2005

War Memories

An investigation by primary 7 pupils of Sunnybank Primary School Aberdeen.

This PowerPoint presentation has been created by Primary7 pupils of Sunnybank School, Aberdeen, with the cooperation of local war veterans.

We have recorded the interesting parts of the interviews on a separate DVD.

Meet the War Veterans

She was a Fire Warden in the Sunnnybank area. Her uniform was a tin hat, blue trousers and stirrup pump.

In June 1940 Aberdeen ice rink was bombed.

Her home at 58 Bedford Road, Aberdeen was bombed April 1943 and neighbours were killed.

Her house was in ruins and the rest crumbling but her father refused to let them move in case their furniture was stolen.

Mrs. Laura Galloway

Mrs. Iris MiddletonWhen she went to school she had to carry a gas mask in case there was a raid.

The air raid siren often went off in the middle of the night and her mum had to get the whole family into the cold Anderson shelter.

The children wore combinations and siren suits. The “all in ones” made it easier to get dressed quickly.

She remembers trying to get a pram and a doll out of the rubble, when a man shouted at her. Being so young, she didn’t realise that the owner had probably died in the air raid.

There were big cement blocks at the beach and soldiers would hide behind them with guns.

Mrs. Isobel Smith

At the beginning of the war, she was in service in Kinnaird then she became a civilian in the RAF, working in the Naffie.She was moved to Scone where the pilots were trained. She worked in the Officer’s Mess, where there was always plenty of food. Work was hard and the hours were long and when the men were on training manoeuvres, she made jam and bread fritters for them.She remembers being reprimanded by the CO for taking a flight in a Tiger Moth.

Mr. Harry Mutch

Butcher, George Street Aberdeen

He was called up to the Navy in 1941 as a cook and trained at an ex Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Skegness. While based in Aberdeen, he went home instead of staying at The Station Hotel. As punishment, his station card was stamped Foreign Service (F/S) and he was posted to minesweeping duty in the Adriatic.

He went to a rest camp in the Italian mountains where:

“You knew for certain you were going to be alive in the morning when you went to sleep at night”

Tito allowed the sailors no shore leave in Yugoslavia. The punishment was to wash with salt water soap for 21 days. Horrible!!!!

Mrs. Mary Taylor

She lived at 54, Bedford Road, Aberdeen.

She attended Old Aberdeen School and Sunnybank School in Aberdeen.

At the outbreak of the war, pupils sheltered under desks during a raid. There was an Air Raid Siren and anti aircraft (ac-ac) guns on the top of the school.

Her home, Kittybrewster Station and Causewayend Church were bombed on the 21st April 1943. Her family was temporarily housed in Powis School Gym.

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He worked as a farmer at Leys farm, Auchmacoy, Aberdeenshire during the war. He had a reserved occupation.

He served in the Home Guard where he reached the rank of lance corporal. He recalls “battle drill” training around Turriff, King Edward, Ardoe and Banff and being trained by old soldiers. They did shooting practise at Newburgh Links.

Collieston Home Guard biked around the area every night.

He had two older brothers in the army. They both died during the war.

Mr. Henry Thomson

She was 15 when war broke out and remembers people being stopped by the police if they didn’t carry ID cards and gas masks. She joined the Girls Training Corps (GTC), at Ellon School, where she learnt first aid.She lived on her father’s farm and remembers having German and Italian POWs. One Italian, was a former police sergeant and her father gave him land to grow crops, which he sold to the POW camp at New Deer. She didn’t trust another Italian POW who she thought was a devious Fascist. The German POW was super and stayed in this country after the war and used to visit her father when he was still alive. Of the war he said “he was only doing his duty.”Her mum made butter and cheese from milk. At harvest time they got extra sugar for the POWs “fly cups” People living in the country only got tokens for furniture and clothes – but got nothing for food.

Mrs. Betty Thomson

Mrs. Faye Hay

She was brought up on farm in Lonmay and remembers that there was no need for shelters in country.

She recalls Italian and German POWs working on the farm. They lived in “the chaumer”, an outside bedroom usually above the stable, to get the animals’ warmth.

The German POWs were very practical. They hunted rabbits and made carpets from rags and soles of old wellington boots.

The Italian POWs were very sedate and more interested in their appearance. They refused to work in the rain.

“There was no hostility, they were just people” - attitude of locals to POWs

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He was brought up on a farm in Maud.

He trained as banker but during the war women took over these occupations.

He was exempt from call up because his father was ill and older brothers were already in the forces.

He was a member of the Home Guard from 1941 where he learnt orienteering and marksmanship.

In the Home Guard they were given a uniform, a gun and five bullets.

Mr. Leslie Hay

Mrs. Kitty McDonald

She was born in 1931 and remembers her sister being told to stand in a queue for fruit and buy ANYTHING. She swapped 1lb of sugar for sweets.

Her mum used to sit in the corner at Guides and knit socks.

She was upset in 1943 when her dad got called up to the RAF.

She remembers there being an air raid siren and AA guns on the top of Sunnybank School, Aberdeen.

She recalls houses being destroyed by bombs but often shelters were still standing.

