大象传媒

On one night in 1941 we were warned by siren that rhere was a raid going on .
It sounded so near, we knew it waa a very big one . We could even see a glow in the sky to the West of Glasgow and we also knew the shipbuiling industry was located in Clydebank, a mere 4 miles away . WE just had to see what was going on ,so beinf young and fearless ,we had to see for ourselves.
Now the only vantage point we could find was the playground of my School I.E. Saint Joseph's.
You see ,due to the congestion of the nearby tenements ,the playground was actually built on the roof of the four story building and enclosed simply by a very high net .
But ,being so high .Every one large and small made their way to this brilliant vantage point as it gave us a panoramic view for miles.
So of course,from this height we could see the bombs falling ,the buildings going up in flames which lit the whole sky like daylight .
We could even feel the heat despite the distance from the raid itself .
Things got so serious ,however ,when we could actually feel bits of shrapnel whizzing about our ears :- something we hadnt even given any thought to .
So the policeman on duty had the unenviable job of ushering everyone down from the roof before someone was injured .
The following day ,myself and the rest of my pals searched the playground for any souvenirs we might find and were actually amazed at how many pieces had embedded themselves into the walls .
Looking back,it is frightening .
Any of these pieces could have hit any one of us .
At the time ,however. we thought it was a great adventure ,such was the innocense of our youth .
It was only when he were told the extent of the deaths and casualties that the fact hit home .
Tommy Mac

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