My memories of growing up in Yeovil

I HAVE just entered my 88th year and before my memory fades away I would, if you will forebear with me, share a few of my memories growing up in Yeovil a long time ago...

- JACK SWEET Yeovil historian

When I was very much younger back in the early 1940s, the Health Clinic on Preston Road by the Five Cross Roads was the home of the school dental service ( and continued to be up until not so many years ago).

The school dentist, who in my time was Mr Royal, and his nurse would regularly visit the primary schools and I remember standing in line waiting to be examined. ‘Open wide; the mirror would grate around my mouth, the taste of disinfectant or whatever was used to sterilise the instrument - ‘Next.’ Then the wait. The summons would come and with my mother, who always seemed to wear the same two-piece dark red suit with wide black check on these occasions, we would walk from Orchard Street to the Clinic.

At the reception, mother would be handed a blue card with a diagram of the top and bottom sets of teeth with details of the treatment required. In my case it was always extractions, no preventative work on the first teeth.

Up the stairs to the first floor corridor where there was a line of wooden benches and we would join the other mothers and children sitting waiting their turn. Slowly we moved along as my fellow patients disappeared into one of the doors at the end of the corridor. I would glumly look at the dental card and the two sets of teeth remain etched in my memory.