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My earliest memory of World War 2 is when I was eight years old, a soldier came to stay in our house here in Londonderry. He had been a teacher before he joined up. Now, he was a despatch rider. My brother and I were fascinated by his motorcycle. He used to help me with my homework. He had an English name ‘Iremonger’ Then we had naval officers staying in the house — we lived near the river at Aberfoyle crescent. One of them was called Duncan-Jones. His Father I believe was Dean of Christchurch. Some say his father was the man who coined the name ‘Iron Curtain’ describing the line between the Russians and the West. Duncan-Jones ship, on one occasion was delayed in the returning port. His wife was very anxious. I remember her going all the way down to the quay where she looked up and down the river hoping for his safe return. It made me realise the agony which Navy wives could go through. One could never forget the River Foyle packed with Canadian and British shiops stacked side by side - and the town full of sailors.

I remember well the night Messines Park was bombed The blast shook our back door. We went down on our bikes the following day and were shocked to see the houses raised to the ground and to hear about the dreadful death toll. During the air raid we could hear the sound of the guns firing from the roof of the shirt factory which is now Frank Longs at the bottom of Meadowbank Avenue.

Around that time we were evacuated to a townland called ..... near New Buildings. My father who had a drapers shop on Carlisle Road knew the farmer Mr Montgomery and he gave us rooms in his home.

We couldn’t get to a Church of Ireland church while we were out there since there was no transport — So my Father asked the local minister Wallace from Magheramason Church to adopt us while we were living near his church — which he did and we went to Sunday school and church with the Montgomerys. I must say the presbyterian influence did us good!While we were there evacuees arrived one morning from Gibraltar — their sun burnt faces were new to us and we called them the ‘Gibs’

Flax growing was very common at that time and I remember well tramping the falx in the dam and laying it out to dry and then it being brought to the skutch mill. We also had the most terrible outbreak of ‘foot and mouth’ disease at that time. There were tears in Bob Montgomerys eyes as his cattle were slaughtered and buried in quick lime.

When we returned to Derry we had a Morrison Shelter on our house — with a solid steel top — wire mesh sides and a mattress for the family to lie on. Near the end of the war it was collected and brought over to London — where the need was greater.
During the war between Aberfoyle Crescent and the Rock Road there was a field. We played cricket on part of it. One morning I discovered that our cricket pitch had been taken over by the RAF and a large strange balloon was suspended from a winch on the back of a lorry. It was of course a Barrage balloon — later the site was made more permanent.

Another memory was the Rock Road lined from top to bottom with army trucks- it could hae been part of the build up to D-Day.
And of course I remember the Americans who we saw first at what is now known as fort George — civilians came first — known as the technicians — when the US entered the war uniforms were seen. We learned to play baseball. Through the fence at Fort George we could see them playing and shouting — ‘lets play ball’They ahd parties for us and we got to like Herseys Chocolate bars and chewing gum.I remember when the presidents wife Eleanor Roosevelt came to Derry and stayed at a white house on Crawford Square. The house later became a hotel and is now demolished.
Another memorable visit was of Field Marshall Montgomery. As school boys we were placed up on the walls overlooking Guildhall Square. Soldiers were all on parade. Monty came down Shipquay Street in an open car and wheeled into the square and was greeted with loud cheers. His mother, who resided in Moville, used to open sales of work in the Guildhall during the war. Her introducing remark was ‘ I am the mother of the man who made Rommel run!’

I was a Field Marshall too! Young people were asked to collect books for the war effort. According to the number of books you collected ;an army rank was given — the highest number of books gained for the young collector the rank of Field Marshal we were given our certificate in the Guildhall. I collected books from ‘Red Roof’ now Edenballymore where the rector of Christchurch and his wife lived — the Revd Godrey Mc Maraway. He was serving as an army chaplain during the war. One of the books in his library was ‘Sermons for young curates’ I could have done with reading that! He would return occasionally on leave from the army. I will never forget the way he read the lessons in Christchursh church — it was a sermon in itself. Later he became an mp in the Stormont Government.

There are memories which stand out about those years one memory which is vivid was on the 6th of June 1944 we were sitting around the table having lunch — after the pips of the one o clock news it was an announced that ‘a bridge head had been established’ on the coast of Normandy — D-Day had begun!

At the end of the war we cycled down to Culmore Point to witness the surrender of the German uboats.63 U boats surrendered at Lisahally. There was quite a crowd of people watching as a royal Navy ship led the u boats past where we stood. No-one cheered. It was a solemn moment as one thought of the loss of lives these u boats had inflicted on Allied shipping. The German sailors were standing to attention on the decks. Later Commander Philip Francis, who died aged 92 — he was incredibly impressed by their discipline and impeccable conduct in the aftermath of enormous losses and their final defeat.
As a young person living through those war years I never thought of the allies being defeated. Only later did I know how much of a close thing it was at the time. Our parents must have worried but they never showed it.

At the same time there was tremendous relief when VE day came and we celebrated with a party organised by neighbours across the road — the Whytes. James Whyte was the general secretary of the Lough Swiily Railway on the wooden seats of which we would make our way to Fahan in County Donegal from time to time.

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