大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Claire White of 大象传媒 Scotland on behalf of Lieutenant General Sir Peter Graham and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I clearly remember seeing a parachute in the Fyvie school playground in 1941. The Germans dropped three parachutes into Scotland with dummies attached to witness the reaction of the home guard. One came down over Fyvie and I remember seeing it disappear behind trees. I also remember seeing a dog fight and manoeuvres in the sky above Turriff. I'd gone to have my hair cut in town and was amazed at the spectacle.

I remember that schoolchildren in Fyvie had bare feet and darned clothes during the war. Keeping the family going required enormous effort on the part of mothers. My mother was three-quarters French and had been used to the services of a nanny and maid before moving to the remote village of Fyvie in Scotland. The relentless regime of washing, ironing and darning took a little getting used to! Disciplining a large family was also difficult. The school dominie often acted as a substitute father for families. My father was 38 when the war started and gave up his medical practice to serve the country.

In terms of rationing, we were better off in Fyvie than in other parts of the country. Farmers left extra meat and spuds out for us and there was a kindness and team spirit about people. My mother made me collect nettles for soup which were very nutritious. The people of Fyvie also shot rabbits which kept us going. Rationing hit harder when we moved south after the war. We argued about the amount of butter we were allocated!

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