I guess there are not too many contributors to the Forum who remember much about life in Lisburn during the second world war. I started work as a telegram boy in Lisburn Post office around April 1944.when there were more military vechicles around town than civilian ones as Thieval Barracks (will probably get told off again for spelling that wrong} was fully occupied by the British Army there were American troops at Knockmore and Lambeg and of course Long Kesh and Magaberry air fields were going full blast. There was an army camp in Blaris. At this particular time a lot of the military in Northern Ireland were preparing for D Day so there were long convoy's going through the town to Belfast docks, I remember a tank sliding out of control in Bow Street and hitting Samuel Orr the chemist who was standing in front of his chemist's shop he died from his injuries. And of course by this time a lot of Lisburn military personnel had been killed in action including one from my own family and in fact were still dying as I personlly delivered quite a few Priority telegrams informing next of kin about a relative being killed or missing one of the saddest being to parents who lost two sons in the battle for Anzio in Italy. Mauri

MauriI was only 3 years old in 1944 so I don't remember anything at all about the war. I think I mentioned before about being put underneath a wooden table during the night. All I remember about that is peeping from under the table and seeing 2 candles flickering on the mantelpiece. I wasn't frightened because I didn't understand. I never heard about that accident at orrs chemists. Its surprising that no one mentioned it before.

Ann & Mauri During that period our back bedroom overlooked Forthill camp and if my memory serves me right I think a Welsh Regement was stationed there as they had a goat as a mascot later the Belguems took it over near the end of the war and of course the Yanks were stationed in the mill at Millbrook they were very kind and laid back and were free with there gum and Hershy bars and then there was the the food hand outs at school I think they were also American donated tins of jam I remember .I remember a story told by my uncle Arthur who worked for Paddy Elmore in the shop beside Lizze Anderson's he said a jeep pulled up one day in December and these yanks in flying gear came into the shop and bought every turkey that was hanging in the shop and were flying them straight back to there base in England were seemenly they were harder to find I think Paddy done his nut as he had then to scour the country to replace them! Regards Ted

This one will probably be censored, even without names:
A girl near Buggy Row shouted to foreign troops on a truck,'Any gum, chum? Jiggy jig!'

Ted
that happened often in Ireland that our food was taken and people left to starve. 1845 for example, only the potato crop failed but two fifths of the population were dependant upon it to exist and one million people died of starvation and one million were forced to emigrate .
Was reading once that Adolf had planned his invasion of Britain to begin by landing German troops at Maghaberry ( Irish = plain of poor land ) airport.

Dabbler
I remember a song also
"She´ll be smoking yankee fegs"
"She`ll have suntan on her legs"
"She`ll be drivin round with a yank in a jeep"!
donald

Ted, Yes I think I have mentioned it before about the American troops in Millbrook Mill who used to cheer our Church Lads Brigade Drum and Bugle band on as we marched around the grounds of the Island Mill on practice nights. Yes the Royal Welch Fusiliers were stationed in Lisburn and Ballynahinch during the war, my aunt who was the Manageress of the Forces Canteen in the Assembly building went out for a while with the RSM of the regiment untill she found out he was married. He was killed in the D Day landings.
In fact the Welch Fusiliers were one of the first regiments to be stationed in Lisburn and at the start of the war were often seen on route marches through the town complete with band and of course the Regimental goat. Mauri

Just noticed that I had smiley faces on a posting by mistake. This happened because I was on my tablet and touched the wrong key
I didn't, mean any disrespect to the late Mr orr

A big musical number of the time went as follows:
'Roll me over in the clover
Roll me over, lay me down, and do it again'.
Rather naughty, what?

Mauri,
The Ration Books sick in my mind. Perhaps because of the D and E sweetie coupons, and the liquorice toffee that stuck in my teeth.

Dabbler, The used candy ration coupons used to be returned to the Post Office for whatever reason and were kept in bags in a shed behind the main Post Office building, when ever we could afford it and wanted to buy candy but were short of ration coupons we just used to help ourselves. Mauri

Hi Mauri ! It's just come to mind there was also another camp on the Low Road if my memory serves me right we use to call it Tin Town it ran opposite Grove Street and its boundary would have been Pop Cairn's Avenue on the other side and yet I cant remember the soldiers there during that period but after the war civilians were housed there in them Nissan huts , I wonder would Low Roader remember them ? a couple of families come to mind who recided there the Corken family and John Roy and his family John use to drive for Mrs Gordon , Mauri your reminisces have brought back memories that were long gone but still bring back to mind a beautiful generation of people that are still held in high regard .Ted

Ted
I remember those huts, there was a wee shop in one where we used to buy fireworks, sometime in the 50s they were replaced by the Housing trust houses. At Lambeg in the house leading down to the Lagan bridge which we called "the chains" because it was surrounded by chains, American soldiers were stationed. Small concrete air raid shelters were built in the garden behind it. The building was once a Monastery or Convent I believe.
donald

Hi Donald , You are right I remember that shop now as I used it often enough , but for some reason I cant remember any contact with the troops that resided there and yet I remember Forthill & Millbrook well, Regards Ted

Mauri & all,

I remember the War, the ration books, the E,s & D's to be produced for sweets or chocolate in the shops, Millars usually or Mc Clenaghhans. When they were gone no more goodies till the next allowance, same with groceries in Liptons & the Co-Op.

