Taking the time to remember on VE day

On the 75th Anniversary of VE day, it is important to remember the sacrifices which were made in all corners of the community. It is a testament to the resilience of young minds that humour could still be found in spades and the opportunity to celebrate was not lost. Here are the recollections of two of our befriendees, reminiscing on their childhoods.

Marion

Marion was 13 when the war ended. Her community in Knightswood celebrated VE Day with a huge bonfire worthy of 5th November but, for a young girl, her mother stood in the way of a great time. Cue some of the best persuasion techniques that Glasgow has ever seen.

Amidst the pleading and cajolling were some pertinent facts. A boy from her school class lived one street back from the bonfire, his mother providing the perfect support should she need it, and the night was bright and welcoming. So she was allowed to go - ‘not for too long, mind’ - and she was running helter-skelter down the street before her mammy could change her mind!

Now, while many memories from the night itself have faded to a happy blur, the spectacle of the bonfire remains etched on a young mind.

Sid

Finding humour in even the most dire of situations, Sid recounts the air raid in which his mother, frightened she would not get to a shelter in time, hid her young son in a women’s toilet. He was only 12. Still, when a disgruntled male neighbour went past and asked what on earth she was doing, suggesting the impropriety of a 12 year old boy in a female toilet, it was impossible not to see the funny side.

Everyone goes through life with competing priorities but, when confronted with this, Sid’s family enjoyed story-telling ammunition for years to come. Needless to say, he left the toilet when the air raid was over and it is the one event above all others that still stands out when he tells stories of WWII.