Reminiscences from Margaret McKinnon

Note from Ed: Margaret has been sending me photos of old Cambuslang over recent years and they are displayed elsewhere on the website. However, I was impressed with her background information accompanying the photos and I have asked Margaret for permission to post an abridged version of her comments for all to see. She has a wealth of local knowledge and I thought her memories should be shared. The items are appended below and in no particular order. She has tried to avoid causing embarrassment to persons still living who are mentioned and I would ask you to contact me if you feel an any such entry should be removed.

Margaret's Background

I was born on the 11^th of November 1935 at 11am. My Daddy said he heard me crying for the first time just as the church bells of the Old Parish Church were chiming for Armistice Day. He always made my birthday special because of the significance of the date. My maiden name was Margaret Kelly Kerr, after my maternal Grandmother. I have a sister Annie who is 7yrs older than me. My late brother George was 5years older, and my late brother Jimmy, arrived in April 1938.

My father was George Kerr, he was born in Church St in April 1906, his father also George came through from the Lothians to get work in the Iron works and he met and Married my Granny in Rutherglen in 1898.

My mother's name was Annie McLean, she was born in Blantyre on the 15^th November 1906. Her parents were Jimmy, & Maggie (Kelly) McLean. They married in High Blantyre in Halloween 1893. His father , Alexander was killed in the Udston Explosion of 1887. His mother Janet was tragically killed in a house fire in 1907, in High Blantyre.

My Grandpa was a very quiet man, but would get visibly upset at the thought of fire and was always warning us of the dangers of it.

My best friend was Nancy Lindsay, She is a year younger than I am, we still correspond, She lives in Windsor Ontario.

We played mostly in the "Rounders" (The wee park in Vicars Walk,) none of the neighbours objected to us playing there, although I understand it has not been allowed for a long time now.

My childhood pals included Betty Dougall, Rachel Cole, Myrna McIntosh, Jessie Neill, Tom Kerr, (No relation) Gerry Murray, Charles Clark, Myra Allan, and a lot of children who visited their grandparents, like Elsa Hammond, David Thomson, etc.these people all lived in  the lower part of   Borgie Crescent & Vicars Walk, we never ventured up past the steps.

I had a very happy childhood.

 Extract of emails...

October 2009

You have posted the photos very well, Your site is growing great, and I'm sure there must be a lot of photographs that are in boxes in a lot of homes, and like me, the owners just have to make up their minds and get them to you.

I knew I had seen another pic of the last tram, and it is just possible it could be one of John's. But it looks a more powerful flash.

Carol   nee Lindsay,O'Donnell is my best pal's younger sister. Nancy Lindsay was my Bridesmaid and 11 months later I was her Matron of Honour. She married Alvan Ditchburn, from Church St. and they emigrated to Canada in 1959. He has had a couple of notes in your guest book from Windsor Ontario. The Lindsays lived in 10 Borgie Crescent, I saw Carol the morning she was born.  Nancy and I are lifelong friends. We go back to before school days. I must ask Carol about the photo. Their Dad was Jimmy Lindsay, Plumber & electrician and had a place in Greenlees Rd just before Bushiehill School gates. Their Mother made the Rosettes that decorated the Scottish Cups for which I have the photos. She was very clever with her hands. They bought a house in Ardoch Gdns with Carol & Arthur, Jimmy was a great flower grower and gardener in his retirement.

I like the photo on the site, from the bing looking over the Railway bridge, towards the school, the house I was born is away in the background. (Johnson Drive).

The Picture of "new" Johnson Drive is great. I gave it to my sister in Erskine, and she noted the washing, as I did, out on the line at the back door. When My Grandparents got that house, in 1920, there  were the both of them plus 3 sons and 3 daughters. My Mum being the 3rd youngest at 14 yrs old, but they were the first of the families to get a house there. They all got married from there and my Grandparents died there, never having been in hospital.    When my parents got married (in 1926) they stayed on to help with the old folks. When I was born in 1935 my gran was only 61. So much for being old, it's changed days. A lot of my cousins were born there because of the new facilities, like a bathroom and hot running water. How fortunate we are today.

Again Ed the website is great, Thanks for forwarding my Email on to Glen Montgomery, again I will wait to see if he gets in touch or the girls there, whom I haven't seen in years. I thought about the Australian boys in the photo, I wonder if they have seen themselves, there is every possibility. Anything is possible on your site!

I looked through your website Ed as I thought I had seen a photo like this, John took this one at 12.05 on the 4th November 1956, We had come out of the Masonic hall after having a party to celebrate his 21st Birthday. He took the photo with his Uncle's camera, who was an amateur Photographer. I know that Mr Blower was there that night as he used to take pics for the "Advertiser". So their will be similar ones around and his Uncle also sold copies in Maggie Wilson’s sweetie shop, for people who had requested them. As I said there will be quite a few around. Hope it is not too dark, but there is a few well-kent faces among that crowd.

That was very nice Ed what you did with the Gateside photos, I feel quite proud for John.

