Latest news with #AberdeenUniversity
Scotsman
24-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Food banks in Aberdeen? Why this once wealthy city fears economic disaster
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I left my native Inverclyde in 1978 to be a mature student at Aberdeen University. Four years later, it churned me out as a graduate and I took my degree out into a Britain about to experience an economic revolution. My time in Aberdeen witnessed the peak oil boom years. It came to the rescue of an ailing nation. The 1979 general election had brought Margaret Thatcher to power and oil gave her the financial cushion to remodel the economy, mainly moving Britain from manufacturing to services. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In tandem with the huge loss of manufacturing enterprises, and the jobs they provided, dozens of industrial towns lost the complex weave of skills fundamental to their economic viability. That's the fate that Aberdeen now fears may befall its oil and gas workforce and the supply chain of supportive specialist companies the industry depends on. An oil industry supply vessel docked at Aberdeen Harbour (Picture: Andy Buchanan) | AFP via Getty Images 'Equivalent of 25 Grangemouths' I went to Aberdeen to talk to Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce. He told me the region has a clear plan, one that can deliver great benefits to the UK. Borthwick's strategic aim is to see his region emerge as the European capital for renewable energy skills and technologies. All that's needed for Aberdeen to do that currently exists in the area. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The threat to the city's future is, argued Borthwick, to be found in the UK Government's windfall tax on the North Sea operators. The tax has seen new investment in the sector come to a halt, creating a domino effect of people and enterprises following the industry out of Aberdeen to where it is investing overseas. 'We have already suffered the equivalent of 25 Grangemouths in terms of job losses,' said Borthwick. (Four hundred jobs are going at Grangemouth with the closure of the refinery.) Oil and gas are not about to vanish as elements in the UK's energy mix. Current forecasts say both fuels will be needed for at least 25 years, a lot of it imported. By increasing North Sea production and exploration now, and ending the windfall tax, argues Aberdeen's Chamber of Commerce, the UK can be more energy secure, reduce reliance on imports, cut the harmful emissions from importing fuel halfway across the world and lay solid foundations for leadership in net zero. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In ten years' time, I want the country to see Aberdeen as the place that enabled the UK to achieve its climate and net-zero ambitions in a way that kept the lights on, kept people in work and powered an economic recovery for the UK, and at no cost to the public purse,' Borthwick said. Scotland's economic disasters In their haunting song Letter From America, The Proclaimers chronicle a list of great Scottish economic disasters. There seems an opportunity now to avoid the mistakes of the past, to do something different, something better. John Swinney's Scottish Government has a role to play in championing the North East as the home of energy. But only Keir Starmer has the power to swap short-term fiscal expediency for long-term economic success for Aberdeen and the North East, for Scotland and the UK. Aberdeen University's principal, Professor George Boyne, shared Borthwick's commitment to net zero. We talked in his office at King's College. 'Let's get the pace right to protect the employment, the wellbeing and the welfare of the people of the North East,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Since 1495, the university has been producing a commodity even more valuable than oil – it's been building brains in Scotland. Boyne retires later this year, leaving behind a university with very high levels of student satisfaction and research and development income up 80 per cent in the past five years. The EU students lost to Brexit have also been entirely replaced with scholars from other lands. But the UK's divorce from the EU can't separate an institution like Aberdeen University from its geographic and intellectual roots, or its Enlightenment values. 'Brexit was damaging to our sense of who we are, to our identity as a university,' Boyne said. 'It was inconsistent with our history. We were founded on the European model of a university and have always felt like a northern European university. Brexit feels like a fracture. We still mourn the loss of all those wonderful EU undergraduates. They brought so much culturally and intellectually to the university.' 'Self-defeating' Stephen Flynn is the SNP MP for Aberdeen South and his party's leader at Westminster. I called him to ask how fast we should move to net zero right now. Flynn urged the UK Government to greatly accelerate decisions over new North Sea oil and gas licences and the fiscal regime affecting the industry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We need certainty now over the future for oil and gas and of the new net-zero technologies. The North East desperately needs projects like the Acorn carbon capture facility to speed up net-zero and help retain the skills and supply base we have. There's a real air of trepidation in Aberdeen,' he said. Flynn argued it was unrealistic not to have new licences. 'Without the revenue from the North Sea and the skills the industry brings, we all lose. A hard stop in oil is self-defeating.' The immediate future for Scotland's energy industries hangs in the balance. Get it right and Labour might once again claim to be the natural party of Scotland. Get it wrong, and that will bring hardship to many. Lochaber No More. Near the Pittodrie Bar, where once I was a regular, I came across a food bank. In Aberdeen? Perhaps Lochaber is already here.
