大象传媒

EH15 2AF - Portobello, Edinburgh

When World War One was declared, sixteen year old Norah Torrance lived with her family at Mount Lodge, a large house with a huge garden in Windsor Place in Portobello which is now a small housing estate.

Weeks earlier, Norah鈥檚 mother had died suddenly leaving her father William with three daughters; Mona, Norah and Roma. Thousands of troops were billeted in Portobello during the war and William Torrance was a generous man who invited the young men, sometimes convalescent soldiers to spend time with him and his family at Mount Lodge.

Norah wrote to several soldiers when they left and the collection of letters and photographs are treasured by her daughter Dorothy Kelly. Some have recently been published in, 鈥淧ortobello and the Great War鈥�.

Author Margaret Munro and Dorothy Kelly describe a few of the soldiers who looked forward to Norah鈥檚 鈥渘ewsy鈥� letters from Portobello and receiving her photograph.