After war was declared on September 3rd, 1939, the local authorities in the Vale of Leven got into action. The invasion of Poland had highlighted the dangers to the civilian population of bombing from the air, and measures were immediately put in place to safeguard lives and property. Notable public buildings such as schools, the labour exchange in Leven Street, the Henry Brock Hospital, and the police station in Hill Street were surrounded by sand-bags.

Alexandria Police Station in Hill Street (Ian M‘Caffary, Vale Memories and Banter)

Shops had strips of paper glued to their windows to prevent shards of glass flying in the event of a bombing. The blackout was enforced; and kerbs, lamp-posts and telegraph poles had reflecting stripes painted on them to aid walking and driving in the dim lighting that was allowed. However in February 1940, new restricted gas lighting was introduced at the Fountain and Bonhill Bridge, and would be kept burning even in the event of an air raid.

“Castle Danger,” an old tenement property in Hill Street with reflecting stripes displayed (Vale of Leven History)

Some local works hooters were silenced, to be used only in the event of an air raid or invasion. Air Raid Precautions officers were recruited to police the preparations. In the middle of October, an A.R.P. test was carried out in Alexandria and 250 workers took part.

The local authorities began to seriously plan for the possibilities of air raids. Areas with important factories, shipyards, and military targets were given special attention. Others were designated either neutral, where risks were low, or reception areas where evacuees from the targets could be received and assisted. The Vale was a reception area for Clydeside.

Collections of aluminium kettles and pots for the building of aircraft took place, and metal railings were removed for scrap. Anderson shelters were dug into back gardens and supplemented the building of public shelters and safe areas that were quickly approved in the first week of the war. Gas masks were distributed and there were complaints that students in local schools were not familiar with how to use them. Some foodstuffs became harder to find and there was a call to expand space for allotments so that more Vale folk could “dig for victory”. The availability of petrol was controlled and in January, 1940, butter, bacon, and sugar were rationed, followed over the following months by other essential foodstuffs. In Dumbarton, public houses were closed at 8 p.m. and there was a proposal to bring in a similar arrangement in the Vale.

Auxiliary fire stations were set up in Dalmonach and Back Street, Renton, though the Renton station was burned down in February, 1940. The Auxiliary Territorial Service was recruiting civilians who wanted to serve in non-combatant roles during the emergency. Limited conscription of males between 20 and 22 for the armed forces had been introduced at the end of April, and in September this was expanded to those between 18 and 41.

The Vale had begun a very slow recovery from the depression years of the 1930s. Much poverty remained and there was a serious housing shortage, estimated at 500 units for the existing population. There were existing plans to build 180 houses at Dalvait Road. Part of the recovery was led by the Admiralty who took over the old Argyll works in 1935. In 1938, some limited finishing of parts from the factory in Greenock began and in May 1939, the first torpedoes manufactured solely at Alexandria were produced. When the war broke out, two 3 inch anti-aircraft guns were installed in the factory grounds behind the main building. The textile finishing industry also received a boost with orders from the War Department.

The Argyll Motor Works taken over by the Admiralty to become the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory

The Dumbarton County Council purchased the field in front of Govan Drive stretching to the Heather Avenue in March. It was proposed to build a new fire station on the land. After the war it was eventually used for prefab housing. In September, the Argyll Park, farther east, was opened to the public. It featured football pitches and a children’s playground.

At Balloch, the tourist season had almost closed for the year when war was declared, and preparations were made for the coming summer of 1940. Loch Lomond steamer sailings continued, providing some respite and enjoyment for many in the West of Scotland. At Lynn’s boatyard, work had continued through the winter, cleaning and painting the boats and carrying out repairs on the hulls and engines. The launches, Glen Fruin II and Glen Douglas II, were ready for the Board of Trade inspection prior to the beginning of the season at Easter which in 1940 was on its rarest day, March 24. Fuel was rationed, but business was good. However, it did not last.

Tom Lynn with his motor launches Glen Fruin II and Glen Douglas II

Glen Fruin II and Glen Douglas II

Lynn’s boatyard on the Leven at Balloch

The “Phoney War,” ended with operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway, on April 9, followed by the invasion of the low countries on May 10. Almost immediately, the sense of complacency changed. A system of Local Defence Volunteers, later to become the Home Guard, was set up on May 14, and volunteers were recruited from the men remaining at home who were in reserved industries or too old for active service. In Alexandria, the headquarters was in the clinic in Bank Street next to the Strand cinema.