The Courier
15-05-2025
- General
- The Courier
Everything's coming up roses for Fife farmer Alex Nelson
There are few things nicer in life than receiving a delivery of flowers through the front door. If these flowers are grown and packed in Scotland, even better. Fourth generation dairy farmer Alex Nelson is doing her bit for flower growing in Scotland. She runs a peony rose and dahlia business at Easter Upper Urquhart Farm near Strathmiglo in Fife. Alex explained that more than 85% of cut flowers sold in the UK are imported. She is, therefore, proud to be able to supply Scottish-grown, seasonal flowers under her brand name, Jack Blooms. In 2014, following a degree in geography at Aberdeen University, Alex, the eldest of four girls, came home to work on the family farm with her mum and dad, Ben and Susan Jack. The farm is a traditional mixed enterprise, with dairy, arable and sheep. Although Alex had always helped out during holidays, there was a lot to learn. The herd of 350 Holstein cows is milked three times a day by a team of three dairymen, with help from relief milkers. It's a 'flying herd', meaning all the replacement heifers are bought in and the cows are bulled with an Aberdeen-Angus, with the calves being sold to finishers. It is also one of the Glasgow Vet School herds and the farm team works closely with staff and students, learning from their expertise. Meanwhile the students learn from the Jack family's dairy system. Alex said: 'Dairying is very intense, it is relentless work seven days a week, 365 days a year.' The family also run 1,000 cross ewes, which lamb outside in May, with the help of local contract shepherds. The Suffolk cross lambs are finished on grass and turnips alongside bought-in Blackfaces in time for the Easter market. As if she was not busy enough, and with her 2020 wedding postponed due to Covid, Alex was looking for something else to do during lockdown. Her grandad, Colin Grahame, grew prize-winning dahlias, so she decided to put up a small polytunnel and, with lots of Facetime instruction from Colin, she started growing flowers to sell locally. From this inauspicious start, Alex thought it would be interesting to grow flowers commercially on a field scale. She settled on peonies because they are robust flowers which cope well with the Scottish climate, can be grown outside and are perennial. There is also a well-established market for the flowers with retailers. Alex said: 'I really wanted to have something within the business that was mine, from idea to implementation. I did a lot of research and decided peonies were a great diversification to add to our farm calendar.' The initial peonies were planted in 2020, with the first small harvest in 2022 – too late, unfortunately for Alex's 2021 wedding to Angus Nelson. It has been a steep learning curve since then, she told us. She has, with the help of skilled workers on the farm, developed a planter and picking rig and also purchased a second-hand processor, which sorts the flowers into bunches of five, with equal length stems, ready to be transported south to the distribution centre. Alex continued: 'We usually start picking around the second week in June for 10 to 14 days. 'But there are so many variables with the weather – every year there is a different challenge to meet the tight specification.' She employs local people on holiday from school or university to de-bud and pick. 'One of the great things to come out of this is giving young people the opportunity to work on a farm,' Alex said, adding: 'This has led to some coming back to help with milking or other jobs. I am very proud of my young team.' Most of the flowers are transported to a packhouse in England, where they are distributed to various retailers, but in 2023, Alex developed her Jack Blooms boxes. She said: 'I wanted to add value, but also to create a brand and a more luxury arm to the business.' The flowers are picked in bud and packed, 10 stems at a time, in boxes before being posted out to customers who order on her website. Because they are robust flowers which happily survive several days without water, peony roses are ideal for this market and can be pre-ordered from May 30. The dahlias, however, are best sold at local farm shops and retailers. Alex took a break from growing dahlias when her daughter, Sibella, was born last year but has recently been cleaning out her tunnels to plant some more for this season. Managing a toddler, dairy farm, staff rotas and a flower business keeps her very busy. But she is showing no signs of slowing down and at the time of writing was planning to travel to Norfolk to pick peonies and see if she can find ways of improving her business. She said: 'Growing flowers in Scotland extends the season for home-grown UK flowers, so the demand is there. 'In the future, I would like to try out different varieties to find out what is possible to grow successfully in our climate.'
