This is just a short story about how I lived in this area during the war years 1939-1945. I stayed in Sunnybank Place, which as most of you know, is only five minutes away from the school. When I started my school days, Sunnybank School was known as an Intermediate school for pupils from twelve to fifteen years of age. I therefore had to go the Kittybrewster School, which, for a five year old was a long distance away!

Most days I walked there, came home for dinner and back, and home 3:30ish. If it was very wet, I had to walk to Powis Terrace and get on a Tram car- no buses then. However, when I reached twelve years of age, I was able to come to Sunnybank School and was there until I was fifteen. By that time a very new school was built, known as Powis Secondary School, and it was opened in June 1939, allowing Sunnybank School to be a primary school.

The war started on the third of September 1939, and I was preparing to take a Commercial Course at the then Central School. Unfortunately, that school was taken over for hospital patients and the pupils were directed to Aberdeen Grammar School. I was there for approximately six months, attending Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm one week and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday the same times the following week. I walked from Sunnybank Place to the “Grammar”, going home at lunch times and back and travelling in the “Black out”, as there were no lights allowed to be shown and all house, school and shop windows had to have dark blinds and curtains.

I started work in an office in King Street in April 1940 and on my way home for dinner on 12th July 1940, I was walking along West North Street when a German plane flew over Aberdeen, having dropped bombs in the harbour area and killed many workers of the ship builders Hall Russell and Co. I had to take shelter in a small house in West North Street until the danger was over. The German plane was eventually shot down at Anderson Drive where there was a new Ice Rink being built. Unfortunately it was never opened.

I had to go to evening classes at the “Grammar” during the “Black out”- no street lights and I did not like that very much. As I was in a “Reserved Occupation”, I was not called up to any of the Services, but I joined the Church of Scotland Canteen near Holburn Junction, where I went every second Sunday morning, helping to serve meals to the Servicemen.

I also joined the A.R.P. (Air Raid Precaution) post which was situated in Sunnybank School. We had a uniform to wear and we were also issued with gas masks. We met every Monday evening to discuss our duties etc., when the Air Raid Sirens were sounded. We also had table tennis and badminton which we used when we were on night duty and had no Air Raid Warnings to deal with. When we heard a siren we (known as Air Raid Wardens) hurried to the Post at the School, and then we patrolled the street in the area, watching there were no lights shown and hoping there were no bombs being dropped. Sometimes Kittybrewster Station- no longer in existence- got a special warning, which meant there were enemy planes approaching Scotland, but perhaps not coming to our city. The public did not have the siren then but the A.R.P. Wardens were on the alert until they got the “all clear”.

Unfortunately, on the 21st of April 1943, I had been at a show in the Tivoli Theatre which of course is now closed. When the show finished around 10pm, I got out of the Theatre in the Harbour Area, and was immediately aware of the guns being fired. I got on to a tram car which only went as far as Fraser Place. All the passengers had to get off and as I ran along Fraser Place I saw a huge German plane dropping a bomb which made me take shelter in a nearby house- now no longer there. That bomb demolished the front part of Causewayend Church, now known as St Stephens Church. Once the awful noise of gun fire from our fighter planes stopped overhead, I ran up to Elmbank Road where a whole tenement had had a direct hit and was completely demolished, killing all the residents in the house. It was a dreadful scene with heaps of rubble and dust all over the area. I was absolutely terrified to turn into Sunnybank Place.

The Wardens from the A.R.P. Post at Froghall Road were responsible for helping at the Elmbank Road disaster, while the Sunnybank Wardens had two tenements and a bungalow in Bedford Road to deal with. Many of the residents had been lost. I rushed to get home to get into my uniform- complete with tin hat- but I still was wearing my high heeled shoes, which certainly were not very suitable for climbing amongst rubble!!!

On the Sunday following that terrible night, a lady in Erskine Street went to light a fire in her “front room” or the parlour as it was then known. It just would not light and it was discovered that an incendiary bomb was lodged in the chimney. These bombs were dropped by the enemy planes with the intention of setting fire to houses etc. So once again our Wardens had to arrange for the disposal of the bomb. Another duty we had was to go round the houses in the area and check that the gas masks of the occupants were in proper working order. The masks for the young children were made to look like “Mickey Mouse” so that they would not scare the young ones.

There were soldiers billeted at the other end of Sunnybank School and occasionally we had a small party- using up our “sweetie rations”. We also had a fish and chip shop in the Spital and usually on our Monday evenings at the Post someone went to the shop and brought back our fish supper- a great treat.

There have been many accounts printed in our local newspapers and also a very interesting book called “The Spital Lands” by Diane Morgan which describes the school and I’m sure it would give you a history of the school and contains a photograph of the members of the A.R.P Wardens taken outside the school. I think most of the members are now gone, but I am pleased to be one of the few survivors, and have been able to give you some idea of my life in the Sunnybank area during World War 2.

I may also add that I have very happy memories of my school days at Sunnybank School, good luck to you all.

Name and address supplied – author wishes to remain anonymous.