大象传媒

This story is taken from an interview with Strabane Library Community, and has been added to the site with their permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview was by Deirdre Donnelly, and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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Sister Benedict
Mount Carmel Secondary school. We were boarders. It was a treat to get into the nuns鈥� section. Sr Pascal had us singing hymns under the tables when the sirens sounded.
We got good enough food during the war thanks to the nuns farm and the border smuggling.My sister was awren in Derry she met a young Irish Guard and they married during the war. My family came from County Clare so there was no problem getting material and my mother came up with the wedding dress and everything in tow.My sister and Mother stayed in the convent the night before the wedding and my siater was married from the convent, I was a boarder at the school and amongst us pupils there was great excitement.After they married they moved to England to continue their war service.

Hugh Mc Garrigle
After the blitz on Belfast, Gerry McDonald and I went to belfast on a roof-spotting course.
I went to stay with a friend near the jail, but there was an unexploded mine there.
What good would we have done, identifying German planes? We were up for a whole week.After the Belfast blitz, my boss sent me to collect an old lady from the Antrim Road. I鈥檝e never seen destruction like it. There was beds handing out of third floor bedrooms. We couldn鈥檛 get the car parked nearby. We had to walk 戮 of a mile with this old lady to get her to the car to Strabane. It was amazing to see the destruction. If I had thought for 2 minutes it would be like that I wouldn鈥檛 have gone! I was ordered up. I was glad to see Dungiven on the way home again.
Victor Craig
On a Friday night Jack Hanna came up. We went to the Empire, a comedian was on. The first 2 rows were Sailors in from Belfast for the night. We were in behind them.

[Was Post office work different from in peacetime?]

They didn鈥檛 have any mail delivered. They had a post Corporal come to the Post office every morning.
A fellow came in here from the Pioneers. The Pioneers were here 6 mths after the Worcesters. Jimmy Damerall was a bombs disposal man, this was relief for him because he had done his bit. He collected the mail every day. He was stationed out by the workhouse.

Nell Traynor -
My best friend Mary married a handsome sub man, Ted Berry. The last sub to Derry when peace came.
This lady used to sell tickets for the poppy dance.
She didn鈥檛 want to go, but her sister had tickets her dad had bought. She went, dressed to kill. She walked into this lovely make officer, and they waltzed round.
Buy the time they ended the first dance, you knew the fellow awfully well.
鈥淲here are they?鈥�
鈥淭hey must have gone for supper.鈥�
鈥漀o, she wouldn鈥檛 have gone to supper with a stranger.鈥�
I didn鈥檛 want to go in, it was early and someone better might come along. We went in, they were looking at each other and ignored us.
Within the year they were married.
***
Victor Craig -
The Post office was robbed.
I was in bed at the time 鈥� Jimmy Doherty, postman, had collected the mail at 4.30am at the railway station. They came up railway road, someone shone a red light on them. They thought it was the police. This fellow
They looked through the bags, took the Belfast one, took out the registered bag in in.
鈥淩ight, we have it.鈥�
They got on 2 bikes, and went across the border.
The pack had 500 pounds in 1 shilling notes, 500 in single notes, 500 in fivers.

Sgt Gallagher was there with the Thompson Automatic machine-gun.

A week later Jack Hanna and I went to Dublin. We had a great week, I came back. I was called to the GPO 鈥� 鈥渢he police were asking about you. How much do you earn in a week, going down to Dublin?鈥�

It came from Belfast, it was an inside job. They knew what they were looking for.

Paddy Henderson, postman, ex-serviceman, said to Jimmy 鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 you kick the revolver out of his hand?鈥�
That was about 1942 or something.
****
Paddy Gillespie
US soldiers were stationed in Strabane, in the Palindrome. Porters factory, the workhouse, the tech college and Sion Mills. They had all these fantastic church parades on a Sunday. They must have been very religious soldiers. They had a great army band. It was a bugle band, brought a bit of life to Sunday morning in Strabane.

I remember 200 of them wading across the canal with full kit across. They trained for the Normandy landing. Sadly to say, a lot didn鈥檛 come back. The Sgt-major roared at them 鈥済et across in full kit or you鈥檙e in bother!鈥�
***

Hugh Mc Garrigle
Some days were tragic. Strabane had a very poor image. The event of the war, Strabane broadened out and had potential. Most people who couldn鈥檛 find work were picked out by the labour exchange, every week went away by train to England. 鈥渆ssential workers鈥� 鈥� munitions work. That law came in in 1941 because Britain had such a labour shortage 鈥� so plenty of people from here found themselves in England doing essential work 鈥� they weren鈥檛 given a choice. Much town spirit and prosperity came about because of people in England sending money home.

Only when the war broke out, we had heard rumours but didn鈥檛 realise how important it would be. That robbery showed a criminal element was in the town. People realised they were in a modern world with thievery.

For the least misdemeanour the law was very cruel. Stealing apples, school attendance officer could suggest a custodial sentence 鈥� join the army.
It wasn鈥檛 all the great times. A lot of fathers had to go to England, the labour exchange sent them. It was great to get work and send money home. I lived with people, in the same class as me, who grew up decent.

I joined the railway when I was 15. It helped me understand a different way of life. A policeman would tell you 鈥済o up the end of the town鈥� 鈥�

***
There were dances.
Men would fight over a girl.
The trains didn鈥檛 go till 12 midnight, the town was alive.

***
A local named Ezekiel Donald was in the TA. The officer called them out for Sunday parade. He read out the religions one by one, until only Donald was left. The officer asked 鈥淲hat religion are you?鈥�
鈥淐hurch of Ireland.鈥�
鈥漀ever heard of you bastards. Get back to your bed.鈥�
He had 20 converts next week. If they鈥檇 known they were being sent to Egypt he鈥檇 have converted the whole camp!

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