Ken Craig was only twelve years old at the start of World War II, born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Ken moved to Londonderry when he was just two years old. He lived in Londonderry until he was 27 when he moved to Dundonald where he still lives today.

Harry Crawford born in 1921 lived in East Belfast on the Upper Newtownards Road. Their memories of the war, like many others' depict a time full of excitement and happiness. He fondly remembers bopping to tunes being aired on 'The American Forces Network'. Enjoying rides on jaunting cars. Smuggling sugar and butter over the border just in time for his mother to start baking pancakes for dinner. Watching the latest news updates on British Movie Tone in the cinema and partaking in bomb making classes in technical college!

Ken has wondered for many years why the Germans never attacked Londonderry. Germany bombed Belfast because of Harland and Wolfe and Shorts and they made a massive effort in the Atlantic using submarines to wreck the convoys coming over to Britain with food and supplies. “Why they never bombed Londonderry is an absolute miracle because at least a hundred corvettes and destroyers were based there at any given time.”

The only attack Ken recalls is during the heaviest blitz in Belfast one or two bombers came across to Derry and dropped a few landmines. All he can think of is that with the city being predominantly Nationalist this may have had some sort of influence.

“The River Foyle would have been very easy to follow up from the Atlantic into the city itself, making Londonderry a very easy target indeed.” Perhaps because of the limited attack on Derry this is the reason Ken primarily remembers good times during the war.

Ken describes the American's landing in Northern Ireland as "one of the real bright times of the war". They set up their own radio station, ‘The American Forces Network’. Ken being a young lad at the time was in his element as this was his introduction to ‘popular music’, swing music such as Glen Miller was very popular.

Another new sight was the jaunting cars that the Americans introduced, flying up and down the main streets. Ken and his pals, up to their usual tricks, decided to seize the moment and capitalise on the black market, smuggling rationed foods over the border.

"Sugar, butter, chocolate, eggs were totally unheard of in Derry but being only 3 or 4 miles from theborder we used to cycle down, bring the sugar and butter etc. over the border. There was no shortage over there, and of course the shops along the border made an absolute fortune out of it.

It wasn't easy to get over the border. You had to be pretty sharp, you had to use the head and slip round roads where you knew there wouldn't be any checkpoints. If you had to go through the customs post you had the stuff well planted so that there was no way they were ever going to find it. You were able to plant it in very clever places.

There was a railway that ran from Derry to Buncrana, that was a favourite one for smugglers. Coming across the border there was one station at the actual border, coming up to that we would hang the bags out the window on the opposite side of the platform and you could have got away with loads of stuff and as soon as you were through the customs post you would pull the bags in through the window.

This was a favourite until such times as they twigged on that this train was coming up from the free state and couldn't work out how supplies were being smuggled. They then planted somebody on the other side of the track and they discovered all the bags hanging! That was is, from then on, caught on!"

Ken attended the Technical College during the war years and he and his chums discovered their ability to make their own version of incendiary bombs in the chemistry lab : "A mixture of charcoal, potassium nitrate and sulphur, mix the three together, put a match to it and boy the smell! It went of like an incendiary! The teachers were completely oblivious to where these explosions were coming from!"

Harry fondly recalls one of the main dances he went to during the war, it was billed as 'The Brightest Spot in The Blackout' and it was held in a small hall called the Richmond Hall. He also tells of nights out in The Empire, "The Americans took over The Plaza, Glen Millar came and played there".

"Out at Nutts Corner direction where the Americans were based, at Langford Lodge, apparently it was the largest repair base in the European theatre of operations during the war and any planes needing repaired were brought there. Glen Miller played Langford lodge a couple of times and apparently he played the organ their also"

Harry’s main job was working at a solicitor’s office were he stayed for quite a few years until he began working in the civil service.

Ken's first job after leaving school at 16 was in the BBC in Derry, they had set up a transmitter there and he was there for the end of the war, he can remember going out celebrating when peace was declared in May 1945, he didn't go home at all that night!

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