SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 25 Title : Interview 01: Stranraer man talking about WWII Author(s): N/A Copyright holder(s): Prof John B Corbett SCOTS Project Audio transcription M608: Okay, erm, have you always lived in Stranraer? M194: Are ye recordin? M608: We are now. M194: Yes, I have that. M608: mmhm M194: oh for about sixty-eight years. M608: Sixty-eight years? M194: Yes. M608: And you we- you went to school there? M194: Yes. M608: uh-huh. M194: I did that. M608: uh-huh and when, what age would you be when you left school? M194: eh fourteen. M608: Fourteen. M194: In them days it was fourteen when I left school. M608: uh-huh M194: And I think it was about nineteen forty, forty-eight, it came in you had to stay till you were sixteen. M608: uh-huh M194: Aye it was and that, M608: uh-huh M194: so ye M608: So what was your first job? M194: [?]I was[/?] an electrician, //Apprentice ele-// M608: //And that was in Stran-// M194: Apprentice electrician M608: In Stranraer? M194: Yes, started in nineteen forty-seven. M608: And who got you the job? M194: eh M608: Did you apply for it? M194: mmhm applied for it And that my father knew the the contractor, M608: uh-huh M194: and I got a job with him then. This was just the end of the War, and they were just startin up, all, most small firms were just startin up on their own then, and you got the job with them //then.// M608: //uh-huh// So it's quite a small company? M194: Yes, there were only aboot six of us altogether, the [inaudible] and I was there until nineteen fifty-three! M608: So what's that, five years? M194: Five years till I'd done my apprenticeship. [cough] In them days, you only done your apprenticeship, then they paid ye off. M608: mmhm M194: Because they could pay a man fourth, er, a apprentice in third and fourth year, journeyman, could claim journeyman's wages for him, //and// M608: //mmhm// M194: get to only pay you the small wages. M608: mmhm M194: Once ye come yer time finished eh, ye got the yer jotters, and ye had to go look some other place. M608: Right. M194: So then I went from there up tae Glasgow. M608: mmhm M194: And then a year up in Glasgow with the Ministry of Works. M608: mmhm M194: Then I come back to Stranraer. And I had a wee spell off, and then I went out to, eh Cairnryan Road [inaudible] and dump, the boats that's dumpin the ammunition. M608: How did that, how did that work? I mean whi-, who brought the ammunition in? Was it //the// M194: //They came in by train// M608: uh-huh M194: Then you you loadit them ontae barges, and then they're tooken out as ye're seein it now in the paper, this [inaudible] [?]Dyke[/?], M608: uh-huh M194: and dumped there. //The car-// M608: //uh-huh// M194: the crates were just threw over the, the barges just opened their tail- tailgate and threw the stuff out. M608: And how did you get involved in that? M194: Well I was I was unemployed. I hadnae a job. I, because I came back from Glasgow, because the job in Glasgow finished, and I had to come back to Stranraer. M608: mmhm M194: I went there for aboot, oh aboot three weeks, and then I got a job with with, what in them days, eh it was "Silver City" M608: mmhm M194: that was flying from west, from eh Castle Kennedy, [inaudible] Castle Kennedy to eh Belfast. M608: mmhm M194: And I was eh I was workin there for about four month, and then I started as a as a ba- goin back to my trade at Cairnryan, with the Royal Engineers, an electrician [?]for them[/?] at Cairnryan //You know.// M608: //mmhm okay.// M194: So I did. //and then// M608: //uh-huh// M194: I was there for aboot a year and a half. M608: uh-huh M194: And then I left there and went to the Post Office. M608: mmhm M194: I was thirty-eight year there. M608: Thirty-eight years in the //Post Office?// M194: //Thirty years, aye.// M608: And what? Was it just difficult finding work in, as an //electrician, aye?// M194: //oh yes phew, yes// aye I'd have had to move away to say up tae, come up tae aboot Ayr, or some place. M608: mmhm M194: I mean, when I was in Glasgow and the job was finishin, I got offered work, //it was away// M608: //mmhm// M194: up in Aberdeen. M608: Right, yeah. M194: So I just didn't fancy goin away up to Aberdeen //and stayin// M608: //mmhm// M194: there and payin I mean, and the company I was gonnae work for, they werenae gonnae give me eh money tae pay yer digs, ye'd tae pay yer digs oot of yer, yer wages //and that was-// M608: //[click]// M194: uh that wasn't on. M608: Aye. M194: So I come back home again. M608: uh-huh M194: and then I start the Post Office [cough] M608: mmhm M194: aye I did. M608: So were you, were you growing up as a child in in Stranraer during the War? M194: Yes. M608: uh-huh //er. Was there a lot of// M194: //Yes, yes right through during the War.// M608: activity in Stranraer, cause it //was a port?