Memories of a childhood in wartime Leith. The trials and tribulations of the period, allied to the camaraderie of the community in facing up to an uncertain future made a lasting impression on John Stewart.

Minnow fishing at Puddocky, collecting caterpillars and keeping them in an old match box with a bit of leaf in it, catching butterflies, keeping rabbits, always hoping they would breed, swapping cigarette cards and the usual bools all had their place in our calendar when I was a child in Leith.

Even making aeroplanes out of newspapers was another of our interests. Much more dangerous was the use of slings or I should say catapults. A 'Y' shaped twig and an elastic garter band was all that was required.

Often we would make our own drink refreshment. A bottle with some liquorice stick and water would be left in some dark corner of the house to mature.

We called this 'sugarelly water'. Each day it would be examined to see how it was coming along. While waiting on it to mature, a bottle of 'vantas' could be bought from the local shop. This was just flavoured water aerated with some bottled gas of some sort.

Britain and America were producing many films for the home front depicting the progress of the fight against the Germans and the Japanese.

We may not have had much money in our pockets yet we were still able to attend the cinema at least twice a week. War films were very popular with us boys.

We would re-enact a lot of what we had viewed and one such film gave us an idea for a game. It was called Room 14. We would call our game by the same name.

Room 14 was used by the Gestapo to interrogate and torture suspected spies and resistance fighters. We were thrilled by this and thought it would be a real goodies and baddies scenario.

Alhambra Cinema (now closed)

State Cinema (now closed)

We were divided into two teams. The older boys took it as their divine right that they should be the Gestapo. Likewise, us younger ones accepted the pecking order and became the goodies, the unfortunate victims.

We were given a little time to hide before being sought out. Once rounded up and captured, we were taken to an area in the 'Coppy' where we were bundled in.

There we were knocked around, tripped, punched and kicked with little care for our welfare. We were actually beaten up and sometimes tears would flow. Obviously no information was expected but this made no difference and the beatings continued.

Looking back, this was a sadistic game for the brutality was real. I can hardly believe it now. We as the underdogs actually got a twisted enjoyment out of it. None of us were forced into playing it.

John Stewart, 2001