Other veterans have made private visits, The experiences of Mr. and Mrs. James Ponder were reported in the ‘Echo’ of 29 July 1994:

It was a great privilege for the Tewkesbury Historical Society to be able to share in

“Golden Days for Late honeymoon

James Ponder, now aged 70, and his wife Marion, 68, formerly of East Street and Chance Street School, were married in Cheltenham in 1944 and, because the)’ gained only a three-day pass, enjoyed no honeymoon. With the others he was then posted back to France but in 1946 moved back to the U.S.A.”

    In the article Mr.Ponder remarked that: “We liked Tewkesbury but it has changed so much. The biggest change for me is that everyone is so busy. The people have changed.

Ashchurch was one of the happiest times of my life but nothing stays the same for ever.”

Mrs. Ponder proved an acute observer:

“So mans’ shops have closed but the villages seem to have remained unspoilt.”