大象传媒

This story is taken from an interview with William & Georgina McVeigh, and has been added to the site with their permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
====

[Evacuation]
We had relatives in America actually who wanted us to go out to the States, but mum and dad decided that we would stay where we were, that we would be safe enough at that point in time. And then as time went on in 1941 they had double summer-time. Very bright nights, 11 o鈥檆lock at night it was bright.

After the raids my dad had got a great big packing case. And what was the Stranmillis 鈥� was that the Stranmillis embankment or the Annandale embankment? Along where Annandale flats are now. And that was a big bank and he cut into the bank and put this big box in 鈥� modified it and made a shelter out of it. The result, quite a number of people made shelters. Needless to say it was too late, the shelters weren鈥檛 needed. This was sort of a bit after the blitz, and they never came back again, you know?

My elder brother, I didn鈥檛 see much of. My second brother was about 20 鈥� 19 or 20. he went and joined the Merchant Navy. He was lost. So that鈥檚 a big family rift. He only went away and never come back. Just one trip.

[yanks]
There were Americans stationed in and around the Ormeau Park. And along that embankment that I鈥檓 telling you about, between the Ormeau Rd and Sunnyside street. That was closed off for the army. The Americans, they had their vehicles there. And if you went down and were very good to them, you sometimes got a bit of gum or whatever. But there certainly were American troops there, on the move. And I don鈥檛 know what was in the Ormeau Park, because most of it was closed off, probably AA guns or whatever. And during that time they put oil-burning things right round the park. And when they lit them for making blackout, you know, it was smoke, it was horrendous. There was Collies floating about everywhere. Women were complaining about their washing getting dirtied.
Not the streets. The embankment was closed at that time. But the streets weren鈥檛 closed. And our other favourite playground was the Belvoir [pronounced "Beaver"] Park forest. And up in part of that there was the Admiralty had a place which you couldn鈥檛 get into. And there was a lovely big orchard up there, so we used to go raid the orchard, and get chased. But later on in life I discovered that was where they kept lots of torpedoes. Because they used the Lagan to bring them up from the dock, down to the docks where the boats, on the canal boats. That鈥檚 some more history that I learnt later on. But that place was closed up until they started to develop the Belvoir [pronounced "Beaver"] estate, as it鈥檚 known now.

Georgina McVeigh
==============
Billy said about the 鈥� he thought there were probably AA guns in the Ormeau park. I think there were, because I distinctly remember 鈥� of course, we didn鈥檛 understand what the thuds and the bangs were. But there was a lot of noise, sound of guns, and we lived in Delhi St so we were just very close to the park. But I can remember my dad telling us 鈥渘ow, when you go to bed tonight don鈥檛 take all your clothes off, sleep with your inside clothes on, and fold everything carefully that if I come to get you, you can just jump into your clothes very quickly.鈥�
And all these thuds, I鈥檓 quite sure that was the AA guns. My dad was on the police, and he would have been out on duty. Of course, we didn鈥檛 realise the danger that they might have been in. He saw a great deal of it, and I remember him telling us 鈥� maybe later on, maybe we were too young just at that time 鈥� but I do remember he said about, I鈥檝e a feeling it might have been somewhere like Percy St, and there was a girl had got engaged to a sailor and he came home and there was a big party. And you know the way families are always, all live close together? He left the party to go over to the other house for something. And when he came back everything was gone. The house, the people 鈥� there was nothing. Which is devastating 鈥�

Whenever dad came home from duty - you know, if he鈥檇 been on an evening duty. There were a few other policemen lived in the street as well, they always went round and checked on all the older people so everything was okay with them. And my mother was very pregnant, at that time with my younger sister. And when they were going out after the first airraid, whenever they were going out we always went up to another policeman鈥檚 house. And we were all under the table with a mattress on top of it. This was protection 鈥� a bit laughable, really, but we felt very secure with that.

And my sister, who wasn鈥檛 born until June 1941, remembers it all distinctly. I suppose we talked about it all so much she thought she remembered it all.

But I do remember, certain things were quite frightening, because as I say I was that much younger. 1939 鈥� I was 2 when the war started, but I sort of remember towards the end of the war. My brother saying 鈥渟o-and-so saw Hitler on the Ormeau Rd鈥� 鈥� I was terrified, I couldn鈥檛 go to sleep that night. It was awful.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.