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Memories of a childhood in wartime Leith. The trials and tribulations of the period, allied to the camaraderie of the community in facing up to an uncertain future made a lasting impression on John Stewart.
Hawthorns was a former shipyard that was sited in Sheriff Brae. The area became out of bounds to us when the War began. Adjacent to the old yard was the Eldorado ballroom.
The army commandeered both of them. The yard was used as a depot for military vehicles that included a number of mobile smokescreen trailers.
In the days leading up to D-Day the ballroom was used as sleeping accommodation for troops with numerous palliasses strewn about on the floor. Wooden huts had been erected outside for kitchens and latrines.
As I said, it was declared a no-go area for us but this only hardened our resolve to defy it. Often we would find ourselves mixing with the troops as they went about their daily chores.
Over the period the troops moved on to be replaced by others. The 'Eldo' eventually housed a Polish contingent. Many were the times we were tutored in the Polish language. We had never heard a foreign language before and so we became quite fascinated.
The Poles became very friendly towards us and I suppose we did remind them of their own children back home. All this took place while on the lookout for the caretaker, Speedy, who was forever chasing us out.
One day, in full battle gear, the soldiers were assembled in Cable's Wynd, Yardheads, Sheriff Brae and Giles Street. It was an awesome sight for us, as we stood there enthralled as they were stood to attention.
With much shouting of orders, they were marched off. Off to war and we never saw them again. They had become part of our lives and we missed them terribly for a while afterwards.
Another of our overseas visitors had been the Americans although they were mainly based uptown. They were very popular guests with their flamboyant bearing and smart uniforms.
Occasionally we would take the tramcar up to Princes Street in Edinburgh and accost these GIs with the words, 'Any gum, chum?'
An affirmative answer would be followed by a hand going to a chest pocket and drawing out a stick of Wrigley's chewing gum. No gum has ever tasted as sweet since. How we must have looked like street urchins to them. To us they were the personification of what we saw in the American films.
John Stewart, 2001
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