大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Catherine Garvie, Learning Project Manager at 大象传媒 Scotland on behalf of Mary Brown Watson and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

At the beginning of the War I got a job at Albion Motors Ltd, Scotstoun in Glasgow in the finished part stores office. While enjoying our coffee break at 10.00 a.m. one morning in July 1940 there was a terrible explosion and soon we realised a bomb had been dropped at Scotstoun West but no siren had gone off. From then on we had frequent air raids but no damage was done.

One night in September 1940 we had a long raid but only flares were dropped.

On Thursday 13 March 1941 I attended an evening class at Clydebank High School, when we were informed a purple warning had come through and advised to hurry home. It was a beautiful moonlight night when the siren went off at 9.00 p.m. I met my dad on his way looking for me and we just got into the close at Bannerman Street where we lived when the bombing started. My sister Margaret who was nine had been sound asleep, she was wrapped in a black astrakhan coat and I can remember every time we heard a plane we pulled the bed quilt over our heads. As time went on incendiary bombs were dropped and when our side of the street was on fire the air raid wardens escorted us to a shelter across the street. Having just arrived there the water main was bombed; owing to flooding we adjourned to another close and there we remained until 6.00 a.m. when we heard the all clear.

I shall never forget the sight that morning; debris every where and fires galore; tramlines were standing up like light standards. We made our way up to grannies in Radnor Street whose house was ok but was blitzed on Friday, the following night.

Mr and Mrs Struthers at Craigmaddie Estate near Milngavie who owned Bonawe Grante Quarries were making their way up on Friday morning and decided to bring my aunt who was their cook over to Clydebank to see how we were. After great difficulty she met us and my dad, mum, sister and I joined a long queue for a bus as there were no trains and tram cars running; my poor sister was just in her pyjamas. We were ever so glad to see my aunt and very lucky to arrive at Craigmaddie at about 5.00 p.m. We were very comfortable there until the end of the War.

Sadly John Struthers eldest son who served in the Royal Navy aged 21 years was reported missing on August 1944 and Bill in Scots Guard aged 19 years was killed on April 1945 just a week before VE Day.

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