allotments.

The sketch above is to give the reader some idea of how the wagon was constructed.