In the early part of the 1940s life in Ardrossan, was pretty stressful. World War two was raging across Europe and almost every family in town had a Son, daughter or relation serving in the forces or at Sea in the Merchant Navy. The Shell Mex, the Can factory {they made Jerry cans} the railway yards, the Shipyards and Harbour were all going full steam ahead, in what was known as the War Effort. Every family gathered round the radio at 6 0`clock to hear the latest news of the War, and there was the dreaded Telegram, which could only mean one thing. Your Son or daughter was not coming home.

To all my friends, and me in the Wee Glasgow street gang none of this was unusual. We grew up with all this and though it was normal, we had never known anything else. I’m sure though, even at that young age, we must have wondered why a solid brick barricade was built across Glasgow Street. It was actually two barricades, one from the left side and one from the right, they over lapped in the middle and left a gap between them just wide enough for a small car to pass through, but not a Tank. The purpose of the barricades was to stop the German Tanks coming up Glasgow Street when the invasion came. I don’t remember ever seeing any Barricades in Montgomery Street, which runs parallel to Glasgow Street? Maybe they run out of bricks or the Germans didn’t know Montgomery Street was there?

Another curious thing happened at this time. Blast walls were built outside every passageway into the tenement building {the Close} I suppose the purpose of this wall was to stop the blast from a bomb shooting up the Close, but I’m sure if a bomb landed on Glasgow Street not only would the blast shoot up the Close, half the blast wall would go with it.

These blast walls were a great hazard to anyone trying to make there way home after dark. During the war there was total black out. This meant that as soon as it got dark all the windows in the house had to be covered with black cloth, if one little chink of light was showing from the outside, the Wardens who patrolled the streets would report that person. This happened to us and Mother had to go to court. She was find one Pound about a fifth of the weekly wage.

So because of the Black out, the blast walls were very hard to see. It was amazing the number of people who arrived home with bleeding noses and a couple of black eyes. Especially after a few Pints

I remember a large water tank was erected in Bar Street. This was an emergency water supply to be used for fighting fires after the town had been bombed. Fortunately this was never needed as the town was never bombed. As kids we used to climb into this tank and have a swim, but a grid mesh was soon fitted over the tank and spoiled all our fun.

The town had a siren. This was to warn of an impending Air Raid by German Bombers. This siren would be tested from time but always during the Day. On one occasion it went off in the middle of the night. This was the real thing. My brother and I were told to wake up and get out of bed, but we were already awake {that siren was loud enough to awaken the dead}.

Mother got us into our siren suits. This was a one-piece suit that buttoned or zipped up the front and also had a hood to cover our heads. These suits were probably the forerunner of the Tracksuits the athletes wear today. Now dressed and clutching our Gas masks we headed for the Air Raid Shelter in our back yard.

As we lived up stairs we had to descend an outside staircase, the other neighbours had hesitated on the stair head and were all looking up. Although I was very young I clearly remember looking up and seeing the silhouette of big Planes passing overhead. There was a lot of noise from the drone of the planes, and Gunfire from the Navy Ships in the harbour, and away to the South the sky was all lit up. The bombers having Bombed ICI at Ardeer caused this, we found out later. I don’t remember anything else of that night, but the memory of those bombers is still very clear.

There was an army unit stationed in town, their barracks was at the bottom of the Caledonian brae on Montgomery Street. We kids soon found out where their Mess Hall was and would sneak up to the windows and ask for some food. I remember at one time a Soldier handed out a few big red sausages, we thought all our Christmases had come at once, until we tasted them, they were far too spicy for our simple tastes. They got thrown to the birds, but even the seagull wouldn’t eat them.

One day there was a great commotion outside the Castle Graigs, a lot of people had gathered around the entrance, What we saw when we joined them was all very strange to us as just kids, But we new something bad had happened, though we didn’t understand what. I have since found out that this was the 27^th March 1943 the day HMS Dasher blew up just outside Ardrossan, with the loss of 379 officers and crew. What we were watching were the survivors arriving on all sorts of different Vehicles. The Castle Graigs had been turned into an emergency Hospital.

Then there was VE day {Victory in Europe} the excitement was amazing. There were lots of people dancing in the streets. The Air was filled with music and laughter people were hugging, kissing and shaking hands. The War was over

A huge bonfire had been built on top of Castle Hill, not far from the Castle and near the old shelter. On top of the bonfire there was an effigy of Hitler. That evening, which was sometime in early May 1945, the Bonfire was lit. As the flames got higher and Hitler started to burn, there were great shouts, whistles and clapping of hands from the huge crowds of Adults and Children.

The mayor of the Town, (I think his name was Captain Cunningham?) was on top of the old shelter setting off Ships Distress Rockets. He had a tripod of some sort set up in the centre of the shelter roof and the Rockets lying on the low castellated wall that run round the shelter roof. The Captain or his helper would pick up a Rocket place it in the tube on the tripod and light it with a hand held flare. The Rocket would shoot into the Air to a great height, explode and red or green flares would float slowly back to earth. This was very spectacular, the first fireworks we Kids had ever seen.

But unfortunately it all went wrong and there was an accident. It would seem that after the Captain had lit one of the Rockets in the tripod with the Flare, he brought his hand with the Flare down by his side and ignited two of the Flares that were lying on the wall pointing at the Bonfire. The first Flare shot into the Bonfire sending up a great cloud of sparks that showered down on all the people. The second Rocket slammed into a young man who was standing no more than 20ft from my Pals and me. We knew this young man, his name was Billy Dickson, and he was my Mother’s cousin. Billy was killed, I don’t remember how I knew this {probably heard some one say it}. My brother and I ran home and told Mother, at first she would not believe us, but soon found out it was true. Very sad very unfortunate a young life lost in the midst of all that celebrating.

George Fleming ~ West Australia