大象传媒

'This story was submitted by Catherine Garvie, 大象传媒 LPM on behalf of Gretta Miller-MacMillan-Smith and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions'

My father took us down the back lane of our garden to Glebe Street to see Monkdyke on fire. We heard it was a basket of incendiary bombs, the whole roof was ablaze. We in Renfrew were so lucky to be surrounded by a lot of land. We had quite a few land mines. At times when they were going to defuse them at say Blythswood, we all had to leave the doors and windows of our houses open and go to the Renfrew Golf Course. We waited there for hours until the wardens came to tell us to go home.

One land mine landed in the front of a house in Rosshall Place. It lifted the whole house two feet back from it's original position but didn't explode. I don't remember if it was Fairfield Golf Course or Braehead that had the pleasure? of our company then.

Next came the Americans, great for us - they had lots of sweets and chocolate! They were very generous and built these huge sheds which still stand at Braehead.

I remember walking down the High Street one day after a raid and was sad to see all the shop windows smashed - Skinners Dresses also Hamiltons - Nanny Gillies and Miss Potters Hats and Step-In Library Books. Everyone was just working quietly around with no thoughts of looting in those days - mind you, it was probably just as well Nan Banbridge and Danny McBride (the sweet shops) didn't have enough sweets to put in their windows or we would have eaten them glass and all! Ha! Ha!

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