THE drill hall in Okehampton where Polish and American troops met local girls for dances during the Second World War is being given a facelift - and a local historian is appealing for old photographs to bring back memories of those days.

The hall was opened in 1914 to give volunteer soldiers to train and it continued this role through the Second World War, when the Home Guard met here to practise. And after hours, it was a popular venue for local dances, attracting the troops stationed around the town.

In 1968, the drill hall and its rifle range were shut down and sold off by the Government, in common with other drill halls in communities up and down the country. Now the building is owned by Okehampton Conservative Club, although the drill hall is still used as a function room for everyone in Okehampton.

Local historian Mike Wreford is among the group of volunteers who look after the hall, and are currently giving it a makeover. This follows major structural work to the roof of the building and a refurbishment of the snooker room above.

‘We have got someone who is a builder who is doing the plastering but the painting and other work we are doing ourselves,’ said Mike. ‘We have got quite a few skilled people on the committee, it really is a labour of love.’

And now the work is nearing completion, he is appealing for anyone who has photographs of the hall in earlier times to get in touch, as he would like to use them to frame and hang on the walls after the makeover is complete.

‘This room is now a multi-functional room but it is still affectionately known as the Drill Hall, where the Home Guard and the Territorial Army would have done their drills, very much like in Dad’s Army,’ said Mike. ‘Older people in the town still call it the drill hall although hasn’t been used as such since 1968.

‘What we want to do is perpetuate those memories by getting photographs of things going on in the hall, whether it is the Home Guard training or dances in the hall.

‘The photographs will be incorporated into the redecoration. We will enlarge them to the right size, frame them and display them on the walls, and hopefully bring back memories.’

As Mike explained, the hall had a particularly fascinating history during the Second World War, when there were large numbers of Americans and the Polish Navy based at a camp at Lodge Hill, now Okehampton Rugby Club.

‘These servicemen along with members of our personnel looked forward to their Saturday night hop at the drill hall, and many of the Polish sailors stayed behind after the war, married Okehampton girls and became hard working members of the Okehampton and district community,’ said Mike.

‘They all seemed to have a huge admiration for Prime Minster Winston Churchill and would hold reunion dinners at the Conservative Club for many years until their number diminished over time.

‘Two of them, Tony Smul and Peter Skrzypczak, had represented the Polish Navy at football and they immediately joined Okehampton Argyle Football Club where they served the club for many years with Tony as an excellent goalkeeper and Peter as an acrobatic full back.’

‘What is not generally known is that they came from the Polish vessel ORP Balytk moored off Plymouth, and later this name was given to the Land Base at Lodge Hill which was known as a ‘stone frigate’, so Okehampton had a land base with its own post office.’

If you have photographs you’d like to share, contact Mike on 01837 52932 or [email protected]