Hi. All, I remember there being a large brick and concrete air raid shelter situated on the wee park between Anderson Drive and New England Road right at Knox place, but no one would use it because of the terrible stink inside, we would all go up past the Border Farm and huddle and cuddle in the hedge rows, that is when it was warm enough, when cold we just stayed in bed.

One night it WAS cold and lying in bed I could hear the planes above, glad they were not too close, suddenly there was loud noise like a crack on the roof, when it was all over and I got up to go to work next morning, (I worked in the shipyard at the time). in the front garden was a pile of broken slates, and, would you believe it, a wee bullet, which I still have to this day, it's a good job it must have lost a lot of velocity or it might have come right through the roof, a close shave if nothing else.

Another time I was working night shift in the shipyard, part of my job was to keep the dry-dock dry with the small pump, if there a ship in it, well I was walking past the launching slips to cross over the dry-dock gate for the last time that shift, about 7 Am. and I noticed some men at the bottom of the slipway, they were picking up what was left of a dead body, it had been washed in when the gate was open to the sea at high tide, I must have passed that poor guy all night without knowing, they said he was a sailor from that carrier that was BLOWN UP BY A MINE in the firth. I was only 16 at the time and I think I shook for a couple of days thinking about it. But I'll never forget it. Ta for now.
Jimmy Laughlan

Hello All:
My name is Dave Park, my family left Stevenston 1n May 1953, I was nine at the time.  My grandfather's house, Mansebrae is the old cottage at the top of Schoolwell St., next to the church.  I remember my father David Park talking of building, with his brothers, a bomb shelter in the back yard, as I remember it was across the yard from the greenhouse, which was on the stone wall of the church.  I never got to go in it, always locked. From what I remember my parents spent most of the time outside looking at the planes flying over, rather than in the shelter.

I remember playing on the beach on a old mine, very big, round, with pipes or spikes sticking out of it.  I lived on or near Warner St. near the railroad station. We were back over for a visit, first time in almost 50 years, last May, loved it.  My wife Donna has been prodding me to get on the site, it brings back memories. 

Jimmy,  you may have known my grandad who was a plater at the that time in Ardrossan shipyard,  wee Charlie Martin.  He later became provost of Saltcoats, also became an ardent pacifist as a result of all the haphazard use of young life at that time. the wee park that you mentioned, was that close to Clark place?  My husband's family lived there at that time, but all their stories were of throwing the baby (who is now 60) into the laundry basket and heading for the hills. Bad and scary enough on a dry cold night but as we know, these can be few and far between unless is was the paisley fair.

sandra h

Hey maybe I'm just too young to know what an air raid shelter is or was, I will describe it and hopefully someone will know what it is or was, it was built below ground level and made of red brick, it had a door into it and was roughly about 12'x12', so tell me what it is or was, and Scott was big Rab Pendelton and Jessie live next door to your parents or was that after your parents left, I was brought up in the bungalows until they were demolished and know that area of the town extremely well, often going where I shouldn't have been going.

Hugh,
The sea mine you refer to was (is?) on the "border" between Saltcoats and Ardrossan. On the shore esplanade corner just before you turn to go over the level crossing and the SMT bus station.It was painted red and white  and was for collecting donations.

Bob Galloway

Hi Sandra. Yes, I think I remember him, if it's the same person I am thinking of, did he have a Son About 18 who was a welder at the same time, Whose name I can't recall either, memories tend to fade after a while, if it's him! I can faintly picture his jolly wee face, now that you mention his name. But it is so long ago, my Granddad Jimmy Bigham operated the old steam crane at the end of the plater's shed a while before that, and my Uncle Wullie operated the big electric crane you see in that picture of the dry-dock, next to the houses where he lived, during the War, a lot of my relatives, on my Mother's side lived in those wee houses, that must be about where the Arran boat docks now. Ta for now.
Jimmy Laughlan.

Richard
I remember my mother telling me about the Aircraft Carrier, she is 89 at the moment, and still remembers it. She was about 28 at the time and remembers everyone who had a small boat went out to get the survivors, when the were brought ashore at Ardrossan Harbour, her mother who stayed there gave them sheets, blankets and clothes to cover them up, most of them had lost all their clothes, were covered in oil and badly burned.

During the war there was a plane would drag a target up and down the north shore in Ardrossan, There were navel ships firing on the target here's the part I don't know, they were dropping small parachutes all bright red in colour, about the size of a small dishtowel, they kept coming in with the tide, and were hanging on the telephone wires for miles. Can anyone throw some
light on it D.M.

A reader has asked about small parachutes dropped from a plane well the most likely explanation is that they were for the gunners who were practicing to give them the state and speed of the wind so they could ajust there firing accordingly but know doubt some1 might be abl to throw more light on this subject.
      jim barr (blakjak50)