Ramsbury at War by Roger Day

The ancient village of Ramsbury nestles in the north east corner of Wiltshire beside the clear waters of the River Kennet.

Ramsbury Square in 1906

For centuries cattle have grazed the lush green water meadows, sheep have wandered on the high downs surrounding the village, and in the fields between man has tilled the soil. Until as recently as 1986 the main focal point was an old elm tree, which had reputedly stood in the Square for nearly three hundred years. There is however evidence that a community had existed here for more than a thousand years before the tree took root. Throughout history the village has sent its share of young sons to fight the nation's wars in far off places; the memorial in the High Street records that 65 local men lost their lives in the 1914-1918 conflict. But this was a quiet, pastoral place, where for the most part, lives were ordered and little excitement ever intruded. The Industrial Revolution passed Ramsbury by and neither the canal nor railway scarred the village or its surroundings. Even twenty years after the First World War horse drawn vehicles were still an essential part of every day life. The population, over 2,000 at one time, had by the late 1930s dropped to around 1,500. Everybody seemed to know each other's business in this well established, close-knit Wiltshire village. On Sunday, 3rd September 1939, this rural idyll was rudely shattered when people in towns and villages all over the country heard the news which would change the course of their lives. On that day those near a radio  heard the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, solemnly announce that Britain was at war with Germany.

It was the start of six years of blackouts, rationing, air-raid warnings, of loved ones being sent away and of the intensifying of community spirit which always seems to develop in times of trouble. The arrival of the Americans was for some the only bright spot in an otherwise miserable war.

My interest in wartime Ramsbury began at an early age, and I soon discovered that an airfield had been built about half a mile south of the village high upon the hill which dominates this part of the Kennet Valley. The more questions I asked about its history, the more I came to realise that very few people living in the village had any idea of the important role it played during the war. I later learned that an RAF training unit had been stationed there for a while and that when they left an American Troop Carrier Group, flying Douglas C-47 aircraft, moved in. Many locals also told me about American paratroopers who had been billeted with families in the village.

Armed with these pieces of information I set out to record the history of the Ramsbury area during the 1939-45 conflict. The result of this research has been the publication of my book Ramsbury at War. The book has over 180 pages and 115 illustrations and is crammed with information about the effects war had on a typical English village, including the airfield, the Home Guard and ARP, the friendly American invasion, farming and Prisoners of War.

Roger Day is a local historian and author who has written several books about the village’s part in the 2nd world war when the UA 101st Airborne division was based on the hill behind the village. More recently he has also written about the 1st world war in the area – see www.ramsburyatwar.com for further information.