大象传媒

I was only three years old when war began and nine when it ended in all those years you lived with the constant news of war and the tragedy of it all. You could read it in the faces of family and friends. When the soldiers were winning the battles against the enemy all were praying for an early ending. Then there would be days when we were having to retreat and regroup and go back to the front line and fight. Hitler and the massive German army were fighting to gain control of the whole of Europe.
What the British army lacked in guns and tanks they made up for in spirit. Unfortunately may thousands lost their lives soldiers and civilians alike. Night air raids left many major towns flattened
As youngsters we viewed it with awe. Often we would be visited over night by a regiment moving in on a training exercise. They would set up camp with tents everywhere. Sleeping quarters, kitchens, toilets and of course the officers had to be allowed a room in your home. This was very exciting to us children.
The soldiers would use the hills around us as target practice. They would fire these massive machines into the hills some miles further up the valley. Granted the farmers were warned of the exercise and they had to keep off the hills during the exercise, but it was not possible to bring all the stock down from the hills and sometimes sheep were killed.
At times the firing range would go hay wire and the bombs would fall within a mile of the site this was tremendously exciting to us The cook house was the most visited by us children. Never tasted bacon and eggs quite like the way they tasted on these early mornings.
What was most unusual in these war days was the lack of young men in the area. There was a clause in the enlisting ruling that a few must be released from call up to 鈥淜eep Britain Fed鈥�. So there were a few young men on the farms but there was also 鈥淭he Girl鈥檚 Land Army鈥� who helped run the farms.
Every other able bodied man in the district had to sign up to the 鈥淗ome Guard鈥�. They met 2 times every week and were very serious about their role. There was a Commander and other officers 鈥� probably some of them had had experience in the First World War.
Days just rolled on and as children we did not take in the seriousness of our situation. One of the thing s that did change was the number of young children in the area. Families were asked to give a temporary home to children from the cities were they were more at risk of being bombed and our local school was bursting at the seams. Two extra teachers had to be brought in.
As you will well understand many of these young children felt very unhappy and took ages to settle down. Some seemed to be delighted to be in the country and many friendships were formed. Even today many return with their families to show them where they spent their childhood.
What we also knew was that certain things were in short supply. Sugar was rationed and sweets were in short supply. Petrol was only available if you had a business and applied for coupons. Even clothes could only be bought with coupons. Coupons were valuable and had to be exchanged for every household good.
It was to be seven years after the end of the war before you could go into shops and buy things without coupons and you heard the saying 鈥淥h it鈥檚 off ration鈥�.
One of the greatest impacts on our lives was the influx of Prisoners of War. They appeared in South West Scotland in 1946 and it was Italians who came first. They helped with work on the farm and arrived each morning in transport from the local camp under armed guard. Later there were Germans and then Ukrainians. Many have settled now in this part of the country and have become very much part of the local community.
In the end my greatest memory of war was V Day. The winning of the war brought celebrations the like of which had never been seen. Everywhere there were bonfires and on our own farm a massive bonfire was lit on the highest part of the farm and singing and dancing went on well into the night. Today the hill is known as 鈥淗itler鈥檚 Knowe鈥�.
Remembrance Day is a day when we all should show we still think of those who were prepared to give so much for us to keep our freedom.
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