Bullet holes, smashed windows, broken bottles, terrified women. Young Blantyre soldier Jim Greer must have seen it all during his service in Ulster. However, when he returned home at the end of January 1978, he saw it all again!
He returned home to find his mother living in terror in what was yet another vandal attack on their home in Springwells.
His mother, Veronica Greer (pictured) said, “I’m in a state of near collapse. I need to get out of this area and Jim has enough to worry about dealing with events in Ulster. “
Mrs Greer lived with her 13 year old daughter in Auchinraith Terrace at the time. She told police, “after Jim left last year, windows were smashed and somebody even shot out a window with a bullet! Bricks, bottles, dog and even human dirt has been thrown at our house.” Her application to move in Blantyre was turned down on account of her having a home already.
The last straw came when she awoke one morning to see her door window smashed out. So, she walked up to the Police Station to report it and on her return found that even during that short visit, vandals had returned and smashed her back windows.
Vandalism was a huge problem all over Blantyre in 1978. Some public buildings including churches were broken down and residents blamed a perceived glue sniffing youth culture. Perhaps the Greer family had been targeted as there were no men in the house at the time.
I do hope that the Greer family got some peace and were not chased out of the area.
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