// M194: //Oh ye-// oh yes, during [inaudible] I went from, aboot nineteen forty-one it started. and eh, then they built the military two, they built on one side of the the Loch Ryan, they built eh the Americans came in, and they built a jetty, and all that, for S- the Sunderlands and seaplanes. M608: ah right. M194: They were one side of the jetty whe when they had big hangars. They had a big, well one big hangar, where they took the planes in and repaired them. M608: mmhm M194: And then they had, oh f- about fourteen s- more, just like shelters, where they could put the plane, take the pla- nose the plane in and the, and they [?]tae a[/?] and they repaired them and put them back out. M608: uh-huh M194: And then they pulled them along the road, and they put them back intae the water. M608: Alright. M194: And the traffic, and a lot of traffic, ye could be pullin them one along the road, and the traffic's goin underneath the their wings. M608: mhmm M194: Double-decker buses and everything was going underneath the M608: [click] M194: people goin tae tae [inaudible] were gonnae, used to go under the wings the double-decker buses, M608: God. M194: and that. And then they would take them oot and put them in the water again. M608: uh-huh M194: And then they would go out, they would go out, and they went on thirty-six hour missions, flyin re- reconnaissance. M608: Thirty-six hours M194: Thirty-six hours a time [?]they'd tae go oot[/?] reconnaissin. M608: mmhm M194: And that. And eh they'd come back in and, as they were comin back in, there's maybe another seaplane or Sunderland takin off tae go away back oot. Then we would bring them in and eh when once they hit the water, they brought them up to their moorings. M608: [cough] M194: And there was one or two accidents that way. Some of them didnae [inaudible] some of them just missed it, and they took a nose-dive and just //sunk.// M608: //mmhm// M194: And there was other ones [inaudible] ferryin up, the the pilot lost his head! M608: [inhale] ouch M194: [?]Don't know where[/?] just too far in he just caught the propeller. M608: uh-huh //Right.// M194: //and just [inaudible]// So [inaudible] so, that was that the the the end of the War. The short- Harland and Wolff, come into Stranraer, and they were transm- convertin these seaplanes into passenger planes and flyin them out to New Zealand and eh Australia, //as passenger// M608: //huh// M194: planes M608: Right. M194: That lasted until about nineteen fifty-six, nineteen fifty-six. //So// M608: //Right.// M194: [inaudible] that side, that was on one side of the water. //On the other// M608: //uh-huh// M194: side of the water, they built two big jetties, so they did. And everything was brought in by by rail to Cairnryan, and it had to even cross main, from the de- once it left the main crossing, the railway crossin, they crossed two main roads and right alongside, and s- and into Cairnryan the [inaudible] into Cairnryan, they built a great big jetty there, two je- they made one, two, three, they made three jetties; one s- two small ones, one big one. And they could bring the boats in there and and take troops out durin the War and everything. M608: mmhm M194: And the, at the mai- at the mai- [cough] at the main jetty, the, they don't know the de- the depth of the water, because the the, it's built on floatin, because they couldnae, the [?]repair[/?] drivers, they couldnae get the bottom. M608: uh-huh M194: So it's in a, er it's in floa- a floatin dock. M608: Good God. Right? M194: [inaudible], and the the oh the troops used to come in there, and, in fact then, w- the American plane, the American boats used to come in durin the night, and eh off one boat would c- would come the [?]chassis[/?] M608: mmhm M194: They'd go oot, they'd pull it up tae the next one, the engine, and the bodywork would go ontae it; the engine and the [?]cab[/?], and all that, would go ontae it. And they took it up to the next one, and they loaded it up wae ammunition and goo- eh whatever supplies, and all that, and then took it away to where it was goin. M608: mmhm M194: [?]So that was one of the trades of War[/?] And eh, [cough] And then du-, of course, during the time too, there's other bringin troop boats in and loadin it. M608: Aye. M194: And eh twice durin the War once the Queen Mary came in, durin the night, wae troops M608: Really? M194: And put them off, and then, of course, they were goin onto the trains, and then they took them away on the trains to wh- down intae England and wherever they were goin, and the Queen Mary was in once too. M608: uh-huh M194: all durin the night, cause it was tae that deep water they could bring them in there M608: uh-huh M194: and get back oot again. M608: uh-huh M194: And that's where the American boats come in too, loaded wae troops, loaded wae troops and with the supplies. M608: uh-huh //So.// M194: //Then.// M608: They they'd be coming across from America? M194: Down from America. M608: uh-huh M194: mmhm //And their// M608: //mmhm// M194: troops, [inaudible] troops, eh most of the troops, maybe come through, are comin out through Belfast. //The troop boats,// M608: //Right.// M194: are comin in, because they come in fae d- eh, in through Dublin and up through Dublin tae Belfast, and then transferred across here. M608: Where did you find out about this as a child? I mean, were these //stories coming// M194: //[inaudible]// ye knew what was goin on. M608: Aye. M194: You knew what was goin on, I mean. M608: People talked about it at school? //about it at school?