Fascinating Somerset Facts

US Military Prison –  1942-45 – The American 2912^th Disciplinary Training Center

In the Autumn of 1942, approx. 300 American Military Prisoners arrived by train, and were marched from Charlton Rd. to the rear entrance of the prison on Frithfield Ln.

• 1943 – at start of the year 118 general prisoners, and by the end of the year 363.
• 1944 – January 363 prisoners , June 635 prisoners, September 456, December 768 prisoners (highest population recorded EVER at SMP).
  • experienced difficulty during 1944 obtaining sufficient space for housing of prisoners confined
• During the war, the previous Women’s Wing (Cwing) was used to house tonnes of artefacts from the national archives, so no prisoners were contained on this wing for the duration of WWII – results in even less cells being available for housing prisoners etc.
• Total of 18 executions of US Servicemen within the prison during this time, executed in the red brick building (this was not built purposefully for the US but a couple decades before) – several carried out by Thomas & Albert Pierrepoint – normal US Army methods were not permitted in England (Brit method of an exactly calculated drop using the eyelet noose, and left to hang for 1hr), but most US customs were allowed, e.g. time of hangings within the first hour of the day, last request/meal
  • 1943
    • David Cobb d.12^th Mach – Murder
    • Harold A. Smith d.25^th June – Murder
    • Lee A. Davis d.14th December – Rape & Murder
  • 1944
    • John H. Waters d.10^th February – Murder
    • J.C. Leatherberry d.16^th May – Murder
    • Wiley Harris Jr. d.26^th May – Murder
    • Alex F. Miranda d.30^th May (Firing Squad) – Murder
    • Eilja Brinson & Willie Smith d.11^th August (Double Hanging) – Rape
    • Madison Thomas d.12^th October – Rape
    • Benjamin Pygate III d.28^th November (Firing Squad) – Murder
  • 1945
    • Ernest Lee Clark & Augustin M. Guerra d.8^th January (Double Hanging) – Rape & Murder
    • Robert L. Pearson & Parson Jones d.17^th March (Double Hanging) – Rape
    • William Harrison d.7^th April – Rape & Murder
    • George E. Smith d.8^th May (VE Day) – Murder
    • Aniceto Martinez d.15^th June – Rape
• Firing Squad – took place at 8am – the marks left by the bullets always were visible whilst the prison was still a working jail, but they have recently been covered over
  • A grisly rumour has circulated around the town since the war years. Apparently, residents living nearby to the prison complained about the noise of the firing squad executions, and so there were no more executions by this method! This is unlikely to be true.
• After the prison ceased to be a military prison for the US, a wooden coffin was found in the prison mortuary. Written across it were the following words: PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY – PLEASE RETURN