Though this is not a piece of Duns history it is an emotional history of a Duns resident. Leon was born in Poland in 1924 and has lived in Duns since 1994. You may need to listen to his recording a couple of times to fully appreciate the emotional content of his story. There are some transcribed notes to accompany this piece. Leonard's family had land in the north of Poland and he talks about being forced out of his homeland and being sent to Siberia as a young teenager when Russia invaded Poland. Another recording talks of his time working in the Russian prison camp. Changes in Russian allegiance during WW2 meant that the imprisoned Poles were released to join the Polish army and fight for the Allies. The soldiers travelled through Persia and the Caspian mountains. In this piece Leonard talks about his corporal 'buying' the 2 day old bear cub from a young goat herd they meet in the mountains. The battalion journeyed through Turkey, Iran, Arabia, Palestine, Egypt and Italy until being demobbed in England. During this time Leonard was with the battalion who lived and fought alongside Wotjek the bear. He fought at Monte Casino and a photograph shows him wearing a base ball cap commemorating the Monte Cassino conflict presented by the American General ? Leonard was invited to attend the 75th anniversary of the battle at Monte Casino in 2018 courtesy of the Polish Consul. Amazingly he met a fellow soldier now living in Canada, who served with him at Monte Casino.

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 though he also played football for the combined forces. Returning to Duns after 'demobilisation' he tried several jobs before he became a builder apprenticed to Henry Steele. Here Jimmy talks about this period.