// M194: //Aye well, I mean I mean I mean// [inaudible] and then the w- the peoples, the surveilling workers that was workin there M608: uh-huh M194: And then, of course, the the troops was comin into Stranraer at night time M608: Aye. M194: and then there's t- eh two canteens, there's the WVS And the ri- and the Church of Scotland. They had //places there.// M608: //mmhm// M194: So troops were comin in there and then, of course, they were going tae the pictures and intae the cafes and all that. So ye, ye get tae know some of them and ye could talk to them. M608: uh-huh M194: And then of c- [coughs] through too also, too was my mother worked in the WVS and the Church of Scotland's canteen, eh //in her, voluntary work, at night// M608: //Okay, aye.// M194: ts- three, four hours a day. Plus, we got to know some of them and, they came to the house //some of the// M608: //uh-huh// M194: soldiers and airforcemen came to the house, //so ye// M608: //mmhm// M194: got it all through that John. And that, and then, plus too durin the War, they used to he- bring in eh troops intae eh wounded troops, in by plane, M608: mmhm M194: by hi- Sunderlands and seaplanes in, and used to bring them into the harbour at Stranraer, M608: mmhm M194: and then they're transferred from there ontae buses M608: mmhm M194: The wounded were travelled o- into ambulances and buses and they were either took to eh to eh [inaudible] which is aboot five mile [inaudible] M608: mmhm M194: They take t- there and some was transferred to eh Turnberry, to Turnberry big hotel. M608: Turnberry Hotel was used for M194: Turnberry Hotel was a t-t- a a h-h- hospital durin the War. M608: Right. M194: And then there's some to go up Turnhouse at Edinburgh. M608: uh-huh M194: The troops //wounded// M608: //oh right.// M194: then and then when and then when them that was fit was fit, they were put on the train and took away down to camps in England. M608: uh-huh M194: And then the troops that was coming in to get out again, they would come in, in lorries. M608: mmhm M194: And then the place where where the rugby pitch is now in Stranraer, used to be a transit camp. M608: [click] Right. M194: and that's where they give them a meal M608: mmhm M194: and then they put [inaudible] back intae the lorries, and then they went down, and they used to and ye could sometimes in Stranraer, from the harbour, they'd be a mile a mile queue, a mile of lorries up eh from the harbour up along sta-, [inaudible] Drive and right oot the London Road onto the Dumfries Road again, sittin waitin //for boats// M608: //mmhm// M194: comin in to take them out. M608: Right. M194: And if ye were out on a Sunday afternoon, walkin, ye go, quite often eh //the// M608: //[cough]// M194: the troops were sittin in there, the troops were in the lorries, sittin waitin tae be transported //to// M608: //Right.// M194: the boats And the troops would all s- shout at ye tae ah tae post letters for them. //They'd written// M608: //Right.// M194: letters and they wanted somebody tae post them M608: mmhm, //so did you,// M194: //So// M608: did you post letters for them? M194: Aye ye po- letters, aye sometime ye'd see me wae a great pile, maybe aboot thirty, maybe aboot thirty letters ye had in yer hand M608: mmhm M194: tae tae post, on a Sunday M608: uh-huh M194: mmhm And that, and then they went away and then that was they went from from the there's three ferries up from Dover, the Twickenham and all these ferries were up from Dover M608: mmhm M194: And they were f- sailin from Stranraer. There's two passenger boats and then there's one, two, three, four, eh cargo boats, which they come up the, they had the, you could run the the eh the right way on the eh Dover tae Calais run, //They still// M608: //mmhm// M194: they still had the tracks for the the trains tae go on. M608: mmhm M194: So they used to put the trains onto the boats. M608: oh right. M194: And they had them that way, and then they used to come, they were there tr- ferryin troops on on the lorries and that, across to Belfast //across to Belfast// M608: //mmhm// M194: and then some had to be taken down tae Dublin, and then they were taken off after that tae wherever they're wantin tae go tae Dublin. M608: mm M194: So ye'd ye'd, so ye had quite a few M608: mm M194: boats, and then [inaudible] Cairnryan and ye had the boats comin oot and in the whole time M608: mmhm M194: And then, as I'm sayin, after the War the- they'd that much old ammunition and stuff to dump. M608: Aye. M194: Well, then they'd take them out on these barges, and dump it in the water. Plus, eh they had maybe one or two old eh liners, that was ready for scrappin. M608: uh-huh M194: So what they done wi them, they brought them in M608: mmhm M194: Mean they took the engines out them M608: Aye. M194: Towed them intae Cairnryan, and then they filled them full of eh all these ammunitions, and //ra- eh// M608: //[inaudible]// M194: took whatever ye could cry, any scrap M608: mmhm M194: And then two tugs would come M608: mmhm M194: and take it out tae aboot, tae the deep channel. M608: mmhm M194: And then they'd sc- eh open the the calks M608: mmhm M194: and sink the boats. M608: So they'd scuttle them? M194: Aye, scuttle them. M608: wow M194: They too- took the tugs off tae get in, they scu- they'd open the ho- eh the holes M608: Aye. M194: And then th- they would come off, and the tugs would just let them go, and then they just scuttled theirself. I'm sure there were aboot six boats doon that way. M608: Nobody was worried about dumping ammu- //ammunition at this time?