大象传媒

Sam Murray, resident of Eastleigh Nursing Home, Peterculter, Aberdeen:
Sam served time as a projectionist at the City Cinema, on St Andrew Street/George Street, Aberdeen. He remembers very well the bombing of Ogston and Tennant in Loch Street in February 1941, when the flames were clearly visible from the back window of the cinema. All the windows were blown out of Isaac Benzie's. It was Sam's job to take the newsreel over to Torry, even after a bombing raid.
Sam was called up in March 1943 and joined the Essex Yeomanry. He trained for 6 weeks at the Bridge of Don Barracks, "square bashing" and practising shooting at the Black Dog ranges. They had to march the 5 miles there and back to the ranges in heavy army boots.
The Barracks were bombed on 21st April 1943. Sam was on weekend leave at Woodside and came back to find a hole in the middle of the parade ground, windows blown out and glass all over his bunk.
The 6 soldiers killed at the Barracks were given a military funeral and buried in Trinity Cemetery. Sam marched down to Trinity doing the slow march, which was the first time he had experienced it.
After basic training, Sam was posted to an artillery regiment at Bonhill, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, for further training on field guns.
Sam took part in the D-Day Landings, crossing to Normandy early in the morning, after a breakfast of corned beef and hard biscuits. The Germans had mined the French coastline and after being lowered into the water in landing craft, he was eventually picked up and returned to England.

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