Mrs. Edith Mowat

She remembers that when first formed the Home Guard was ill equipped and they used bowler hats and umbrellas at drills.

She painted her legs and drew a line down the back with eyebrow pencil as they had no stockings and there was no black market to get them.

She worked in a wholesale manufacturing chemist and while in this employment she was exempt from call up, although she did receive papers to join the Wrens.

She married in 1948. Her brother, a merchant seaman brought her silk material for her dress because there was still rationing! All mail was censored.

Mrs. Lexie Alexander

Her eldest daughter was born 25th August 1939.

Trains never ran on a Sunday but she recalls trains running on the Aberdeen Peterhead/Fraserburgh line on the Sunday before war broke out. They were carrying children being evacuated from the cities. War was imminent!

She filled boxes with knitted hats, socks, mitts and a letter for a serviceman or British POW. This was organised by the Red Cross.

Her joiner brother-in-law worked in the Glasgow shipyards. Another brother, who was a long distance driver, was called up along with his lorry.

Mr. Jimmy Greig

War broke out two days before his 16th birthday. He worked as a joiner for Barratts the builder who kept getting deferments for him so he didn’t have to join up. But in November 1942, he had to join up, but he was glad to get away as people were speaking about him both in Hatton and Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

He went to Blackpool for training and then to Catterick to learn to be a dispatch rider. He was injured in an accident just before D-Day and spent some time in hospital before being sent to the Middle East. He felt very lucky because the only Germans he saw were in a POW camp in Egypt.

Mrs. Kate Greig

She was born in 1914.

She worked on a croft where they had 300 hens and they had to feed and clean them and collect their eggs daily.

She remembers attending Youth Clubs and cycling everywhere.

She remembers making clothes from a parachute that she found, as material was scarce.

Two evacuees came from Glasgow to stay with them, and their mother’s first question was

“ Where’s the boozer?”

He was born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

His brothers had already been called up when his father got ill, so he had to stay at home and look after the farm, where he recalls the Land Army Girls, and singsongs in the “chaumer.”

He was a member of the Home Guard and attended training drills every Monday and Thursday at the hall in Ellon.

At the weekends he went to the rifle range. At the beginning of the war, the Home Guard had no uniforms or weapons, and he said:

“Hitler could have just walked in!”

Mr. Andy Robertson

Bella worked in the telephone exchange in Auchnagatt.

On one occasion she listened into a conversation between lovers. Later a man in London phoned her back at the exchange and accused her of “listening in.” She could have lost her job and been fined £100.

She saw Raminski hiding under the bridge at Ellon after escaping from Peterhead Prison.

She used peewee eggs for baking.

Her soldier husband said of the war “Five years of life wasted!”

Mrs. Bella Bonner

Mr. Edward Bewick He was born in October 1914.

He attended Torry Intermediate School in Aberdeen, where he learnt navigation, sea craft and cooking and because of this, joined the Navy.

He was assigned to HMS Collingwood and attended a Gunnery School at Whale Island where he learnt to fire 4” and 15” guns.

He spent time in Archangel, Russia, where everything was made of wood and the people had very little.

He served on a minesweeper in the Russian convoys escorting merchant ships.

He was a farm worker who cared for horses.

He had a reserved occupation as he worked for an elderly farmer and his middle aged daughter.

He ate porridge with garlic and cod liver oil every morning.

His first priority in the morning was tending to his horses.

His boss was in charge of the Home Guard which meant that he didn’t have to join the Home Guard as he had to mind the sheep, which were very valuable.

“During the war everybody helped each other.”

Mr. George Cartney

Mr. Tommy Allan He was conscripted to the Navy because he had navigation skills and wouldn’t suffer from sea sickness because of his background in fishing.

He served on board a minesweeper in the English Channel because he could splice wire.

After the war he cleared mines from Dover to Dieppe, by order of the British and French Governments.

A week after he was discharged, he returned to fishing with his uncle, reaching the rank of skipper.

” The war was a waste of time, there should be no wars because I feel I lost part of my life.”

Mr. Dod Shearer

He was a Gordon Highlander.

His first “billet” was a pigsty in Huntly. “The pigs moved out in the morning and the Gordons moved in at night. It stank of sheep dip and disinfectant.”

When he was injured, he spent 2 weeks in Sunnybank School which had become a hospital/army barracks. He was then transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver, as he was unfit for frontline duty

He saw action in North Africa, France and Italy.In June 1944, he crossed the Channel and travelled across France, Belgium, Holland and crossed the Rhine into Germany.

We would like to thank the following people who came along to The Ellon British Legion, to talk to us.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomson.

Mr. and Mrs. Hay

Mr. and Mrs. Greig

Mr. Robertson

Mrs. Bonner

Mr. Bewick

Mr. Cartney

Mr. Allan

Mr. Shearer

Mrs. Alexander

Mrs. Smith

Mrs. Galloway

We would like to thank the members of St. Stephen’s Church who came along to the school.

Mrs. Mowatt, Mrs.Taylor and Mrs. Mc Donald

We would also like to thank the school escort who came along to our classroom.

Mrs. Middleton