They were then covered with foam to stop them bursting into flame. ‘I remember seeing some of the Flying Fortresses after they returned to Bovingdon battered, full of holes. There were a number of black troops amongst them the first time that most Hemel people had seen a black person. They rode about on huge Harley Davison motorcycles. They wore a special type of boot that was much quieter than those worn by British troops. Some American troops from the air base at Bovingdon were billeted in the town. It was divided into 3 main districts, the main town, Boxmoor Village and Apsley. ‘Hemel Hempstead was very small at this time about 19,000 people. Hemel and surrounding areas were changed by the war. She came in and we were severely reprimanded and given 500 lines, ‘Manners maketh man’. We were messing around that day, not realising what had happened. ‘We had an art teacher whose husband was killed while on duty with the navy. Other memories, however, were less pleasant. The Head, Mr Screeton was a very nice man, quiet, dignified and kind.’ ‘Assemblies were memorable because the Headmaster took pleasure in choosing different classical music to play at the end. Most pupils had fond memories of the Headmaster. Each house had a plot of land and we had to grow our own vegetables.’ One was linked to the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign. A ‘farthing fund’ was set up to buy comforts for the crew and there was competition between the forms as to how much was contributed. ‘The school adopted a mine sweeper called the Lord Keith and there was a model of the ship in a glass case at the back of the assembly hall (now PA1). He told us how pupils did their best to support the war effort. Mr Stevens started at Hemel Hempstead Grammar School in September 1940. (Interview by Polly Taylor and Harriet Bullock, October 2008.)
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