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My Memories of WW2 are probably a mixture of what I was told and what I remember, I was born in 1937 and was therefore only two years old when war was declared. In 1942 Belfast was bombed, I can remember all the family going under the stairs and afterwards been taken to the shore at Seapark, where we lived to see Belfast in flames. The next day we left for Armagh which I don’t remember, we stayed there for a while and then went to my grand-parents farm in Donegal, where we remained until we returned to Holywood when I started school. We had a happy time on the farm, no gas light which we had at Seapark, only oil lamps and no running water but I have no bad memories of Donegal. Apparently we were issued with Free State emergency ration books. What happened to our British Ration Books I do not know? My father visited us at least once a month and was known as the ‘sweetieman’ because he always brought us sweets and smuggled much valued tea in a special waistcoat. I can remember seeing big planes flying over Innishowen. We returned to Holywood. My brother was then three years old and loved codliver oil which I detested, so he got my share and we both shared the orange juice which came in rectangular bottles. When we were in Donegal, our house was let to an army family who came from Aberdeen. My Uncle Andy had been to Dunkirk and I remember seeing him in a blue uniform with a red tie he was a driver in the Royal Corps of Signals.
I remember collecting old newspapers. We got paper badges of army ranks
for the amount of paper which was collected. I think I was a major.
There was a prisoner of war camp at Holywood where we used to take a walk on Sunday afternoons. There was one prisoner who used to strut about the gates looking very arrogant. After a while the prisoners were allowed out. I can remember them in their uniforms with patches. My brother tells me that when he was in infant’s class, a German soldier visited the school and gave the pupils wooden toys. We always went to Donegal during the school holidays; the train to Londonderry was always packed with sailors in uniform and carrying huge kit bags. I .remember seeing rows of U-boats tied up at jetties on Lough Foyle. From Londonderry we travelled on the Lough Swilly Railway, a very slow journey to Buncrana, where we caught a bus to my grandad’s farm. There were always redcaps checking papers at Londonderry and customs when crossing the border. All suitcases were opened but we didn’t worry; we were going back to Donegal, a county I still return to. So as a child, my memories of the war are small. I remember V.E Day, there was a big bonfire on the field across the roar from our house (now a bowling green) and we had a big party. V.J Day was a smaller affair. I can remember the street lights going on not exactly the Blackpool illuminations we have today.

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