Tea Leaves

This Story was submitted to the People’s War site by Mairi Campbell of the BBC on behalf of Andy of Renfrew and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions

I really wanted to join the Army like my older brothers but until I was old enough to join up, I enlisted in the Scottish Cadet Force and then the Home Guard when it was formed. During the blitz, my father (a Great War veteran) and I, as part of our Home Guard duties, would go around the area to check that people were safely in their shelters when the sirens went off and made sure the blackouts were observed. Several bombs dropped in Renfrew.

However, when I became of age to enlist I was called up in 1943 to work in the mines as a Bevin Boy, strangely enough replacing a miner of many years experience who had been called up to join the army!

The work was very hard and dangerous and whilst we were not at risk from enemy bombs, we were frequently at risk from rising water in the tunnels and collapses of the tunnel supports leading to pit accidents. I did not like working in the dark. Some of the lower tunnels were only 2 feet high.

My wage was paid per ton of coal excavated. You were not allowed to have any rocks included in the tonnage and at the end of every week money was taken from the wages to pay for the pit head baths, pit lamp and helmet hire and lodgings.

The family I stayed with was very good to me and included me in all their family events. The sister-in-law was a great one for reading tea leaves, and always said the same thing when she looked at my cup — “the day you go home, the war will end”. On leave on one occasion, I stepped off the bus at Renfrew Cross as the ‘all clear’ sounded for the last time!

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