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On a midsummer evening 2005 the doors of Pellipar house were open to the local population for a night of reminiscence. Here are a collection of memories from people who remember wartime Dungiven.
William Mc Farlane
we joined the home guard in 1940 - we were given instructions and training with guns and equpment. Originally we just wore a band on our arm with the ltters LDV on it but gradually we got the khaki battledress.Army instructors put us through our paces. We used to go on exercise down along the lough side and up on loughmore mountain to learn how to use anti tank weaponry - imagine we thought there would be a tank invasion! Hard to believe now.We were the Firts londonderry company and we had a 75 mm gun which a crew of us was trained on. you see if any enemy palnes landed on the airfield at Limavady we would have the gun trained on the runway ready to fire on them.If the enemy ever had penetrated the area we would not have been equpied to hold them at bay but there were troops by the hundred stationed around here - they were everywhere around the town,and there were munitions dumps along the avenue here to Pellipar house and on different sites across this estate amongst the trees in big enclosures.The army were based in the house at Pellipar and across the land and also in all the halls in the town - a lot were out the road in fields and they were here to train. the mountainous terrain was perfect for tarining - so over night we were over run with them.In the early part of the war there were dances, halls even a cinema but once the army arrived that is where they lived.
From 1942 the Americans were staioned at Dungiven castlethey did gunnery practise like the britsh and when they were out on manuouvres the rods were blocked with military vehicles and you'd here the sound of gun shots echoing across the countryside.

We didn't realise the seriousness of the situation - we would farm durimng the day and assume our LDV diuties at night but we never really thought the war could come to our back yard.
Frances Mullen
I was at school when the war was on I remember coming home and our yard was full of soldiers and jeeps - I could hardly get into the house the yard was so busy.Mam put on the griddle and started to make scones and hand them out to them - they ate as quick as she could cook.Another time I recall a big crowd of soldiers in the yard again - they were homw from Dunkirk to rest before going back to the front again. we were kind to them and gave them food.
One moonlit night we could hear planes coming over. we were all into the war - my brother and i knew every plane and so we knew it was a German plane. The moonlight illuminated it as it flew over, I'll never forget it. It's aim was to bomb the dam and flood the whole area - how they missed the target I don't know but our army snet up flares and scared them off but as children the sky was lit up with a spectacular display.
I do remember VE day - we got free entry to the cinema. vera Lynn actually visted Pellipar Hse to entertain the troops here during the war and we knew all her songs - indeed we knew all the war songs - My Mam would teach us the words and so we were always singing 'Lily Marlene' or 'we'll meet again'For us the war was so exciting - we saw it in our comics,on the big screen and everynight on the wireless - it was our world and the only one we'd ever known - till it was over.
Tilly Martin
We lived up in the village of Feeny - i remember we were out one Sunday and we heard - march,march,march so mnay soldiers in columns going off down the road.This was actaully just before war was declared - they were up in the mountainon exercise. We lived at the foot of the SperrinsTheywould go on shooting practice up there - they usually gave a warning to anyone in the are when they were going to be firing on the mountainside - but i recall once they forgot and the turf workers up there got the shock of their lives when the shells were exploding all around them. I also remeber the soldiers camping under canvas in our fields.The officers would come up to the house and stay in there but not the men.
They would turn up with their own generator to generate electricity and couldn't believe it that we had elctric - my father had a water turbine. They were most amused by this.
Ivor Canning
I was 9 when war broke out I remember the tanks around the area before dday - the place was choker.Up on our land there was a big platoon - our whole place was just taken over with tanks and men.Everyday there was something new. once the britsish left the Yanks arrived. it was fascinating to watch them on exercise - they were pushed really hard - they'd just get back to camp,with time to boil a bucket of eggs and then they were called back out again - that was all part of their training.They seemed to be with us for short periods of time - maybe on rotation
They shot up into the hills alot. The mountain at the time shell holes all over it.My father was a hill farmer so he owned part of it. They commandeered it and if they shot a sheep they'd compensate the farmer.they weren't interested in the agricultural land below just the hillside.If they were going to start shooting up there ther would be soldiers out on the road with flags.
We children just accepted the goings on - going to school there was nothing but lorries along the roads but we were good to them. Food was rationed and the army rations were fairly poor so we shared what we had with them. All the ladies took pity on the lads away from home. I remember a yound american soldier coming into our house - him crying with homesickness and my Mam made him tea. he was from a farm back home. A lot of them were homesick, they were conscrpted so they'd no choice - being sent to ireland to train was no holiday camp.

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