Wartime in Kilchattan Bay

"I was a wartime baby and my first home here was in Hendryfield, Kilchattan Bay, with my mum and grandparents. My father was in the RAF so we rarely saw him in those days. My grandfather worked in the Greenock shipyards.

"I remember Kilchattan Bay full of shops and people- a vibrant, bustling village full to the brim with evacuees and the wives, mothers and sisters of men away to war. No street lights or electricity then. Coal fires and paraffin heaters were the norm. There were at least 7 shops.

"One day when I was about three or four years old, the lane between Norwood and Hendryfield was suddenly very busy, women of the village erecting trestle tables and great tea urns appearing on them… I remember loads of sandwiches appearing and the ladies all watching out to the bay for whatever was about to happen. I remember my grandma was in charge of the tea urns. I stood in wonder as all of a sudden I saw dozens of soldiers wading in from boats anchored in the bay. Fully uniformed, their arms held well above their heads, carrying their rifles, they came ashore , wet and hungry, and queued up for the food and hot tea the people of Kilchattan Bay and the WeeBay were supplying .

"I was a bit scared at first, but it soon came out from under the tables to see what was happening! The atmosphere was electric. I never walk past the area without seeing in my mind’s eye and hearing these exhausted men as they sat on the grass verges drying out and enjoying their much-needed cuppas. I especially remember three very tired chaps reclining on the verge in the lane and telling me to be careful as their rifles were laying at their sides.

"Looking back now I believe this must’ve been part of the preparation for the Normandy landings. The beaches of Bute were used as practice for this event. Many of these soldiers who waded in to Kilchattan Bay that day possibly never lived to tell the tale. A memory I have never forgotten."

As told by Liz Wren, resident of Kilchattan Bay

More information on visiting the area can be found here.