He was born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

His brothers had already been called up when his father got ill, so he had to stay at home and look after the farm, where he recalls the Land Army Girls, and singsongs in the “chaumer.”

He was a member of the Home Guard and attended training drills every Monday and Thursday at the hall in Ellon.

At the weekends he went to the rifle range. At the beginning of the war, the Home Guard had no uniforms or weapons, and he said:
" Hitler could have just walked in!"

Bella worked in the telephone exchange in Auchnagatt.

On one occasion she listened into a conversation between lovers. Later a man in London phoned her back at the exchange and accused her of “listening in.” She could have lost her job and been fined £100.

She saw Raminski hiding under the bridge at Ellon after escaping from Peterhead Prison.

She used peewee eggs for baking.

Her soldier husband said of the war "Five years of life wasted!"

See Bella Bonner's war memorabilia

He was born in October 1914. He attended Torry Intermediate School in Aberdeen, where he learnt navigation, sea craft and cooking and because of this, joined the Navy.

He was assigned to HMS Collingwood and attended a Gunnery School at Whale Island where he learnt to fire 4” and 15” guns.

He spent time in Archangel, Russia, where everything was made of wood and the people had very little.

He served on a minesweeper in the Russian convoys escorting merchant ships.

See Edward Bewicks war memorabilia:
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

He was a farm worker who cared for horses.

He had a reserved occupation as he worked for an elderly farmer and his middle aged daughter.

He ate porridge with garlic and cod liver oil every morning.

His first priority in the morning was tending to his horses.

His boss was in charge of the Home Guard which meant that he didn’t have to join the Home Guard as he had to mind the sheep, which were very valuable.

"During the war everybody helped each other."

He was conscripted to the Navy because he had navigation skills and wouldn’t suffer from sea sickness because of his background in fishing.

He served on board a minesweeper in the English Channel because he could splice wire.

After the war he cleared mines from Dover to Dieppe, by order of the British and French Governments.

A week after he was discharged, he returned to fishing with his uncle, reaching the rank of skipper.

"The war was a waste of time, there should be no wars because I feel I lost part of my life."

See Tommy Allan' war memmorabilia

He was a Gordon Highlander.

His first “billet” was a pigsty in Huntly. “The pigs moved out in the morning and the Gordons moved in at night. It stank of sheep dip and disinfectant.”

When he was injured, he spent 2 weeks in Sunnybank School which had become a hospital/army barracks. He was then transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver, as he was unfit for frontline duty.

He saw action in North Africa, France and Italy. In June 1944, he crossed the Channel and traveled across France, Belgium, Holland and crossed the Rhine into Germany.