// M194: //No, no// that's why the the the present day, they're kickin up a row M608: mmhm M194: Because, I mean, this this stuff [inaudible], well I dare say the stuff in the boats'll no be breakin loose, M608: mmhm M194: But the stuff that was taken out in the the aircraft erm [click] the barges M608: yup M194: and then they just, they were in cases M608: mmhm M194: no the stuff was just in ca- wooden cases. M608: So what kind of stuff are we ta-, are we talkin about, just bullets or what? M194: Bullets, eh rockets, eh or hand-grenades M608: God! M194: There's sten guns, everything, John. They've takin out the [inaudible] and the likes of the hand-grenades and old eh bullets, and, and eh all that; they were in boxes. Well then, they just took them out and they dumped them, but now the boxes are breakin up. M608: uh-huh M194: And this stuff, the stuff oot the boxes is startin to drift tae inland. M608: uh-huh M194: And its comin, [inaudible], at the present moment, ye can see roughly from eh Ireland right acr- right round tae about, right across, right round the coast [?]Cork[/?], eh Portpatrick, [?]Corstal[/?], and up maybe up and then up to Ballantrae, up to Ballantrae up maybe as far as Girvan M608: mmhm M194: and then even into Stranraer ye'll get an odd flare comin in ye'll see //the thing on the shore.// M608: //God.// mmhm M194: and now there are, mean there are warnins the noo just tae, if ye see one, no tae touch it. M608: Yeah. M194: Cause if ye can t-, if ye, they're lyin there and if you just touch them, they start flarin. M608: God. //So they're still, they're still dangerous// M194: //So, they// //they're still dangerous, aye.// M608: //after about fifty years?// mm M194: I mean, they're tryin to make out that they're no dangerous, but they are M608: mmhm M194: [inaudible] //[inaudible]// M608: //but no-// nobody was worried about this at the //time?// M194: //No, they// nobody was worried, they just take them tae dump, I mean these barges were, maybe two barges a day was goin oot M608: For how long? M194: ooh I'd say aboot two year. M608: Two, two year? M194: Two years, easy. M608: Two pa- two barges a //day for two years?// M194: //day, yes, aye.// I mean, and, I mean, most in most cases too, I mean, it's not to be said, but I mean the barges were supposed to go oot so far M608: mmhm M194: And then open their tailgates M608: mmhm M194: But if you're in a hurry what's gon-, what are ye gonnae do? M608: mmhm M194: They're gonnae open them before ye should M608: mmhm M194: And that's how I think ye've got some of these stuff that's comin in now. M608: Yeah. //So is the stuff// M194: //[inaudible] it is.// M608: the stuff that wasn't sunk in //the right place?// M194: //[inaudible] proper places// M608: mmhm //And you di-, you were,// M194: //er// M608: you were part of this yourself //for a while?// M194: //Aye.// //From the// M608: //How long did you// M194: Well I was going to say aboot two weeks I was on it M608: mmhm M194: but then, when I went to work at Cairnryan eh with, that was with the with the MOD, I worked for about a fortnight then I went, when I went to work for the eh Royal Engineers M608: mmhm M194: well we had the electrical work tae, we had the, all the electric cranes and all that tae look after M608: Right. M194: so, I mean, they were doin it then, //it was.// M608: //mmhm// mmhm M194: And then, well I mean, some of these boats it was, when some of the boats too came in, they were old boats and there was Chinamen on them, there's China, //people// M608: //mmhm// M194: eh crews. //And they// M608: //mm// M194: of course, they were un- unloadin it from their boat, onto the deck, and then into another one of these boats to sit- take out. M608: mmhm M194: So ye'd all that tae look after M608: mmhm M194: Aye ye had M608: So what were these, where were the Chinese people coming from? M194: They were bring- they were comin in these boats that's bringin the stuff in. //There were some// M608: //mmhm// M194: boats comin from oh abro- abroad. M608: uh-huh M194: In with the the stuff to Cairnryan //to be dumped.// M608: //uh-huh// So it was coming in from all over //the place?// M194: //[inaudible]// oh aye. It was comin in by train and comin in by boats. M608: God. So, it's comin an armaments dump //for the world, basically?// M194: //[inaudible]// mmhm aye. I mean, ye'd the trains comin in every day. and then the sometime ye'd maybe hae two boats would come in and they'd dump it, put it on the, they'd usually try to arrange that there's another another old boat tae goin away tae be sunk M608: mmhm M194: and then they'd just transfer them from one boat, the cranes transferred them onto the onto the jetty, and they went along a bit into another cr- crane and then up and into this old boat tae be dumped. M608: mmhm That's amazin. //[inaudible]// M194: //oh d- aye!