The Herald Scotland
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Gaelic arts organisation Fèisean nan Gàidheal names CEO
Having graduated from Aberdeen University, Mr Macmillan took up a position as Gaelic Officer at Fèisean nan Gàidheal. After almost four years in that role, he was offered the opportunity to work as the organisation's Development Manager, a post he took up in the years Calum has worked at Fèisean nan Gàidheal, he has been involved in a wide range of initiatives within the organisation. Read More: He led a team of Development Officers responsible for providing regular support to local Fèisean and was heavily involved in organising the annual Blas festival. He organised the 5 Latha residency in Lewis each spring and for the past few months has been leading Fèisean nan Gàidheal's involvement in a €4m European AMPLIFY project. Mr Macmillan has a keen interest in Gaelic culture and is a renowned Gaelic singer, having won two gold medals at the National Mòd, and is also a piper. At one time a member of the band Dàimh, he currently plays with Marloch. Carola MacCallum, Fèisean nan Gàidheal's Chair, said: 'We would like to thank everyone who showed an interest in the post and are delighted to welcome Calum Macmillan to this important role as CEO of Fèisean nan Gàidheal. "Calum has a proven track record of supporting the Fèisean and wider project delivery. We wish him every success in the future and look forward to making further progress under his leadership.' Calum Macmillan said: 'I am delighted to be taking on this role. I look forward to working with Fèisean, and colleagues, to provide opportunities for young people in communities across the country to participate in the Gaelic arts, developing many skills that will benefit them and enrich our language and culture. "I would like to thank Arthur Cormack for all he has done in his time as Fèisean nan Gàidheal CEO. It has been a privilege to work with and learn from him, and my colleagues and I are most grateful to him for his support and leadership.'
Press and Journal
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Exclusive: Inside council's frantic search for £13m masterpiece missing from Peterhead as global panic 'throws bosses into the fire'
Panic erupted within Aberdeenshire Council as theories were flung about, accusations issued and dusty records ransacked when it emerged the authority had completely lost track of an Italian masterpiece worth millions. Paolo Veronese painted the massive Pool of Bethesda in Venice in the 16th century and the valuable piece was later shown off on Catherine The Great's Russian palace walls. Ultimately, the 6ft by 12ft painting ended up being displayed in Peterhead's Arbuthnot Museum by the end of the 19th century. How it got there is a story in itself, but it remains one with an ending mired in mystery. Nobody has any idea where it is now. That's if it still exists. And if it does, experts say it would be worth about £13m. In 2022, Australian academics thrust the vanished Veronese into the spotlight as they launched a search for the piece due to its Melbourne connections. But Aberdeenshire Council has since been tight-lipped on its own efforts to right the historic wrong and solve the 'puzzle of international significance'. Now, using Freedom of Information legislation, we can paint a picture of the internal strife at the local authority as word of the missing artwork spread… And we find out exactly what the council has been doing to provide some answers now more than three years since the saga first hit the headlines. The missing painting has quite a past… Painted in Venice in the 16th century, where it hung until the mid 1700s. It went on sale in London in 1764. And was picked up by Catherine The Great, Empress of Russia, who may have hung it in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. In the 1790s it was given to Aberdeen University lecturer Alexander Baxter. By 1868 it came into the hands of Robert Black, thought to have travelled to Melbourne with it, where it was displayed in public. In 1882, James Volum shipped it to its last known home – Peterhead. The wealthy brewer James wanted to gift the valuable painting to his hometown in the final years of his life. And it hung in the Arbuthnot Museum for decades, with seemingly few aware of its importance as the years went by. It wasn't until 2022, when flabbergasted academics from the University of Melbourne launched an international hunt for it that it once again became a talking point in the north-east. The Australians first contacted the council about it in January that year. An email between staff in the Aberdeenshire Council museums department from January 29 reveals some early concern about the issue – but one worker did claim to have 'found several clues'. It states: 'We have had an inquiry all the way from Australia regarding a 'lost' painting that once hung in the Arbuthnot Museum. 'Have you ever come across anything regarding The Pool of Bethesda by Veronese? 'We have found several clues.' Over the next few weeks, more would emerge as panicked staff tried to peer through the mists of time to find out just how something so valuable could disappear. This museum worker adds that an image confirmed it to be hanging in the Blue Toon museum in 'the early 20th century'. And the employee revealed some frustration that this academic report from Australia would soon be published online. 