Leon was born in Poland in 1924 and fought for the Allies during the WW2. You may need to listen to his recording a couple of times to fully appreciate the emotional content of his story. During this time Leonard was with the battalion who lived and fought alongside Wotjek the bear. He talks here about taking his children to visit Wotjek after the bear was transferred to Edinburgh Zoo and his feelings about the statue of Wotjik in Duns and about the bear's 'human' qualities.

Isabel Allan was born in 1941 and lived at Cumledge Mill and went to school at Preston. Her father was a haulier for the mill collecting coal from the station to drive the looms for blanket making. In this extract she talks about the school toilets!

Jimmy Feeney was born in Duns in 1938 and grew up in the Earlsmeadow area and attended the primary and secondary schools in the town. He was signed for Hibernian as a teenager then joined the RAF in 1956 while 'National Service' was still in operation. He served as a cook and here about cooking in the RAF