Margaret Ross

During WW2 Margaret Ross (nee Mackay) worked as a bus conductress on the Mackay buses along with Diana Mackay. She collected in the fares, which were 6d from the drome to Tain and 1/6 return for Inver to Tain and back.
The RAF used the buses to transport their men to Tain and back. Sometimes local people were put off this bus if they were found by the Military Police. They used to shine a low beam from a torch around the bus at the check up post returning from Tain to the drome. The Military Police were always nearby to help out if any trouble occurred but nothing drastic ever happened apart from the bus breaking down!

She was evacuated with her mother and father to Tain and stayed with the banker Mr and Mrs Mackay who were very nice people but later on they moved to another house in Tain. They were evacuated because the soldiers were practising in Inver for D-Day and every morning the tanks came into Tain from their exercises.

During the war the food was rationed. The rations were as she remembers - half a pound of sugar, 2 ounces of tea a week, 6 ounces of marg, butter and cooking fat and a packet of half coated biscuits were 6 points while the syrup was 16 but farm workers got a little extra. A pair of ladies shoes was 5 coupons but boy’s shoes were only 3 coupons so for work Margaret wore boy’s plain black lace up shoes. She used to get boots sent from some relatives in America for the winter.

Duncan Fraser and Dodds Mackay Drivers 1945

Margaret with Diane

During her spare time Margaret liked to both go to the pictures and to the dances, which were held every Friday usually in the old Academy. But one night during one of the dances they heard an enormous crash and they ran up the road to beside Winkies (Macleods) shop to see a raging inferno down by the golf course. A plane had crashed. This really upset her at the time, as it was awful to see.

Margaret also said that the war was, as well as being sad, happy too, because everyone helped each other because nothing’s your own in war. At the end of the war there were parties in the village and the pipe band came down to play.

After the drome closed she lost her job so instead she worked in Lochbroom Grocery Shop, which is now Morrison’s Kitchens.

Walter Fraser (left)	One of Margaret’s neighbours that she knew very well was Walter Fraser. He went to serve with the 8th Army in Northern Africa and was part of the Desert Rats. After the war he owned a grocers shop in Bonar Bridge.

End of the war celebrations at Inver