´óÏó´«Ã½

Archie Johnstone told these stories to East Ayrshire staff at their tea party on The 11th June 2004.

I was eight years old when war broke out and it didn’t mean much to me. I remember that sweets weren’t around and they were something I missed. Sweets were a treat. I remember food parcels being sent from Australia where I had an Aunt and three cousins – who I have just got back in touch with via the Internet.

The Grand Hall in Kilmarnock was used to incarcerate Italian Prisoners of War. My parents befriended them and, when they had to get rid of their dog, they gave it to me and my sister. I can remember one of the Italians was called Mario Motto, who had twin sons, and he was a butcher from Palermo. I can’t remember the names of any of the others. The Italians from Kilmarnock were interred at Mauchline. I especially remember the Incentti (?) family from Valley Restaurant, 6 Green Street, as I had to go and collect pig trotters for their restaurant.

The three air raid centres, next to the waters edge, on Green Street were underground and I wonder now if they were filled in when they redeveloped the area (It is now part of the one-way-system in Kilmarnock – does anyone know?).

My main memory of the War was going to the cinema to see the MovieTone News and the white cockerel in the middle of the screen. We went to the Plaza Cinema that was built in Mill Lane in 1939.

I have a vague memory of a bomb dropping on – I think - the Kilmarnock Cemetery (the Strawberrybank area).

To celebrate V-J day I remember a big party in the big car park in Waterloo Street. The Police chased someone for setting a flare off.

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