'We have been thrown into the fire there with no opportunity to review this publication or look into it on our end,' they fumed. The following day, a reply arrived from a council worker expressing some sympathy surrounding the publication of the news down under. They say: 'Doesn't it really make your heart sink when you get blindsided like this? 'I never came across a painting in the collections by Veronese.' But they also explain that they had previously compiled a catalogue detailing paintings at the Arbuthnot Museum that had been 'lost by 1975'. 'I cannot recall if Pool of Bethesda is among those lost paintings,' they add. This worker, who seems to know their stuff about Arbuthnot artefacts, signs off by offering to meet up at the council's Mintlaw museums HQ for further discussion. 'It might be helpful to you in finding some of the files I have mentioned, and it might also be useful for you in picking my brains on anything else while I am there.' The offer was duly accepted, with senior staff also to attend the talks as the mystery sent ripples across the local authority. Another email arrives at this time. Names have been redacted but it appears to be from an individual with a long-term memory of the council's practices. They warn: 'Mind you, in the terrible 1970s they SOLD lots of stuff – and things disappeared, I was told.' The University of Melbourne emails on January 31, 2022, offering some more ideas. They say: 'I suspect it went out on loan early on, to a church, a civic office, where it languished unrecognised and unloved.' A reporter from The Press and Journal gets in touch about the picture too (the name has been redacted but I can reveal it was me). I was looking for an interview with someone from the museums team who was leading the hunt for the missing masterpiece. But the approach appeared to spark some concern when the communications department approached bosses about it. A fraught email from top brass sought some assistance on the matter. It stated: 'I need to ask for some help, in confidence, from you both on an inquiry that will be all too familiar – potential 'bad news' stories around lost/missing collections. '[The painting] was 12ft by 6ft in size so not easy to lose you would think. 'We need to go through any papers we can find here to see what might have happened to it, but our papers are not so easy to search at the moment. 'However, I know that a lot of material was given to other museums in the 50s–70s when the librarian-curators at Peterhead 'rationalised' the collections. 'Please don't share more widely for now as I would like to keep this fairly low key until we have a clearer idea what happened (or can say categorically that there are no records of what happened to it). 'I am trying to manage quietly.' On February 2, Aberdeen City Council gets involved. The Aberdeen authority suggested the National Gallery of Scotland might have it. They added: 'Def worth asking if they hold such a work even if you don't say why at this stage (followed by a 'winking' emoji).' Aberdeen's archives team scoured any records for clues, but didn't find any. They suggested: 'There was certainly a practice of farming out to civic offices when a pieces was too big, 'permanent loans' to benefactors or landed gentry and swapping.' Aberdeen City Council offers help with 'further digging' into minutes from committee meetings. There's an exchange on Teams on February 3, with one employee racking their brain for an expert to help out… They say: 'There was a lecturer at Aberdeen Uni considered to be a bit of an international expert in Veronese. 'I am FURIOUSLY trying to remember his name.' They later add that this academic might actually have been an expert in Caravaggio. Later that day, there appears to be a twist in the tale. One message reads: 'it's about us losing a Venetian masterpiece painting.' The reply states: 'Whaaat.' But then emerges the claim: 'It wasn't really us who lost it.' What this indicates is unclear, as thus far nobody appears to know anything about the painting. Never mind who was responsible for losing it. Top official Avril Nicol then requests councillors be briefed on the unfolding saga. She wants everyone to be aware of the 'actions that we need to take forward to help find the painting'. Head of education Laurence Findlay then sends a report on the issue to chief executive Jim Savege on February 7. The Press and Journal's first article on the missing painting is published on February 6, 2022. And the following day, having read our article, a reporter from The Times gets in touch about it. The spotlight seems to spur on some extra efforts. An Aberdeenshire worker is back in touch with Aberdeen City Council on February 8. They must have been doing overtime on the issue, as this email is sent at 11.52pm… They write: 'Now the quest for the Veronese is public….. Can I follow up on your offer of a wee bit of help from someone to look at the archives for us? We've looked at digitised copies we have here of the Peterhead Library/Museum minutes and checked most of them but there some issues we have encountered. 'We are missing the whole run from 1936 to 1957, and for all the others, we don't seem to have the text of the curators' reports to committee which I think is the thing that probably holds the full acquisitions / disposal info.' So what DO they know, by this point? Now about a week into the search, Aberdeenshire Council officials suspect the painting was 'probably safe' in the Peterhead museum until 1949… They add: 'The family were strong supporters of artists and knew the value of artworks it seems, and it would be unlikely they would remove it (although nothing is ever impossible).' There followed a 'period of significant change', though, culminating in lots being removed to Royal Museum Edinburgh and Aberdeen University in the 1960s and 1970s. The email continues: 'We wonder if that is the most likely timeframe for it vanishing. 