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This story was told to East Ayrshire Library Staff by Jean Hutcheson
during a People’s War Tea Party at the Dick Institute on 27th April 2005.
Jean started work at the General Post Office (GPO) building in George Square in Glasgow as a trainee telegraphist on the day she turned 14.
The GPO was an important hub for communications, with telephone & telegraphs etc. going all around the world, so the building was a target for the German bombers.
Everyone on the staff had to take their turn at fire watch on the roof of the building. They were trained in the use of stirrup pumps to put out fires. You had a pail, which the stirrup pump went into and you pumped out the water from the pail to fight the fire. Unfortunately, the water was just a thin stream and probably would have been useless if there had actually been a fire. Other people would have to have constantly filled the bucket with water.
People on fire watch had to wear helmets like metal basins – but had no other protective clothing. The men usually wouldn’t let the women onto the roof (trying to protect them). Jean was never involved in an actual air raid. At 14, Jean and others like her had to help protect their workplace as older man and women were at war.
Remember too that the roof would have been pitch black – due to the blackout regulations – so the danger was obvious for finding your way about a roof in total darkness.

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