大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Caroline Drodge of Leicestershire Library Services on behalf of Alec Forrester and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was a child in Grangemouth in Scotland during the war. During the day German planes flew over, on reconnaissance flights for bombing the Clyde at night, and we children used to wave to the crews. Some of the Polish army were billeted there, and we used to see them all kitted up, and their vehicles, as we went to and from school. There were 500 pupils in the boys' school, and 500 in the girls'.All our teachers were female because the men were away in the war.
Grangemouth is a port. We used to see the boat cargoes going in and out, and tried to work out what was in them. At lunchtime all the people in reserved occupations, including the dockers, used to have a meal provided in a communal feeding centre that held 500. We children were allowed to go and eat anything that was left at the centre.
My father worked on a dredger in the dock, degaussing to repel the magnetic mines. He also had a licence to get rid of vermin from the dock and oil refinery, using ferrets and dogs. He gave his guns to the war effort for the home guard to use.
We had some captive vessels in the dockyard, and some being repaired. I remember a Dutch submarine breaking down and being put into dry dock to be made serviceable. I remember being told that guards were sometimes put into the engine rooms to make sure no one sabotaged the repairs to prolong the stay in dock.I used to catch rabbits and take them on to the ships to swap for bully beef.
There was an RAF Station at Grangemouth, and Max Bygraves performed there as part of Ensa.
Lord Hawhaw reported inaccurately on one 9 o' clock news that a mine had obliterated the Grangemouth dockyard. Luckily the mine had only fallen in the field next door.
The chief fire officer lived in the next street to me. He was allowed fuel to use his car, as were doctors and pilots.

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