Maybole Community Council has been awarded £10,000 to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The money has been awarded by the Home Front Recall Fund
which is a joint Lottery grants programme supported by the Big Lottery
Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund and the cheque was presented by Councillor
Alan Murray at Maybole Castle on Sunday.
David Kiltie, chairman of the community council, said, “A
whole series of events has been planned for Maybole to celebrate the end
of World War II with veterans of the war, to especially remember the
efforts of those unsung heroes of the home front whose contribution was
equally as important, and to give modern day children some inkling of what
life was like during the war years. We are very grateful to the Big
Lottery Home Front Recall Fund which has made this possible.”
Davie Hunter, chairman of
Maybole branch of the Royal
British Legion Scotland – the oldest branch in the country – added, “I am
delighted the funds have been awarded, especially as this will probably be
the last official celebration of the end of the war.”
The £10,000 will go towards meeting the costs of a
drumhead
service on Sunday August 21 and a reception afterwards; two concerts later
in the year and the publication of a commemorative booklet which will
contain memories of Maybole during the war years from 1939-45.
The community council will be working in partnership with
the Maybole branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland – the oldest
branch in the country; Maybole Historical Society and Maybole Community
Association to make sure all the events go well.
Big Lottery Fund Board Member, David Campbell, said: "The
Big Lottery Fund is delighted to be supporting the WWII commemorations in
Maybole this summer. I am particularly pleased to see that people of all
ages and from all backgrounds will be taking part. For young people in
particular these events will help them to gain a greater understanding of
how their communities were affected during the war. I'm sure a great day
will be had by all."
All veterans and groups who normally take part in the
annual Remembrance services are invited to parade with their colours on
August 21. The parade musters at the Greenside at 1.45pm and will be led
by Maybole Pipe Band to Memorial Park for the drumhead service which will
be conducted by Rev Whiteman.
Dave Killicoat, of
Maybole Historical Society, outlined
other events which will be run and funded separately by the Fund.
“The weekend after the drumhead service,” he told us, “we
have ‘MAYBOLE ON THE HOME FRONT’ which will be a special exhibition in
Maybole Castle of documents, photographs and artefacts all relating to
Maybole between 1939 and 1945. This will be on Saturday/Sunday 27th/28th
August from 10am to 4pm with military vehicles from WWII on display in the
Castle grounds.”
He continued, “Then we have ‘DIG FOR VICTORY’ when we will
invite everyone to bring their prize vegetables along to the castle on
Sunday 11th September at 2.00pm. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest
and most unusual.”
He also issued a challenge to local people asking them,
“How well could you eat on a week’s rations from 1945?” Dave is inviting
everyone to pick up an entry form locally and give the Society the best
recipe from the list of rations. He added, “The best will be cooked and
tasted on Sunday 11th September in the Castle at 2.00 pm and prizes
awarded. In addition, the recipes will be published in a booklet which
will be available from local outlets.”
The displays of documents,
photographs and artefacts from
WWII can also be viewed between 2.00pm and 5.00pm on the same day.
Also in September there will be a very special day at
Culzean with displays, a big party and other attractions including WWII
military vehicles, equipment and personnel in uniform.
Later in the year special concerts will be held in the Town
Hall and a book of WWII Maybole Memories will be published
During World War II a Home Guard detachment was formed in
the town, air raid wardens appointed, air raid shelters built, the Town
Hall doors and windows sandbagged, guards placed on the water works and
every possible defensive precaution brought into force.
Children from other towns were boarded with local people,
detachments of the Inniskillens and Scots Guards were stationed for a time
in the town and a prisoner of war camp was created at Ballony. Those who
stayed at home played their part in the war effort as did the soldiers who
had gone abroad with their fighting units.
For several years Maybole folk survived a period of food
and clothes rationing, blackouts, air raid warnings and other alarms.
A fund was raised by the townsfolk to send parcels to their
fighting men during the war and a Welcome Home Fund was set up in 1944, to
collect money to entertain the men on their return when peace was
declared.
The amount raised amounted to £3,518 and this was
distributed among the returning soldiers and the relatives of those who
had been killed. Scrolls were prepared conveying the thanks of the people
of Maybole for the services given to the nation by the serving men and
women and each returning combatant was given a scroll with a gift of £4 in
cash.
In all 747 serving men and women received such scrolls and
cash gifts while 29 war widows also received similar scrolls and gifts.
When the fund was cleared a balance of £66 was gifted to the town's Common
Good Fund.
The names of the 29 killed in action were
inscribed on the
cenotaph which had been erected in the Memorial Park after the 1914-18
war. |