Signs of War

The Second World War may have ended over 60 years ago, but reminders of it still abound in cities like Edinburgh.

A few weeks ago I blipped part of some attractive wrought iron railings in the New Town, with the comment I was surprised they survived the war. My father pointed out to me that railings that surrounded a drop (into a basement or at the side of stairs) were left in place for safety reasons - especially since there was a blackout at night.

These railings near Atholl Crescent weren't so lucky. I wonder if they found their way into war production, or if rumours that much of the collected iron was dumped at sea are true? My googling hasn't really turned up a definitive answer - if anyone knows a good source do let me know.

In either case, I wonder who was responsible for removing them? Was it a man exempted from active service by youth, mature years or infirmity, or one of the many women who entered the workforce?

Most of the verticals appear to have been pulled out from their mounting holes in the stone, but some were clearly stubborn and needed to be cut. Here there are a couple of stubs of different lengths next to an empty hole... I can almost picture the scene where the first was cut just a little too high, then the next closer when they realised their mistake. They must have been in a hurry, not to go back and cut the other one short too! You can still see some of the cut marks on the iron, right alongside the chisel marks of the stonemasons who originally cut the stone...

It's amazing just how much history (albeit somewhat mysterious) sits at the side of a busy thoroughfare, ignored by most of us most of the time!