ISOBEL KIRKWOOD
I’ll never forget the roar when Churchill waved to the crowd
One of Isobel Kirkwood’s most prized possessions is a newspaper published on May 8, 1945.
On the front page is a picture of the royal family and Winston Churchill waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, next to which Isobel has written in black ink: “I was in front of the palace and witnessed this scene”.
Born in London to Aberdonian parents, Isobel was a primary school teacher during the war and the announcement of Victory in Europe gave her hope that life would return to normal.
Newlywed and pregnant,
Isobel and a friend travelled on the underground from Harrow to central London for the celebrations.
“As soon as we left the underground the atmosphere hit us,” she said. “There were joyous crowds everywhere, strangers greeting each other with laughter and smiles as we made our way up the Mall.
“The crowds yelled ‘We want the king’ as they stood outside the Palace. People were waving flags. The king and royal family came out on to the balcony. I shall never forget the roar as Winston Churchill joined them and you could feel the emotion, the gratitude of a nation for the way he kept morale high during the war.
“It meant hope and excitement. It meant my good-looking Spitfire pilot husband, Robert, would return safe and sound, and I would teach in a normal classroom with no fear of air raids.”
Isobel had met Robert, a baker’s son from Irvine who joined the RAF at 18, at a dance.
He spent his final years living in Erskine, and his wife became one of the veterans charity’s most inspired fundraisers. Having turned 100 last year, Isobel now lives in the home that she has given so much to over the years.