// Aye, it went on for years. //Aye.// M608: //mmhm// M194: did. I mean now, n-n- now the pier is eh the the main dock is now u- eh it canna be used, M608: mmhm M194: because th- it's been, it wasnae prop- mai- it's no maintained since the, the er government finished with it. M608: mmhm M194: [?]Barr[/?], the contractor had it for a while. He was haein boats comin in, and takin eh boulders, three inch, but eh, what do ye call the three-inch eh stones? b- eh pebbles and all that. Three inch chips and all that, takin them away, for building harbours [inaudible]. Ye'd boats from Shetlands, eh, Orkneys and everything, any place, they come in. They were hauling this from the big quarry up above Cairnryan, down in and then through [inaudible] goin over these big lorries //And the,// M608: //mmhm// M194: the, she was just a wooden ramp. M608: [click] //Right.// M194: //The w- the// base of the jetty is just wood M608: Yeah. M194: So there's big holes comin in it, so they //claimed it// M608: //God.// M194: unsafe. M608: Right. M194: And that, and that. I mean it's n- it's [?]well they think they're[/?] I noticed this morning, comin up that they must've they've opened the gates again, so they must be doing something with it. M608: Aye. M194: [inaudible] M608: I mean, were there any accidents at the time, were there any explosions or anything? M194: No, never any explosions //John, no.// M608: //er// //mm// M194: //Fortunately,// there were never any //explosion,// M608: //mm// M194: an all that, //out of the boats// M608: //mm// M194: when they were loadin the boats, or that M608: mmhm M194: I mean there's one or two scares, one or two maybe caught fire then. M608: Aye. M194: but they got them put oot. M608: Aye. M194: One of may- the barges maybe, on the barges or one of the boats was unloadin, they got, but they always had, I mean there's like a fire-tender, belonging to the WD, M608: mmhm M194: standin by the whole time. M608: mmhm M194: [inaudible] that was needed, M608: mmhm M194: so it was. And there used to be aboot, roughly aboot eh now, aboot eight men at a time on the hold, loadin the, liftin the boxes intae a ple- [inaudible] M608: mmhm M194: And then liftin them up and another basket would come doon and ye put it in again, M608: All right? M194: and that //And that and then they would// M608: //mmhm// M194: just go, as I was sayin, go along with an old like an old [?]railway carriage[/?] across to the next boat and lift it and put it in. Another eight men packin it, so they had. And that, and then they all waited, they waited till the tide suited and then they pulled it oot. M608: uh-huh M194: And just scuttled it, so they did. There was quite a lot of things went on durin the War in Stranraer, and all that, and then of course we had the h- the the, well then we had aeroplanes in [inaudible] M608: mmhm M194: and we had Castle Kennedy, and we had eh eh Blairgowan, where eh Blairgowan, Blairgowan was a kind of repair station. It was up in amongst the trees. //They// M608: //mmhm// M194: had the hangars, where they M608: mmhm M194: could take the planes and repair them, and then they brought them down, and then across the, across the main r- they had to take off again M608: mmhm M194: They'd start away in the field, and they'd go across the main [?]Drumoor[/?] Road, and then along, still along a field, and then up and away. M608: mmhm //mmhm// M194: //So ye had// that was in Blairgowan M608: uh-huh M194: and Castle Kennedy, well then ye had a big drome at Castle Kennedy. M608: Yeah. M194: And then we had another big one down at Wigtown. M608: mmhm M194: At Ludness. //So we did.// M608: //mmhm// M194: And then we, and then we had a two qu- we'd one, two, three eh camps for s- soldiers. M608: Yeah. M194: oh when, and then that wis //because we had soldiers// M608: //Right?// M194: here, ye know for guardin //and then we had// M608: //mm// M194: quite a few ack-ack guns and searchlights, and all that, so these ch- soldiers were brought round to different bits of the coast, M608: mmhm M194: for, say, twenty-four hour spells. M608: mmhm M194: And the huts for the men to stay in in M608: mm M194: durin the twenty-four hour spells M608: mm M194: in case anything M608: What did Uncle Robert do during the War? M194: He was a bus driver. M608: oh right. M194: And and eh it eh if the likes of one of these eh be- hospital boats was cau- planes and boats and that, they were eh they had to go down the pier with the buses and take them maybe t- don't know where they took the troops M608: uh-huh M194: and plus they had two of their buses converted, two thi- two of the thirty-seater buses converted and they had ten stretchers in each bus. M608: Right, so M194: It's for takin troops away, and then ye'd as many ambulances. M608: That's right. M194: So so that's why the the bus drivers, they werenae, they were eh exempt from being called up, because they were