Bombs and Brain Freezes


Martin Dino McGarrigle

His experience as child growing up in bomb-blasted Strabane.

Brian Haughey owns the shop next door to my Ma’s house in Strabane and he’s just got new ice cream machine. Listening to FB friends go on about it has brought back some oul memories. My Mother’s house sits at the top of the Ballycolman Lane in Strabane, right next to the shop – commonly known as “The Entrance to The Ballycolman.”

In the 1970s we had an uninterrupted view of the town centre from our landing window. For an 8/9/10 year old this was a fantastic thing. Within weeks of the beginning of the bombing campaign I and my little gang could pinpoint, with unerring accuracy, exactly where and what had been bombed, just from the plume of smoke. In fact we got so good at it that arguments would arise about whether it was “a 200 pounder or a 300 pounder” and bets would be laid. My Da would wonder why there were 6 10 year olds gathered in our living room waiting for the 6 o’ clock news. When they announced “a 300 lb bomb has exploded in Strabane” there would be the inevitable cheers and jeers from the winners and losers.

The one that sticks in my memory most was on a Summer Saturday afternoon. We were messing around outside (what was then) John Kelly’s shop, now Haughey’s. Even now I remember seeing the flash of light first and shouting “booooomb!” and seconds later the ground shaking and windows rattling. Being 10 yrs old we were totally unfazed and our only interest was what had been bombed. There was the inevitable charge up my Ma’s stairs and the usual jostling at the landing widow. Within minutes we had all agreed that the plume of smoke was coming from the Main Street – so it was a sprint that would’ve put Roger Bannister to shame down the lane and over the bridge. When we arrived at the Main Street it was obvious that it was Wellworth’s. Strangely enough only the front of the building had collapsed – the back part of the building was intact. There was already a crowd there (obviously the HOTT (Head of The Town) wans hadn’t as far to run as us.) British soldiers were crawling all over the building like ants.

After what seemed like hours (to a 10 year old) but was more than likely a matter of minutes a British officer climbed to the top of the rubble at the front of the building and shouted for silence. He actually had what I believe is called a “swagger stick” under his arm and began to address us “rabble” in an accent I had only ever heard before in English war films. “Efter my men hev finished clearing the bilding yew people may do whet u like.”

“His men” entered the “bilding.” There were numerous gunshots. A short while later he reappeared and deemed the building safe to enter. Cue a huge charge! Of course everyone went to the tills first (surprise, surprise – they’d been shot open.) The jewellery section was also completely empty.

These are things my friends told me later because I went straight to the ice cream machine, flipped the handle and lay down under it with my mouth wide open - worst brain freeze I’ve ever had in my life!

1 comment:

  1. Wonderful vignette of life in a market town during the war.

    With a humorous twist to finish.

    Thanks Martin.

    ReplyDelete