When Katrine Duncan lost her dad Bill, tales of his time as a warden during Peterhead Prison riots and stories from his adventures on the high seas became all the more important to her.
As did the small items he left behind for her to treasure.
In our series on everyday heirlooms, Katrine shares mementos from the life of her father, Bill Duncan of Peterhead.
Wartime memories of school in Aberdeen
William Duncan – known as Bill – was the son of a granite stonemason from Aberdeen.
A known storyteller from childhood, he often regaled his family with tales of the Blitz.
“Born in 1936, dad remembered being at school when the register was taken and kids would no longer be in the class, either because something terrible had happened or they had been sent away.
“He remembered buildings being damaged too.”
‘My dad saw the world with the Merchant Navy’
On leaving school, adventure beckoned. Bill enlisted in the merchant navy.
“My dad sailed to Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, and the Bay of Biscay among other places. We even have a whale’s tooth that he brought back from South Georgia, which my brother and I used when we were teething as babies.
“That’s wild isn’t it?” she laughs.
Bill’s photos capture life as it once was
Among Bill’s belongings were also pictures of whaling stations and the giant fish being harpooned.
“That’s not something you would ever see or talk about these days, but it was part of being in the navy at that time,” added Katrine, who now lives in Ellon.
His travel documents, photos and keepsakes from his time offshore still hold tremendous value for Katrine.
“My partner’s family don’t come from here so whenever they visit I love to share some of dad’s stories with them, and show them his diary from that time.”
On returning from sea, Bill met his future wife Margaret Craig, a daughter of fish merchants who worked for Esslemont and MacIntosh in Aberdeen.
The pair tied the knot and moved into their first flat in Torry.
Prison job meant a move to Peterhead
Keen to build a life with his new bride, Bill applied to become a prison officer.
“Living in Aberdeen, he assumed he would be posted to Craiginches but to his shock he was offered a job in Peterhead.
“The only problem was that there was no prison accommodation at first so they had to rent a room in a house owned by friends on King Street,” said Katrine.
When they eventually settled into their own house provided by the prison, Margaret found work in the canteen of Boddam Power Station. Bill, happy to avoid any relocation that would come with a promotion, was content to remain an “ordinary warder”. However, when an opportunity arose to become a prison driver, he applied.
“I remember him coming home for his lunch sometimes in the prison’s high-security van.
“It had shields that came over the windscreen and windows like police vans have.
“He also drove the prison’s army green single-decker bus with completely blacked out windows.”
Bill was caught up in Peterhead Prison riots
Usually tasked with taking prisoners to and from court, or to home visits, when the now infamous Peterhead Prison riots unfolded in September 1987 Bill found himself in a pivotal role.
As news broke of two warders taken hostage by the 50 inmates who took control of D-hall, an appeal was made to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for specialist interventions.
Though one warder was released, prison officer Jackie Stuart – a neighbour of Bill’s – was held for the entire five-day riot, paraded on the roof, stabbed and threatened with being set on fire.
A decision was made to deploy a 20-strong elite SAS force.
Midnight mission saw Bill pick up SAS prison squad
Sworn to secrecy, Bill was the designated driver sent to pick up the troops who had flown from RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire in a Hercules aircraft.
“Dad took the prison bus, in the dead of night, to RAF Kinloss to pick them up. A lot of people think they flew into Aberdeen, but it was Kinloss.
“Even the rest of the warders in the prison had no clue they were coming. Only the governor and senior staff.
“He also spoke about his memories of other protests. During those times dad came home to shower and change his uniform during the day. He called them dirty protests as the prisoners would greet warders with a bucket of ‘slop’ whenever they opened their doors.
“Dad actually retired at 55 after 28 years. Not because he was ready to stop work but because he’d had enough of prison work by then.”
‘I really miss my dad, but I’m so proud he was mine’
After 18 months of “rest”, Bill became a patient transfer driver for the Scottish Ambulance Service. Nine years later he retired for good, and died on April 13 2021 aged 85.
“I really miss him,” said Katrine, 63. “But I’m just so proud that he was my dad. I love to look at his things and share his stories. To me, he was the most amazing man.
“Having little things of his with me keeps him close. And I just swell with pride when I tell others about him too.”
Conversation