M608: Right. M194: they were eh thingmied eh, I mean. I've seen Uncle Robert comin in at eh half past six at night for his tea and eight o'clock he's away oot M608: uh-huh M194: a- they've got word there's a plane comin in M608: Right. M194: Planes comin in wae troops, wounded troops, or a boat comin in with wounded troops. And that, and eh then they've got tae go down, and sit down the pier M608: mmhm M194: and wait till they come in and see where they'd to be transferred tae M608: mmhm M194: As I'm saying sometimes, they'd could transfer, be transferrin them up tae Turnberry, or maybe away t- tae Turnberry or tae, tae tae Newhouse, any place like that, where the hospital, or up t- even up tae eh Loch [inaudible] M608: mmhm [click] //mm// M194: //So they could// That do that durin the night M608: Aye. M194: and then come back and do their normal duty during the day. M608: That's right, cause ye told me a story last time ab- Uncle Robert, on the first double-decker bus. Wha- was, what was that one again? M194: we- Uncle Robert, when the first double-decker was tae come intae Stranraer. M608: Aye. M194: Yes, well, I mean, they never had the double-decker buses, this is way back in nineteen, nineteen thirty-eight, thirty, thirty-seven, thirty-eight. M608: uh-huh M194: The first double-decker bus they got in, and, of course, at that time they were gettin ready for a, I think it would be the, it was maybe the coronation. M608: Right. M194: I'd need tae think, the corona-, so they put the streamers up and the the lights and all that. They'd put them up M608: mmhm M194: So, of course Uncle Robert, on the first mornin, he came down. They'd been putting them up say at the weekend, the Monday mornin, he came down and he, when he turned into King Street, from there on till he got right up King Street, right down George Street, till he got tae the Post Office, he could hear ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, but he didn't know what was goin on. And when he got to the Post Office, tae collect the mail tae take it tae [?]Sandhead[/?] and [?]Drumore[/?] and all that, the postman came out and said yer bus is fancily d- eh decorated this mornin. How? Here he was all was all these de- all these buntins and lights and everything all lying at the front of the double-decker [laugh] M608: [laugh] M194: Cause they hadnae, ye know, put them high enough. M608: Aye. M194: And they just took the whole lot away with him. M608: mm M194: So they had tae start and re- hi- ra- hi- put them up higher for the sake of the double-decker. M608: [?]comes down[/?] M194: It was the first double-decker they'd bo- bought into Stranraer. M608: uh-huh M194: And that's what happened tae him. He always said that, the first bus that came intae Stranraer and he p- eh took the buntin down for them, M608: mmhm M194: so they did, oh aye. M608: Why did the American, why did the Americans come to the house? M194: Well they would, they, no they never came to my house. //But they// M608: //oh right.// M194: came to st- well they were in, as I'm sayin, they came and they built the airforce base at Rigg Bay, M608: mmhm M194: which, as I'm sayin they built for the slip-ways and the huts and these big hangars for repairin the planes in M608: mmhm M194: wh- why they they they stayed they were while they were buildin it, they were stayin in the transit camp so they were s-s- stationed at stan- transit camps and they had to by erm take them by bus from the Stranraer to Rigg Bay. M608: mmhm M194: They took them away out, they took them out about six in the morning and they went half-past eight again, ye started bringin them back intae Stranraer for their breakfast. M608: Right. M194: So ye go- brought them in for their breakfast and the drivers got their breakfast along wi them. M608: mmhm M194: And then, of course, again they brought them in for their lunch M608: mmhm M194: at dinner time, and then they s- brought them in for their tea. Usually when they brought them in their tea, for their tea at night-time, that was them finished, because, I mean, they couldnae see in the dark, M608: Aye. M194: cause ye werenae allowed lights or nothing and that, in them days, so ye were So that's what the- they had tae trans- be transported oot and in, and then and then before fir- eh that was it, that was it eh and the ones that was finished they went away. M608: mmhm M194: Well ye'd the odd American comin in wi planes M608: mmhm M194: they came away wi planes, or, or sometimes ye'd the odd American comin in tae but of course we'd American, South Africans, everything M608: mmhm M194: airforce men comin in t-, maybe to learn how to [?]fly[/?]. M608: mmhm M194: And then, of course, w-wh- westwing [?]as I was sayin[/?] at [inaudible], well that was a quite a big eh eh quite a few planes there too. And then has got quite a big house up about [inaudible] M608: mmhm M194: and the the the airforcemen slept there. M608: [click] Right. M194: But then they had tae be transported too, from [inaudible] [laugh] to [inaudible] for their meals. M608: Aye. M194: And eh Uncle Robert done all that. M608: So there was a lot of running //around.