End of War

Victory in Europe (VE day)

On Monday 7th May 1945 an announcement was made that the war in Europe had ended.
Tuesday 8th May was to be a day of celebrations - Victory in Europe Day.

There had been a feeling for some time that peace was imminent, so preparations had been made to hold a celebration at short notice. There was time to decorate the buildings with flags and illuminated 'V' for Victory signs.

The Gatehouse Town Council had already discussed, in April, how to greet the returning Prisoners of War.

In May, Major Walter McCulloch of Ardwall was the first Gatehouse man to be released. He had spent most of the war in a German Prisoner of War Camp.

The Town Council flew the burgh flag from the Clock Tower in his honour ...and decided to do the same for all other returning POWs.

The morning of Tuesday May 8th 1945, was wet so some of the sporting events for children were held over until Wednesday but other events, such as a parade took place.

The church services at Girthon and Anwoth were very well attended.

The dancing in the Town Hall at night was very popular and the bonfire on Vinnie Hill was enjoyed by young and old.

But for many it was a time of reflection - to remember those who had died - and the knowledge that the war was still not over in the Far East. Some Gatehouse men were still fighting in Asia  or were Prisoners of War.

 

Victory in Japan (VJ day)

On 15th August 1945 U.S. President Harry S. Truman announced that the Japanese Government had agreed to comply with the Potsdam Declaration which demanded unconditional surrender of Japan. This date is celebrated as V J Day in Europe. The surrender document was not signed until 2nd September 1945, so this date is VJ Day in USA.

A 2-day holiday was declared in Britain to celebrate the end of hostilities.

Frullani's cafe.

On Wednesday 15th August the buildings in Gatehouse  were decorated with flags and bunting and the church bells rung to celebrate the end of the war. Services were held in both Anwoth and Girthon Churches.

 In the evening a dance was held in the Town Hall and Mrs Murray Usher lit a bonfire on Vinnie Hill while 'thunder flashes' and ground flares were lit in the High Street.

The following day Giulio (aka William) Frullani provided free ice cream to children of the town.


William Frullani

A parade was arranged between the Town Hall and Riverside Park (behind the current fire station). This was led by the Balmaghie Pipe Band and on arrival at Riverside Park there were sports, dancing and refreshments. Another dance was held in the Town Hall and the Town Council provided a fireworks display.

Welcome Home

As with any war, it takes many months for the armed forces to be demobilised, prisoners of war to be released, and displaced people to find their way back to their homes.

Although the war ended in August 1945, it was not until September 1946 that a Welcome Home event was held.

As early as February 1945, a Welcome Home Committee was formed in Gatehouse, with the aim of 'how best the community could be of service to the ex-service personnel after demobilisation.'

The committee consisted of the Provost (Mr A A Stewart) and Mrs Elizabeth Murray Usher, representing the Town Council with representatives from British Legion, the churches, WRI, WVS, St Stephen's Lodge (Masons) and clubs such as the golf and bowling clubs.

The committee laid out various aims:

A target of £2000 was suggested with a further target of £400 for the Thistle Foundation.

The British Legion decided to continue fund raising themselves as they had been collecting donations for some time and their main aim was to have a clubroom.  They later gave each member a cheque for £5 but sadly no club room ever materialised.

Dances, collections, concerts and other events were held to raise money and £800 had already been raised by October 1945.

The  largest fund raiser was the Great Free Gift Sale that was held on 20th October 1945 in Campbell's Garage, Fleet Street (now Fleet Valley Nursing Home), which was organised by Mrs Murray Usher. The gifts included all kinds of livestock, furniture and antiques, toys, jewellery, paintings, potatoes, plants and even 10cwt turnip manure! Teas served in the old Womens Land Army Hut, were provided by the Womens Voluntary Service and various local WRIs. The event was opened by the Earl of Galloway who had been the 1st Commanding Officer of the 7th KOSB, with whom many local men had served.

The catalogue lists a great many donors who lived in Gatehouse. Click on the catalogue.

[Jan 2022 addition] We have recently seen a copy of the above catalogue where prices realised have been handwritten alongside many of the lots.

The cash donations amounted to over £166 (click to see the breakdown)

Total proceeds came to over £1700 (click to see breakdown of items sold).

The official Welcome Home event took place on 27th September 1946.

There was a Thanksgiving event in the Rutherford Hall where, after several speeches, prayers and a eulogy to those who had fallen,  Mrs Murray Usher presented eligible ex servicemen with a cheque for 10 guineas and a scroll thanking them for their service. 100 of the 194 eligible ex service personnel were present.

A special cheer was given to Major WMW Cliff-McCulloch of Kirkclaugh who attended the event in his wheelchair.

   Click on the icon to download a copy of the Welcome Home Programme

   Click on the icon to download a copy of the Commemorative Scroll given to all service personnel

Click here to download newspaper reports about the Homecoming celebrations.

Later the event moved to a beautifully decorated Town Hall, where Mrs Murchie and her staff from the Murray Arms Hotel provided a dinner, which was followed by various toasts and musical entertainment.