The Blitz Or World War Two, Memories of the times Options

[DOLKIN]

rudolf hess spend a few nights at the guardhouse in maryhill barracks after crashing in eaglesham

[dugald]

George, I had to chuckle to myself after your mention of the people in the air-raid shelters talking in whispers. Yes, it's a fact and I remember it; it had never really dawned on me until your post. Strange isn't it, as if the Gerries flying overhead were going to hear us. Maybe it was so's we wouldn't disturb those who were able to sleep.

I'd heard about people in Plantation St. thinking the device at the end of the descending parachute was a person. I mentioned this in an earlier post somewhere; I also mentioned how when the parachute was spotted, some young fellows sheltering in the closes ran out towards it thinking it was a German parachutist only to be blown up along with the tenement when the mine detonated. I actually heard this said on the night of March 13th, 1941, but I have since read about similar mistakes having been made all over the country, and wonder now in just how many instances did it actually happen.

[jock]

The land mines on parachutes were used to cause more surface damage than the bombs which tended to go deeper, but the accuracy of the mines was non-existent. I personally saw the result of one which landed on Wilton St. around Yarrow gardens.

I also saw many of the hundreds of german POW's who were held at Maryhill barracks during the war. My dad worked in a railway signal box which overlooked the barracks. I would not be surprised if Rudolph Hess spent more than a few nights there after his one-way flight.!

[Lizziehen]

Thanks dugard. I did get a bit carried away recalling those war time memories, wrote too much. It's amazing how clear those memories still are, yet other things I try to remember and are "on the tip of my tongue", so to speak, totally escape me! It's also sobering to think that we are the last generation who have those Glasgow wartime memories. We are indeed fortunate to have survived when so many others were killed.

You must have a few war memories of your own living in Govan. You also, George Muir. I'm trying to remember where Plantation Street is - was? It rings bells, must look for my map of older Glasgow, Part of Paisley Road is on it, It covers Govanhill where my Dad lived.

(By the way, I wrongly wrote we moved to Springboig after war was declared. We moved from there, my grandparents home, to Sandyhills.)
Lizzie

[Gallusbisom]

Plantation Street was ( is?) off the Paisley Rd. West. I believe it runs from Paisley Rd. West to the Govan Rd. My Mum, who was visiting her brother's wife, was standing in a close where one of the young men (a soldier home on leave) ran out to "help" whoever was in the parachute. Even at that time people thought the best of each other. If I remember correctly she said the chap's last comment was "the poor sod" and off he ran. End of story. She never forgot that, ever. Mind you on a different note she also remembered the man next door running down the stairs and crashing right into the baffle wall at the end of the close but that was not on Plantation St. Her Dad refused outright to leave his home and, of course, my Grandma stayed with him.


GB

[George Muir]

Hi GB the streets running parallel to Plantation St. were Rutland Cres., (My first primary school), Mair St. (great wee bakery there), Blackburn St. and Lorne St. (the Capital picture house was there). I was born in Sussex St. just across PRW from Mair St. You may remember where there is/was a gap in the tenements right across the road from Buchanans the newsagent shop. Well that was where we lived at the time of the bombing. All of us tenants up that close were decanted due to the damage caused by the bombing and a few weeks later our tenement block was pulled down. I heard much later that these "parachute" landmines could rarely bomb a precise target as they were dependent on the vagaries of the prevailing winds at the time.

[dugald]

Hello Gallusbisom. A very interesting post, and one which I have long hoped to come across. I'm talking about what your mother told you about the land-mine on Plantation St. I had the occasion to mention the same event on an earlier post. I first heard about people running towards the descending parachute carrying the mine on the actual night of the air-raid, and I wrote about it in an earlier contribution to The Blitz Or World War Two thread. I wrote:

"Did ye hear aboot Blackburn St., a terrible thing happened therr. A crowd o' people staunen in a close mooth saw a parachute comin' doon an' they thought it was a German airman. Some young fellas had run oot tae get him when the German chute hit the building and blew it, along wi' aw' the young fellas, to blazes.". And, pausing momentarily to let his eager audience grasp the horror of the story, " Aye, it wis a bliddy great land mine!".

These words were spoken by a docker who had just arrived back at his close on Crossloan Rd. Govan, after running all the way from the docks during the raid. I heard of people running towards the parachute many times, but what your mother saw is the first verification I have come across.

Interesting reminder about the baffle wall too GB. Many people ran into these baffle walls; who knows, maybe they caused more casulties than the bombing...just joking, they actually served a good purpose.

Thank you for a very welcome post Gallusbisom!

[*D. MacGregor*]

Hello Gallusbisom. A very interesting post, and one which I have long hoped to come across. I'm talking about what your mother told you about the land-mine on Plantation St. I had the occasion to mention the same event on an earlier post. I first heard about people running towards the descending parachute carrying the mine on the actual night of the air-raid, and I wrote about it in an earlier contribution to The Blitz Or World War Two thread. I wrote:

"Did ye hear aboot Blackburn St., a terrible thing happened therr. A crowd o' people staunen in a close mooth saw a parachute comin' doon an' they thought it was a German airman. Some young fellas had run oot tae get him when the German chute hit the building and blew it, along wi' aw' the young fellas, to blazes.". And, pausing momentarily to let his eager audience grasp the horror of the story, " Aye, it wis a bliddy great land mine!".

These words were spoken by a docker who had just arrived back at his close on Crossloan Rd. Govan, after running all the way from the docks during the raid. I heard of people running towards the parachute many times, but what your mother saw is the first verification I have come across.

Interesting reminder about the baffle wall too GB. Many people ran into these baffle walls; who knows, maybe they caused more casulties than the bombing...just joking, they actually served a good purpose.

Thank you for a very welcome post Gallusbisom!

My aunt broke her nose running into a baffle wall during a blackout in Paisley.

[notaneastender]

Williamina,Margaret, Chritina and Margaret Thomson (they lived at 27 Graham Ave) were the niece and great neices of my fatherinlaws grandmother. The father William Thomson we have no record of and would love more information on him. The grandfather Joseph Goodlad died in 1957 in his 80's and was the sole survivor of this line of the family.

[Ramblins]

Hello there,

I hope my story in the Scots Magazine this September (My Refuge in the Storm) will rekindle memories of WWll as experienced in Glasgow. It should be in magazine stores now. September 2010

I'd love to hear from anyone who lived through this stormy time in our beloved Glasgow.
Alastair