// M194: //ah// runnin around aye, and I mean in them days it was seven days a week ye were drivin, and no just //and that.// M608: //[inaudible]// Stranraer feel about the Americans? //[?]Did they find[/?]// M194: //[?]eh they[/?]// just took them, they took them in, just //Aye.// M608: //Took them as they found them.// M194: aye as they found them aye. //They got// M608: //Aye.// M194: on okay with them. M608: No difficulty communicatin with //them, mm?// M194: //No.// No. cause they werenae that, they we- they werenae that long there John, maybe say aboot, six month, they, we had a, we had a large sum of troops wi- while they're buildin the jetty and that at Cairnryan. M608: Aye. M194: And then, of course, just after that it was just odd yins, we'd of course we'd every nationality: Jamaicans, South-Africans, Americans comin //Over to West-// M608: //uh-huh// M194: [inaudible], to Rigg Bay M608: mmhm M194: first to learn how tae fly planes and all these, fly th- ye know that type of plane, so ye had. M608: mmhm M194: Ah we'd all nationalities during the War. and that eh, and then, of course, two, the army had a place some [?]dead-tree[/?] places at Cairnryan, three big camps at Cairnryan. Then up eh just about a mile out of Stranraer, maybe a mile, a mile and a half, they'd another lot of eh army troops, they'd the Royal Engineers, they were in another camp M608: mmhm M194: where the si- because they they built the railway M608: mm M194: the Royal Engineers built the railway from from the siding eh the [inaudible] railway siding to Cairnryan. M608: mmhm M194: Well, they were stationed up there and then, of course, there's eh the troops would come from Cairnryan ri- eh, at night-time by train //intae// M608: //mmhm// M194: what they cried the [inaudible] and then they'd di- they got off there and they'd have about a mile tae walk intae town M608: Right. M194: And everything, then of course they had a las- si- the last train at night was aboot eleven o'clock, back tae Cairnryan. M608: mmhm M194: Quite a few of them didnae make it [laugh] and they had tae walk tae //Cairnryan.// M608: //[laugh]// M194: That's when they [inaudible] in at the pictures or that or, M608: uh-huh M194: at the pubs and all that. they just had tae get on with it. M608: Yeah. M194: oh aye, and I mean, and I mean, di- down the, the especially on a Saturday, the wee restaurants restaurants in Stranraer were chock-a-block M608: mmhm M194: I mean, the chaps come in and they'd maybe go tae the canteen at di- at three o'clock, and get a cup of tea, and then they'd hae a wander round the toon gettin odds and ends like shavin cream and and all these kind of things, stuff, and then they'd maybe go to some of the wee cafes and have a, their tea M608: mmhm M194: then go to the first or second house of the pictures M608: mmhm Were there many picture houses in //Stranraer?// M194: //There was// two at that time. M608: oh right. M194: And then, well then ye had eh, both picture houses done a show at six o'clock and then a c- a quarter past eight M608: mmhm M194: Both of them, and then they changed the films every three times a week M608: Changed the film three times M194: times a week. So, of course, there's queues there ye mean, eh if ye wanted intae the pictures, it didnae matter whether it was the second house or the first house ye went tae, ye had to be down aboot roughly half an hour before the picture started if ye wanted to be near the front of the queue //kind of style.// M608: //Aye.// M194: cause of that many queuin up. M608: mmhm M194: and that [?]yes a did[/?], aye. oh aye they thingmied and then [sniff] and then the canteens so then the canteens too they could get cooked meals. M608: mmhm M194: So they could, but most of them just wanted a cup of tea and maybe a scone and a cake. And then at that time, well I mean, eh durin the War our, our, sweets and chocolates were rationed. M608: Right. M194: eh rationed. Well then they used to ha- eh have a supply every day there usually some they sold so many in the afternoon and so many at night in the canteens. M608: mmhm M194: Well the troo-, the troops the, some of the troops used to get fly and they all, whenever they opened in the afternoon they sell the ch- chocolates //So it meant// M608: //Right.// M194: that some of them, it was the same people who was gettin them every time. M608: mmhm M194: So what they had to do was vary it ye know, so instead of getting it first thing in the afternoon, they maybe had to get it half-past three, four o'clock or that //so// M608: //Right.// M194: they wouldnae know, and then some of them did come in and they would stay in the canteens and then the the ladies would say "And what are ye waitin on? Do ye think, think ye're gonna get the sweeties first, cause you got them yesterday", //and they had tae chase them// M608: //[laugh]// M194: away So they had tae, oh aye, and then, of course, wh- an odd time ye had tae get the the MPs and that in, just tae kinda quieten them doon. oh everything went, I mean there wasnae all that much bother wi them, so there wasnae. M608: So it was an exciting time for the //town// M194: //oh// t- aye, aye. I mean the only thing is ye had no lights, ye couldnae see where ye were goin. M608: [laugh] M194: Ye had tae go, but then, of course, th- and the torches in yer torch, ye had tae have a piece of eh greaseproof paper in it. so that yer light wouldnae be M608: reflected? M194: reflected. //kind of// M608: //Aye.