"Conditions are not all they might be.  Crowding is a serious problem'"

"There are no playground amenities for the children, so the youngsters make the best of a large puddle" 

"We have little to complain about - it could be worse".

"an eyesore ... a scene of desolation with crumbling buildings, dilapidated huts with masonry, barbed wire and rubbish"

"probably one of the worst camps of its kind." 

 "living conditions so bad that in 1951 residents protested outside St Andrew's House."

"a crowd of happy youngsters was seen breaking up the entrance to the recently vacated hut"

 "Soon, all that will be left will be the roadways, concrete Nissen bases and heaps of rubble"

Wardie Steps

"I remember my Dad taking me down Wardie Steps every morning in the summer to the pier then down the steps to the water, then I would get on his back and that’s where I learnt to swim."

View from near the
 top of Wardie Steps

   ©

Granton Eastern Breakwater
at the foot of Wardie Steps

   ©

Buildings

"The camp was still laid out in a dormitory/block format with shared kitchen and toilets. There were, according to my parents' recollections, approximately 10 blocks containing a total of about 100 families.

The officers block was lined with plasterboard and was wood-panelled.  The other blocks were constructed of corrugated sheet and other cheaper materials."

Families

"Most families had young children, so the camp was a lively place. 

My father, like most men in the camp, was out at work all day and my mother would take her four children, two of whom were born in the camp, out with the pram and visit her mother or friends in Dean Village."

Mixed Recollections

"My parents' recollections of the camp are mixed. On the one hand there were hygiene problems and gastroenteritis outbreaks were frequent. And petty thefts, including my father’s war medals, were not uncommon.

However, despite these negative aspects, Pat and Agnes did have some fond memories of the camp and made some friendships that lasted a lifetime."

Granton Road

"I lived at 142 Granton Road, right opposite Lochinvar.  When the Navy had the camp, the overspill were put out to people round the camp my mother had some."

Navy

"When I came out of the Navy, I was already married and had the problem of where to live.   For a while, I stayed with the father of a pal, Alphie Humphreys, in Royston Mains."

Small Home at Lochinvar

"I kept begging the Council Office for a home.  A small place in the Lochinver Camp was offered and that was where we took residence.

When I say 'small', it was big enough to take the bed and cabinet and the pram for the young one when he arrived.  It was the office storeroom in the original Naval Camp. 

They were all nissen huts, made of rounded corrugated iron, built as a barracks and Medical Centre for the Navy Patrol and minesweeping service in the Forth at wartime.   The ladies' and gents' toilets were outside.

The camp was no longer required by the Royal Navy after the war."

Mixed Recollections

"After a lot of agitation to the Housing Dept, to the Housing Dept, we were eventually moved into the ex-hospital wing.  This was the main structure with main corridors and branches from them to what were wards.  The toilets and bathrooms here were, at least, inside."

'Homes for the Homeless

"I started a Committee and called it 'Homes for the Homeless'.  This grew into an Edinburgh-wide group that also included:

-  Craigentinny Camp (now the golf course)

-  Pilrig House (the big house situated in Pilrig House).

We held protest demonstrations, and had secret trips at night, painting slogans in white emulsion   -  'Homes for Heroes', etc."

Protest March

"There was a large march from the Meadows to the Mound, with Pipe Bands from the Lothians and a Police escort.  What a great turnout!  We had some great speakers on the Mound, and at night there was a Meeting in the 'Oddfellows Hall' in Forest Road.

I had invited Mr McMillan, the then Housing Minister, and a Mr Willis, the local politician, to answer questions.  Oh yes, I was carried away with the thrill of the campaign.

At that time i had taken a job with 'The Pru' (Prudential Insurance) and had the 'book collection' in Prince Regent Street, Madeira Street, Junction Street and all around that area, so I was in the middle of human stories and life's problems with a whole cross-section of people in those days.