To record the ‘Home Front’ memories of local men and women from WW2
Mackay Country
Home Front Oral History Project
VE Day
8th May 1945
VE Day – Durness Village Square (ED29A275)
VE Day – Scourie
“Oh, yes, I remember when the war finished - they had a big do in the Hall down there, I wasn’t at it, but – aye, they had a big night. It was organised by Dr Hunter, I think, who was here at the time. He was one of the main organisers too, for the ex-servicemen who had all been demobbed by that time. For the ones that had gone through the war, you know?”
VE Day - Achriesgill
“We had a bonfire after the war was finished and I suppose, there’d be plenty drink at it, likely. Oh, I can’t remember, but there would have been. There was food and all. Everybody made something, you know …Oh, there would be sandwiches made. Well, in them days, there wasn’t an awful lot of sandwiches, ‘cause everybody ate scones, you see. And there would be scones, and if you were lucky, a bit of venison, you’d have that. I can remember the bonfire right enough.
We were days carting the bits and pieces that we could find for the bonfire, because we we weren’t quite sure it was going to come off! Aye, a couple of days or so before it was announced that the war’s going to be finished.
and, of course, the kids, you see, we were all delighted and going picking up every bit of wood we would get and whatnot. The fellow across the road – he used to make coffins and his shed was just on the corner, and when we went to the well for water we had to go past the shed. We used to be terrified – of what, I don’t know! Just the idea, I suppose, of the coffins being in the shed. We would be chasing him to see if he had any wood.”
(ED33A132) – Murdo Macleod with Army Friends in Italy.
VE Day - Achlyness
“It was VE Day, we called it. We were up on the hill above our house – we called it Cnoc xxx That meant ‘the hill of the net’. And everybody that was there could move – that could move – was on that hill. The whole little community. Big, big bonfire.
And I remember an old woman, she was a Miss Ross. She was the last one to climb up. It wasn’t a steep hill, but anyway, she climbed up and she had a bundle under her arms, which was more sticks for the fire.
Somebody said, “Is that Hitler you have, Kirstag?” Oh, yes,” she said, “and I’ll throw him on the bloody top of the fire!”
ED15M
ED29A75
VE Day – Perth
Nursing Student, Marjory Campbell:
“Oh, yes, There was great jubilation when the war ended. There was parties.
There were still quite a few soldiers left in the barracks. If I remember rightly, they had booked the dance floor in one of the hotels, and had a party - I think I was at two parties. And, of course, mind you, there was quite a lot of activity outside in the streets and that. There was a piper one time, playing, and there was kind of dancing – it was just quite frivolous and there was a few drams going, I suppose, round about Tay Street and right round.”