// M194: just a wee a wee dot. And then and the the the cars and the buses, well their headlamps was filled in. and ye just had, on the likes of the buses, they had eh one strip about an inch wh- wide for aboot four inches long and then they'd one, another doon below that aboot two and a half inches long and then one at the bottom, aboot an inch M608: mmhm M194: just an- for aboot maybe [gesture] that? //for// M608: //mmhm// M194: and that was and that was yer light, and ye had tae s- kinda try and see in that. M608: Aye. M194: And then, of course, ye had tae have yer inside lights in yer buses dimmed too. M608: mmhm course there wasnae the traffic. M194: No, but then the, we, [inaudible] there wasnae so much traffic then, ye still had the military, we had still the m- //military movin aboot.// M608: //Aye, true.// uh-huh mmhm M194: So we had, still the military movin aboot M608: mm M194: oh t- aye oh ye never knew And then, of course, in them days, the buses, the conductors, conductors could speak into the conductors could speak into the driver through a window. M608: mmhm M194: And one night Uncle Robert was goin oot, we had taken the la- last bus to West [?]Freuch[/?] with airmen and the next thing I, I, I, a window opened and he thought it was going to be the conductor in tae speak tae him. Here it was a Canadian with a knife at his back, so it was. //[laugh]// M608: //Really?// M194: [laugh] He wan-, he wanted father to take them some, eh some eh I canna mind where he was to be taken ah M608: God. M194: Aye and, of course, some of the rest of the chaps seen him and knocked him doon. M608: mm M194: He just, he was, he'd had too much to drink, he'd had too much tae drink, John. M608: Aye. M194: and he ended up he opened open the wee window and had he says "you takin me such and such a place". I mean he actually poked the knife intae intae his back. M608: Hijack a bus. M194: Aye hijack a double-decker bus M608: [laugh] M194: Fif- with fifty-five men in it, so it is, aye M608: God. M194: Aye [inaudible] M608: Anyway, we're being called //through to eat.// M194: //[inaudible]// tea aye M608: Anyway, thanks very //much.// M194: //Thanks for it,// John. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Audio Audio audience General public: For gender: Mixed Audience size: 1 Audio awareness & spontaneity Speaker awareness: Aware Degree of spontaneity: Spontaneous Audio footage information Year of recording: 2000 Recording person id: 608 Size (min): 32 Size (mb): 154 Audio medium Radio/audio: Audio setting Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal: Other: in interviewer's home Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers Family members or other close relationship: Speakers knew each other: Yes Audio speaker relationships Family members or other close relationship: Audio transcription information Transcriber id: 608 Year of transcription: 2003 Year material recorded: 2003 Word count: 6480 Audio type Interview: General description: Informal interview with William Wilson, retired electrician from Stranraer. Participant Participant details Participant id: 194 Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1930 Age left school: 14 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Retired miner Place of birth: Stranraer Region of birth: Wigtown Birthplace CSD dialect area: Wgt Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Stranraer Region of residence: Wigtown Residence CSD dialect area: Wgt Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Mechanic/Bus driver Father's place of birth: Stranraer Father's region of birth: Wigtown Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Wgt Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Stranraer Mother's region of birth: Wigtown Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Wgt Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At home Participant Participant details Participant id: 608 Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1950 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: University Professor Place of birth: Ayr Region of birth: S Ayr Birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bridge of Weir Region of residence: Renfrew Residence CSD dialect area: Renfr Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Insurance Broker Father's place of birth: Auchinleck Father's region of birth: S Ayr Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dental Receptionist Mother's place of birth: Ayr Mother's region of birth: S Ayr Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In most everyday situations Language: Portuguese Speak: Yes Read: No Write: No Understand: Yes Circumstances: When trying to communicate with my in-laws Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: In domestic/activist circles; reading literature