I remember inviting young Belgian soldiers for a meal to my Grannies, as we used to talk to them, coming from school, & thought they were so lonely far away from home.

Much to their surprise at home, two or three of them arrived at the door & amidst much confusion, boiled eggs & brown bread were served for tea, in the parlour. They were only teenagers & I remember one of their names, Maurice De Witt, to this day.

Wonder what became of them after leaving Lisburn.? Thanks for reminding me of that time, so clear memories.

Pat l

I lived in pipers hill during the war, there was a row of air-raid shelters in Barnsleys row. I remember running to them in the middle of the night when the alarm went off. my dad was in the war from start to finish and was fortunate to come home uninjured.

Yes Ted, I remember those huts in Grove Street, not sure if they were ever occupied. maybe if Brendan McTier is looking in could enlighten us as he used to live in Grove Street. Mauri

Mauri, the huts in Grove Street were occupied all right. I remember the Murrays lived there, (I went to school with Rebecca, (Babe) ) also Brendan Burns and his family, and others whose names I can't remember. Jackie something or other was one of those as I played with his sister. However, the surname escapes me. I don't know how long they were lived in before being knocked down to make way for council houses.

Straightforward question Ann: Is Babe Murray still alive?

Ann The point I was making I cant remember the soldiers in them yet I very much remember Fort Hill and Millbrook of course you are right after the war the civilians occupied them I remember as I have already said The Corkin Family , John Roys Family also Sammy Castles and his family to name a few and of course the shop as Donald referred to , and I think it was known as Tin Town then Regards Ted

One othere memory that stands out from Wartime Lisburn was of course the ``Black Out``No lights allowed, the few civilian cars with shades on their lights, coming out of the Picture House into the dark night. Air Raid Wardens prowling the streets looking for any violations of the black out and there were many, offenders were charged and had to appear in court and fined usually five shillings. On VE Day I think the whole population was out in the evening to see the lights come on. Mauri

Mauri,

Don't talk to me about the blackout.!!!

One night my Mother was leaving me to the top of East Down View where I stayed with my Grandparents.

We called into Rickards shop first & on emerging into the darkness we lost out way & wandered around in the hope that we might find something to let us know where we were, like Morrow's Milk Yard or Jimmy Murray's Barber shop.

Eventually we reached the front gate of the house & later my Grandfather had to put a small candle into a deep bowl to escort my Mother back home.

A terrifying experience for a child & indeed my Mother too.


Pat

The "guttie slipper man" was supposed to have ran about also.
donald

Pat, That must have been a real frightening experience which probably gives you the shudders even today. Mauri

Dabbler, I'm very sorry to tell you that Babe Murray died quite a few years ago. I think the family went to live in England, but I'm not too sure about that. I wonder is Betty, the older sister, still alive. Babe was a nice girl at school. She and I sang a duet on the stage in St Joseph's Hall when we were attending the Convent School. We actually got a recall but didn't win anything.

See my name in the last posting? nn. Told you my sight was going, but even I didn't think it was that bad. I meant to say that a recall in the Feis, to those who aren't familiar with these things, means that you are called on stage to sing another song for the adjudicators. The second song sang was in Irish and we hadn't a clue what we were singing about. Didn't impress the adjudicators anyway. We were too young then to care or worry. That's my last memory of Babe.

Ted, Jackie Castles - that was the surname I couldn't remember. Now I can't remember the name of his sister. Am I or am I not?????????

Pat, I never heard about that incident in the blackout. It must have been "black dark" as they used to say to have become confused on the way to my granny's house. (just up the street and straight across the road). Just shows how we take sight for granted. I expect that's why my mother never liked the dark. She didn't like thunder and lightning either and if there was an aurora in the sky she said it was a prediction for the end of the world. I remember one night being frightened when I was in bed. I was only a child but must have been listening to one of those morbid tales earlier. I shouted for my "mammy" and she came running up the stairs. She asked me what was wrong and between sobs I told her I was afraid to die. We had the life frightened out of us (me anyhow) when young with tales of dark days, the end of the world, wars and signs of wars. Apart from that I can't complain. We were well looked after and that's just the way things were in those days. I wonder did other households talk about these things or was it just our house.

Ted, the name has come to me - Margaret. Margaret Castles.

Ann I knew her brother Jackie he worked for years in Jordan's Mill in Antrim St before they turned it into a carpark and I did see him some time ago in the town Regards

Ted
I remember those huts being demolished sometime in the early 50s to make way for the housing trust houses and before that families living in them. They were one room accommodation but had electric and running water which was more than we had at Lisnatrunk where we had to carry our water from a pump, oil lamps for lighting, a primus stove for cooking and our toilets were emptied by a horse drawn cart from the mill. Those were the days.
donald

Eithne; thanks for letting me know about Babe Murray. I remember her as part of the 'jive' era. She was outstanding.