'There is also a small chance it could have been removed for safety in the war, and then misplaced, hence why tracking down the 1936-1957 minutes would be useful.' Investigators also explored the theory of the Veronese painting being stored in Peterhead's Arbuthnot House. But, this email adds: 'I am struggling (having poked round most corners of that building for another project) to see where they could have been 'stored'. 'I am suspicious that there might have been under pavement storage at the rear of the building, where a door is now blocked from the house but looks like the typical Georgian cellar arrangement under yards etc. 'I was wondering if the archives hold any plans or drawings of Arbuthnot House? 'Appreciate some of the above may be a long shot but as your guys know the archives better than we do I suspect they may be able to point us more quickly where we need to go?' The Aberdeen historians pledged to trawl their records for 'anything relating to the painting', and even look out the Arbuthnot House blueprints for any hidden storage areas. While Aberdeen archivists were examining the layout of the building to see if the masterpiece was in some underground bunker, Aberdeenshire experts studied the museum's past management. And some suspicion is thrown on a Mr Scott – who ran the facility from 1898 to 1911, but apparently wasn't a fan of the artwork. A written note was discovered where he 'recommends that it be insured only for a few hundred pounds'. He 'was not sure of the provenance and doesn't believe it very good'. The email, sent in February 2022, suggests 'there is a possibility that it may have been disposed of in/around his tenure if he (or his wife or daughter) believed it worthless?' And, even if it survived Mr Scott's disapproval, there's a theory that a painting depicting a miracle in the Holy Land would not have fit in at the Peterhead venue in later decades. From 1949 to 1975, two successive librarian-curators 'sought to change the nature of the displays at the Arbuthnot significantly'. The email states: 'They focused on local history, particularly whaling, shipping and fishing, and material which they felt to be 'surplus to requirements' was sold, given away or disposed of. 'Some taxidermy and geology is known to have gone to Aberdeen University's geology department and to Peterhead Academy. 'Other material was taken by the RSM in Edinburgh but none of them mention the painting in listings they make of artefacts.' By February 15, Aberdeen City Council archive experts have responded with building plans for Arbuthnot House… The trail seems to grow cold at this point, and there is no further mention of it being secreted under the town's pavements. On March 20, the Aussie arthounds are back in touch asking if any breakthroughs have been made. And on April 4, I'm checking in again. Around this time, Australian art aficionados were growing impatient. One professor told The P&J: 'It would be astonishing, indeed scandalous, if such a large, important and extremely valuable item had simply disappeared without trace. 'Even if – God forbid! – it was simply sent to the tip, this ought to have been recorded by both the museum and the town council.' And in September, Melbourne academics again seek further info. 'Is it hanging in a Scottish castle or a church? I am longing to know.' In May 2023, 15 months into the saga, another 'long shot' piece of speculation on the missing painting arrives in Aberdeenshire Council's inbox. Did a local luminary have it painted over – with a portrait of HIMSELF? This email states: 'I have traced back that the picture was seen in early 1904. 'In 1899 a provost Leask was appointed, prior to his appointment he was the foremost person in Peterhead, believed to be the richest, most powerful person of this time. 'He was not a man to be crossed as local recant.' It continues: 'In 1895, he commissioned a portrait of himself which is still in hands of Aberdeenshire Museums. I would like to find out if this was painted on part of Veronese' s canvas. 'Among some of the 'stories' is that although a church attender he was not keen on icons like paintings. He was manager of many Peterhead institutions, Masonic lodges and committees.' This informant also wonders if the painting was placed in a private home for protection during the Second World War – and left there. Council chiefs appear doubtful this was the case. So now, more than three years into the search, I checked again on where things stand… An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman last night confirmed that the 'last known physical record' of the missing painting being in the museum comes from 1905. He added: 'Museums staff have been interrogating documentation from the 1900s onwards. 'Unfortunately there is, as yet, no useful information to explain what happened next to the painting.' Are Aberdeen St Nicholas Kirk saviours taking over Peterhead's Carnegie building? Revealed: New Peterhead museum will showcase Annie Lennox, 'weird and wonderful' relics and stories of Aberdeenshire
Daily Record
