Search US Servicemen in North Devon, England 1943-1945

With every record, you will be able to view an image of the original service club visitors book along with a transcript of the vital details about your ancestor.

• Name
• Year
• Date
• Theatre of operation
• Residence
• State
• Country
• Notes - servicemen wrote additional notes on the visitor books this sometimes can include nicknames.

The US servicemen served at the Assault Training Centre in North Devon, which was set up in 1942. It was established during the Second World War as a centre to develop and practice amphibious assault exercises to prepare for the Normandy landing on D-Day. They practiced on the beaches at Woolacombe and Saunton Sands.

A service club was set up by the Red Cross in October 1943 at Bungalow Café, North Devon. It is now known as the Red Barn. The service club had a visitor’s book which recorded the servicemen’s name, date of signing, service number, location details, hometowns, and states. Not all servicemen who were based at the Training Centre signed in. A few have left a comment, although the layout of the pages did not encourage this. Some state pages are neat and tidy, with names arranged in an orderly fashion. Other pages have names written sideways, diagonally, across one another and on top of each other. Sadly, for those young men who did not return home, this may have been the last time they signed their names. The original Visitors Book is now held in Mortehoe Museum North Devon and with the Trustees’ permission, it was filmed at Devon Family History Society’s Research Centre, Tree House, in Exeter.

The books were transcribed by the Devon Family History Society volunteers.