大象传媒

This story was told to East Ayrshire Libraries during their Tea Party of 11th June 2004 by Mary Ferguson (maiden name Nicol).

Mary Ferguson lived in Gailes, near Irvine during the war and remembers bombs trying to hit the trains going to Ardeer Explosives Factory near Stevenston.

Mary鈥檚 father had a smallholding and drove a horse and cart to deliver bread, milk etc to Irvine. Her father and his brothers were not fit enough to be called up for the war as they had Tuberculosis. Mary had a gas mask and it was red. The family had an air raid shelter which was built into a hill. Her family stood on the hill when the bombers flew over to bomb Clydebank. She spent many a night in the air raid shelter.
Some nights the family meal would be potatoes with perhaps cheese or other vegetables. There was sometimes no meat to be had.

The War Effort was helped by placing stamps on a dummy bomb near Irvine Library which was at the Bridgegate.

Soldiers from Auchengate and Gailes Camp were billeted with the family and one of the soldiers saved her mother鈥檚 legs when she was badly burned by a hot pot of tea.
American soldiers were sent to the camps nearby and her mother befriended a young American soldier called Leo.

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