Yeovil is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census was 49,698. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, 126 miles west of London, 41.8 miles south of Bristol, 6 miles west of Sherborne and 27.6 miles east of Taunton. The aircraft and defence industries which developed in the 20th century made it a target for bombing in the Second World War; they are still major employers.