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The following was told to East Ayrshire Library Staff by Janet McDowall at a workshop held in Drongan Library on Monday 9th May 2005.

Evacuation Day
Janet was at school in the Oatlands area near Rutherglen in Glasgow and was told to report to the classroom where the teacher wrote up on the blackboard Sinclairston. The class had to repeat this for half an hour as that was their destination. Then our labels were tied on these had the pupils name and destination – Sinclairston - on it. We went to the railway station – it wasn’t one of the well known ones but I can’t remember its name, perhaps Eglinton Street - and the mothers were all there by then. The children all thought they were going on an adventure and away for the day on the train – we didn’t realise it was for a little while but the parents were all crying. (By night time we were the ones crying as we wanted to go home).

The train went to Auchinleck and we were then taken to the school there until we were given our destination. We were all taken to Sinclairston by bus and taken into the school. While others went to Drongan, my destination was Drumsmudden Row – a miners row – that didn’t have any shops, something I had never experienced before or since!

The night of my arrival, the lady I was billeted with tried to get me to stop crying by taking me to visit another neighbour who played the organ and her husband and sons who were members of the pipe band played the pipes in an effort to drown out my crying with music. The Dungavels were well known as a pipe playing family. They tried the organ, the harmonica and eventually the paper and comb to no avail.

We – my sister and I - started school the next day – Sinclairston School. The people in the area were very kind but the headmaster wasn’t very keen on evacuees. He wasn’t very nice to us! The following week another of my sisters and my brother came down and were billeted with the family next door to mine. Eventually my mum and youngest sister moved to Coylton (I think about 5 months later) and then she took us all back except my brother. The house was very old and rundown but it meant we were all together. I don’t remember Coylton being very friendly to evacuees. My mum had another little girl while we were in Coylton so we don’t consider her an evacuee, she’s a native!

People who took evacuees got billet money and taking evacuees helped with the poor miner’s wages. I don’t remember being hungry but living in the country they could get eggs from the farm. Fruit was something I remember being in short supply but I did go brambling. They made bramble jelly and had them with home made scones. The miners got extra cheese but I don’t know if that compensated for the hard work.

After going to school in Coylton I started work in a shop in Ayr. I meet my husband at the Victory Dance on VE night in the Claude Hamilton Hall in Coylton, it is still there. After getting married we still had ration books and I remember being told I should give my husband – a miner – the sole egg but he didn’t agree. My whole family stayed in the area, despite my dad wanting to go back to Larkhall after leaving the army. I have never regretted staying here.

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