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Woman discovers granny's lost diaries revealing time as student during World War 2
A woman has unearthed diaries penned by her grandmother, detailing her experiences as a university student during WWII. Ruth Mellis, a project manager at the University of Aberdeen, received the diaries following the death of Mary Newland in 2017. She found the carefully maintained records kept during her gran's time as a student from 1939-1942. Her entries about trips to the cinema and social gatherings gradually became interspersed with increasing references to the war. Eventually, Mary volunteered to serve as a fire warden, stationed on the roof of Marischal College. Ruth shared: "Gran was very proud of being a graduate of Aberdeen University and shared the story of her fire marshal duties with many. "She made lifelong friends during her studies and spoke of her adventures on the roof of Marischal College and the many ladders involved! "She was very matter of fact about this time and that everyone had to do their bit during the war." Mary was born on a farm in Speymouth, Scotland and studied English, history, geology and geography at university. Upon starting her degree, she used the green diary provided to each student. She applied her meticulous nature to her student diary, making concise, neat notes alongside the timetable information, useful phone numbers and details for the student's representative council. Mary documented her social activities, essay deadlines and debating society obligations, along with glimpses of how life carried on as usual in the early stages of the war, including th. On February 23, 1940, a campfire was planned. The only hints of the significant societal shifts are found in her brief notes where she mentions that 'countries have to make tremendous sacrifices' and provides addresses for a NAAFI and RAF bases. However, by the 1940-41 session, the impact of war becomes more evident in her entries, with the diary's colour also changing to blue. Mary's academic year in 1940 kicks off with a Dance at Udny Green, a Halloween party, Harvest Thanksgiving, and in December, 'a big family party at Aunt Mary's'. But by January 1941, she records on a home visit 'military clearing the roads', and the next day (Sunday Jan 26), 'military back again, almost landed in a troop train'. On Thursday, January 30, an air raid warning disrupts her classes in the morning, and by February, she notes friends and classmates being sent to various locations. By mid-February, the frequency of air raid reports and nights spent in shelters increases, along with references to donning gas masks, and she mentions trying to complete essays after air raids. On Monday, March 7, 1941, sirens and the need to evacuate interrupt her Geography exam. Amidst these events, Mary takes on additional responsibilities as a city fire warden while continuing her studies, and on Sunday, May 4, she describes her unique viewpoint from the roof of Marischal College for the first time. Throughout this period, she describes juggling her duties. Juggling university studies and fire watching duties, by Wednesday 18 June, she admits to 'falling asleep periodically'. The records of air strikes on Aberdeen underscore the importance of the fire watching roles undertaken by many university students. Aberdeen bore the brunt of the most air raids in Scotland during World War II, with several significant hits occurring near the University. Loch Street, in proximity to Marischal College where Mary kept vigil on the roof, was hit in February 1941, resulting in the destruction of McBride's Bar and 89 Loch Street. On July 3, high explosive bombs were dropped on Marischal Street, Regent Quay, Pontoon Dock No. 2 off Albert Quay, Clyde Street & the Lime Company Buildings on Blaikie's Quay. There was also a concentration of activity near King's College, with multiple attacks on the vicinity around Clifton and Hilton Road. In 1942, the danger moved even closer with an air raid on Saturday, April 25, causing damage to buildings at the junction of Summerfield Terrace & King Street. Mary graduated amidst bombing campaigns targeting the city, and when Aberdeen faced its darkest day on April 21, 1943, she had commenced her teacher training. Within a mere 44 minutes, 127 bombs fell, damaging or obliterating over 12,000 homes and claiming the lives of 98 civilians and 27 soldiers. The 'Aberdeen Blitz' significantly affected the streets surrounding King's College, including Regent Walk and King Street where nine high-explosive bombs fell. At 519 King Street, the corner of the block. The area was ravaged by bombs, and on Bedford Road, an entire family tragically lost their lives when a row of houses was destroyed. However, as Mary's diaries demonstrate, life and studies continued despite the chaos. By 1943, she had completed her teacher training and began her teaching career at Clackmarras public school in Moray, going on to teach at both primary and secondary levels across the region for the next 40 years. The memory of her time on the roof of Marischal College remained with her, according to her granddaughter Ruth. Ruth said: "I had no idea she'd kept such detailed diaries of her time at University and they're fascinating to read and get a glimpse of what it would have been like. "She was such a strong lady who was full of fun and she just got on with things which is very much shown in her diaries, she would love that her memories are being shared."
