91Èȱ¬

Fifteen-year-old Calum doesn't care about the war. Together with his friend Paul he prefers to enjoy the freedom that the war also brings with it. His father is at the front, his mother is working, and his classes are frequently cancelled. The real war and its bombs seem to Calum to be a long way away from Clydebank. When his mother Fiona has to pick him up from the police station, they end up in a heated argument. Fiona wants to send Calum to his uncle in the country, so that he will finally learn that he can't go on the way he is going. Calum is furious and runs away. And then German bombers appear in the sky. Clydebank is attacked. Calum must get to his mother quickly...

The absence of their fathers is the most formative thing that war children collectively remember from that time. Added to that was the latent fear of the bombers. The fourth episode is dedicated to these two topics. Emergency air raid drills were everyday events: heavy curtains were used to darken rooms at home; at school, the children practised using gas masks; families moved into cellars during air raids. On the night of March 13th, 1941, Clydebank was the target of a massive German bombardment. The entire city was destroyed, only seven houses were left standing. But the children and young people were not just victims. They actively helped, for example, as fire guard messengers and brought messages to and from the rescue workers or helped to dig out injured people from the rubble themselves.

Chan eil dragh aig Calum (15) mun chogadh. Còmhla ri a charaid Pòl, ’s fheàrr le Calum a bhith a’ gabhail brath air an t-saorsa a tha an cogadh a toirt dhaibh. Tha athair san arm, tha a mhàthair ag obair agus gu tric tha clasaichean sgoile air an cur dheth. Do Chalum tha an cogadh sgrìob mhòr air falbh bho Bhruach Chluaidh. Às dèidh tachartas tha a mhàthair a’ dol ga iarraidh bhon stèisean poileas agus tha iad ag argamaid. Tha ise airson Calum a chur a dh’fhuireach còmhla ri Uncail air an dùthaich airson ’s gun ionnsaich e agus gun atharraich e a dhòighean. Tha Calum fiadhaich agus tha e a’ teicheadh bhon dachaigh. Dìreach an uair sin tha na bomairean Gearmailteach a’ nochdadh agus a’ toirt ionnsaigh air Bruach Chluaidh. Feumaidh Calum faighinn gu a mhàthair anns a’ bhad.

’S e dì nan athraichean aon de na rudan as motha air a bheil cuimhne aig clann bhon àm seo. Còmhla ris a sin bha eagal bho na bomairean. Tha an ceathramh earrann mun dà chuspair sin. Bha eacarsaichean èiginn mar phàirt dhen h-uile latha agus bha cùirtearan troma a’ cumail sheòmraichean an dachaigh dorcha. Anns an sgoil bhiodh a’ chlann a’ cur eòlas air masgaichean-gas agus bhiodh teaghlaichean a’ gluasad gu fasgaidhean fon talamh nuair a bhiodh rabhaidhean ann mu bhomadh. Eadar oidhche an 13mh agus an 14mh den Mhàrt thàinig Bruach Chluaidh fo ionnsaigh mhòr bho bhomaichean Gearmailteach. Chaidh am baile gu lèir a sgrios ’s gun ach seachd taighean air fhàgail gun an leagail. Dh’fhulaing daoine òga agus clann anns an ionnsaigh, ach chuidich iad cuideachd, a’ giùlain theachdaireachdan mu theintean gu luchd-cuideachaidh no a’ cladhach dhaoine a bha air an leòn a-mach às an sgrios.