The leather bag

Nan Shepherd

During the 1939/45 war my parents taught my three sisters and myself how to act during an air raid. We always had to have our siren suits ready to jump into and on the way to the shelter we had to pick up various items that were necessary for use in the shelter which was named an 'Anderson'. It was dug deep into the garden and one item of great importance was the leather bag with the family policies. We lived in what was known in Scotland as a tenement, along with another five families, and we shared three Anderson shelters. At the entrance to the close there was a wall of sand bags to protect against the bomb blast.

On the evening I want to tell you about I was on the high street with my mother talking to a friend when we heard the drone of an engine of a plane. My mother remarked that the noise was too close for comfort when suddenly the siren sounded. We said goodbye to the friend mother grabbed my hand and we took to our heels. Mother was shouting 'oh my weans' over and over again when we were stopped by the air raid warden and ordered to go into the public shelter. Mother was on edge all the time we had to spend in the shelter. After what seemed like an age the all clear sounded and we were free to leave the shelter. Mother grabbed my hand and off we ran again, mother still shouting for her weans. When we reached the sand bags at the entrance to the close mother almost blew her top when she saw my three sisters standing there minus their siren suits but holding up the leather bag with the family policies. In other words they saved the inheritance.