At their Balloch boatyard, Ian Lynn and his father were left to run the business as other family members were called up to serve. New regulations to disable the motor boats and hide the oars for the rowing boats nightly were introduced after a visit from Inspector Paul from Alexandria police station. A visit from Mr Burdom of the Ministry of Shipping and War Transport brought two new important tasks for the boatyard.

The first task was to transport a small army group and their equipment to Cameron House, the home of Major-General Telfer-Smollett. These were loaded into the launch, Glen Fruin II, and taken to the jetty just south of Cameron House. Over the following day, two more groups were transported. Although the Cameron Estate was readily accessible by road, it seems likely that the ploy of using the water transport was used to obscure the destination of the men and materials.

Cameron House on the Lochside

The reason for the army activity appears to have been the creation of a strong defensive position on the Loch Lomondside road at Cameron Brae. There was a fear that German troops might be landed by parachute or by sea-planes in lochs north of the central belt of Scotland and infiltrate to the vital Clyde area and Glasgow.

Hand-drawn map of the defences on the Cameron Estate. (Lieut. A Mitchell)

Map detail of Cameron Brae

The map shows how the Army intended to defend the Cameron Brae. The numbered positions relate to different defensive measures. At 1 and 12 there were Northover projectors that were early anti-tank weapons but could also be used for incendiaries and smoke. At 3, 5, 11, and 14 there were Bombards, an awkward and heavy artillery piece that generally required a concrete base. Positions 2, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 22 were slit trenches, while 18, 20 and 21 were V-trenches and there were heavy machine guns positioned at 4, 10 and 13. Point 1 had a hedgehopper where a charge at the bottom of a petroleum barrel could be detonated, throwing burning petroleum over a hedge or wall onto the roadway. Position 2 had a demi-gas device where a cocoa tin of explosive detonated to topple a barrel of petroleum onto the roadway and ignite it while at position 3 there was a more sophisticated foue-gas device with a larger charge that blew the petroleum to engulf a target vehicle.

South Lodge of Cameron House, near Balloch

Arden Lodge of Cameron House at the foot of the Cameron Brae

North Lodge of Cameron House at the top of the Cameron Brae

The second task for the boatyard was the identification of suitable craft to patrol Loch Lomond itself. Again, the fear was the landing of German sea-planes on the loch to disembark troops or land saboteurs and spies.

Ian Lynn identified some modern craft that had been moved from the Clyde to Balloch and relaunched during the Munich crisis in 1938. They were then located to Balmaha where Alex M‘Farlane had his boatyard. The Navy in the form of Chief Petty Officers Woodman and Williams, and seaman Turbot, arrived to commandeer the requisitioned vessels. There were three boats that had come from the Clyde: Struth Ban, owned by a Mr Skinner, Harlaw, owned by a Mr Robertson, and Sonja Tessie, owned by a Mr Carlaw. In addition, the Cignet, a steam launch formerly owned by another boat hirer, John Sweeney, but now fitted with a modern engine and owned by a Mr M‘Lure. A fifth vessel, an old WW I Naval launch named Ibex or Owl, converted to a houseboat, was used for accommodation. These boats employed the Cameron jetty as their base of operations.

The launches were to be fitted with machine guns, and again Ian Lynn had to find a source for the mountings. He engaged Tam Davidson, a Balloch woodworker, to carry out the work which was completed to the Navy’s satisfaction.

From left are Harlaw, Sonja Tessie, Cignet and Sruth Ban.

Harlaw, Sruth Ban, Cignet, and Sonja Tessie off the Boturich Estate.

A closer view of Harlaw

Patrols began in the summer when the invasion risk was at its peak, after the evacuation at Dunkirk was completed at the beginning of June. In the autumn, Royal Engineers of the Army took over duties from the Navy and continued with the patrols. They had one mishap, when the Cignet ran onto a rock and had her propulsion and steering gear damaged. She was hauled onto the slipway and repaired with some help from Messrs Denny, the Dumbarton shipbuilders. Shortly afterwards, Ian Lynn left on his own war service.

The Vale of Leven saw little of the enemy that year, although enemy planes flew over. One notable event was a serious fire in the premises of the Vale of Leven Cooperative in Bank Street on November 10th. The furniture shop, two drapery shops, the baker’s and part of the boot shop were destroyed and one fireman was injured.

Photograph of the aftermath of the fire at the Cooperative shops

This article is pieced together from information provided in an excellent article by Ian Lynn in the Vale of Leven History Project website. Other sources are contemporary newspapers and  the booklet “Scotland 1939” edited by Brian D. Osborne & Robert Craig (Scottish Library Association, Motherwell (1989). The map and other items belonged to Lieutenant A. Mitchell.