Evanton Oral History Project - Sandy Bethune (6 of 9)

ID: EOHP_SANDY_BETHUNE_06 DESCRIPTION: This audio extract is from the Evanton Oral History Project, a project undertaken in 1991-92 by Adrian Clark. In this extract, former sawmill worker, Sandy Bethune, talks about being liberated at the end of the Second World War. Interviewer: You were liberated by, was it the American forces? The, more or less the Russians and that - between the Russians and the Americans. Interviewer: Yes. But the Russians came in like, but then the Americans came in just close after that. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Aye, we were sitting playing cards in the billet that night - I think it was Sunday night - it was in January, anyway, when the guard came in and 'Come on,' you know, 'Pack' and 'Heraus, heraus, heraus' - Out! Interviewer: Yes. So, we just took what we could and away we went. And we marched - I think it was on the seventeenth, seventh of January we left - and we marched right on till the seventh of May. You know, it was here, there, and everywhere. Aye. Kept marching. Mind the snow was about that depth when we left. Interviewer: Yes. Plowtin through the snow. And you couldn't get water, or you couldn't get - everything was frozen. You were eating snow and - Interviewer: Yes. And you couldn't get no food, you see. And we carried so much - if we had anything in the Red Cross box - carried so much but, you couldn't carry much. You were just, more or less what you could get on the road. Interviewer: But you were still prisoners? More or less, aye. Interviewer: They were marching you away from the - Aye. But the Americans came in, you see. Of course, the Germans had to march us away first; they had to take us away from the Russians, you see. The Russians were coming on so they had to clear us out, from the Russians, you see? Interviewer: Yes. Aye. So they took us and I forget where the Americans picked us up again, aye. I'd a knife and a fork now of the town that we were, the Americans took us over. I forget where that was. But oh, we got a feed that night. Interviewer: Which month was - ? We were killing pigs then on the road. Interviewer: Oh yes? Killing the pigs. And I think we got all - well you were dysentery, you were sick, you know, with the fresh pork and everything. Interviewer: Aye. And was it in ? Mad, Madgeburg, I think it was. Interviewer: Madgeburg. Madgeburg. I think it was there [?] the Yanks came in and got us. That'd be in May. Interviewer: Yes. Aye. Interviewer: And then what happened? It was lovely weather and the sun was shining. Then we were billeted in a house there. I think we were there for three weeks. And then we came then to get home, so we were flown to Belgium. Interviewer: Yes. Went on the planes then to Belgium. And then from Belgium over to England, like. Spent a few days in Belgium too. Interviewer: Mmm-hmm. And then up north? Back home? Ach well we were in England for, it was more or less a week we were there. Some of them got home, you know, they got transferred right away, but we were there about a week before we got transferred, eh, home here, like. PLACENAME: Evanton DISTRICT: Dingwall OLD COUNTY/PARISH: ROSS: Kiltearn CREATOR (AV): Sandy Bethune DATE OF RECORDING: 1991; 1992 PERIOD: 1990s SOURCE: Evanton Oral History Project COLLECTION: Evanton Oral History Project Asset ID: 41155 KEYWORDS:

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