The son of William and Alice he married Lorna Bryant in 1961. Born in Ireland Cottage he walked 2 miles to school in Washford from the age of 5 to 14.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadwater Patrol | Patrol member | 1940 | April 1942 |
Carpenter
Bob served for a short time in the Local Defence Volunteers when it was first formed but was soon approached by Sergeant Taylor to join, what was at the time, 6 men in the Patrol. These were Taylor, Burge, Carpenter, Coles, Parsons and himself.
Bob joined the Royal Artillery in April 1942. He went to Salisbury Plain to train then on to Aviemore in Scotland to train in mountain warfare but he never would say with what unit and refused to talk further about this time. He was demobbed in March 1947.
After the war his family said they knew he was doing something secret but not what he was doing and they would never have asked. He went to work at Hinkley Point for a while, making concrete moulds. He later worked at Cleeve Abbey, working as a carpenter on the roof and general carving repairs. He worked in the workshop here for 20 years and enjoyed restoring other old buildings such as Ludlow Castle.
Bob was interviewed for an oral archive in 2001. It is available at Somerset Heritage Centre (A/BJS/3/49).
He wrote about the Patrol and the OB. This is available at Somerset Heritage Centre (ABUI/1).