You ask about Jean Sinclairs! Well where do I begin with that one, I knew her as far back as I can remember, through the war years when we used to get a few sweeties when there was supposed to be none, No coupons-No sweeties. My mother and Jean were very friendly, and her son Fred was my older brother George's best pal.( When George got married in 1954 Fred was his Best Man.) I remember them getting into many a scrape, and George always seemed to get the belting for it, Jean used to live in Bushiehill Street, and there was great excitement when she had her new house built between the shop and her nephews Garage,  David Eadies, They lived in the crescent and Bill Eadie his Dad (and Jean's brother) was a Clerk of works in the Council. It was after Jean was widowed that she got her wee house built. When I think about it the neighbours were great down there, Over the fence from us in Borgie Crescent were the Coles. their Daughter Rachel was a Primary teacher in St Brides, She and I were best pals too. she had a wee sister Patricia, Maybe you remember them. I knew such a lot of boys & girls from both schools because of where I lived.

Gerry Murray too from round the corner, was my brother Jimmy's Best Man. his sister Chrissie was the mother of Tom Gault as I knew him as a wee boy, he became Father Gault when he joined the priesthood, and next door to them in 2 Borgie Cres. were the Smiths, who's grandson's name is Walter, They used to come to see there Granny on a Sunday from Carmyle. I was about getting married by that time, Mrs Smith gave us a wee ornament for our wedding present which we still have

Another thing that has come to mind is when the chip shop was closed people used to come to our door to buy cigarettes, The shop only closed if they had run out of "Dripping". Fish and chips were the only foodstuff not to be rationed during the war, but the fat was, and that put them out of work, The Barrs in Newton used to bring some over and vice versa if they run short. that was okay, but selling the fags at the door must have been breaking the law, it was only the shop that was licensed to sell tobacco, My Mum used to wrap them up in newspaper, as if that would have made any difference. Again Jean would help out there as well. If Mum had none she would send them along to Jean, depending who they were. As long as it wasn't the C. I. D. My Grandfather only got fined once and that was for putting the bathroom light on during the blackout, that was a 10 shilling fine! precious beer money to him. I have remembered quite a lot, and they are nice memories Ed. That is the main thing, to remember your childhood, not with rose tinted specs, but as it was, a nice place to live, although I don't think we appreciated it at the time. I don't remember any grievances with neighbours, everyone seemed to help if it was needed,

We were in Number 3 Johnson Drive, in the cooncil hoose. As I said in the New Houses picture in the website, you can see the washing out the back door. There were only two council houses in Johnson Drive. I didn't recognise the view you sent me, it was John who pointed it out to me, it has changed so much, From the corner of Croft road there was the Labour exchange, "The Broo" then the Nicols later the Carrols, from East Kilbride, then our house, it is so changed, all painted white,  (Matt Nicol owned Baxters the Chemist down the Main St next to the pub after you crossed Westcoats Rd on the same side as the Station. They moved "Up the hill to Mansfield Avenue.)

 In that view of the private houses the first house belonged to a Mrs Chrighton,

(When I was at school,) who's daughter May owned Crightons Shoes. Then through the wall was the Espie's. Her name was Scoular whose Dad had the coach works down behind the Whitefield Creamery Dairy on the old Hamilton Rd, and her uncle owned "The Big Key" The house on it's own still has Mrs Dewar in it. She is the widow of Davie Dewar the Joiner who had his place next to the coachworks. These workshops were next to the Empire cinema. (which was down this lane).  Hope I've got that right and not got you lost!!

The chip shop was in Kirkhill in Cadoc Street, "Macs Fish & Chips" but it was always called McLeans as it belonged to my Grandparents. It was next to Willie Grays the post office, then Christie the butchers on the corner of Howieshill Road. You have a photo of it on the website but I can't find it.

Down from the shop, was Carrigans Pub and I always remember the crowd coming in at 9.30 pm as that's when the Pubs shut then. The shop closed when I was 18, so that was in

1953/4 (my birthday is November, I know I was 18.) With me writing this all down for you I have come to realise the number of business people who lived in that area. One of the Macintoshes lived in Vicars Walk, and his brother lived in Croft Road. They had the Bakers next to Langs the Cafe, and they had the Hall at the back, not the Langs as someone has stated in one of your photos. It was easily mistaken.

I have some personal Photos well I think they are, the Staff in the Home Bakery and pictures of the Scottish Junior Cup when it was displayed in the window,   they are from 1967, but I would need to verify that, with Cambuslang Rangers to see if I'm right about that, What should I do about that Ed?

5 November 2009

Back to my "Local knowledge" Where would you put all this stuff? There are a few bits I have seen that we could amend.  Scoulers have a picture in the site, it is down old Hamilton Rd. going towards the Sauchie bog, you can just see the name up on the old gable end of the building. When the "shows" came here Scoulers used to do any repairs that were needed to the caravans or any bodywork repairs. We used to see them sitting down in the yard, and that is where Davie Dewar's workshop was as well. so not behind Whitefield creamery shop.

Getting back to the Dewars, before they moved into that house, it belonged to the Guys. a very well known family in the area, I used to be sent over to the old lady to get fresh eggs in my wee basket, and in coincidence, when we got this house in Dukes Road, the previous tenants were the Mathies, Mrs Mathie was Mrs Guy's daughter, and she wrote for the Cambuslang Advertiser, I had a visit from her just before our wedding, she covered all the local weddings in the paper, no photographs just descriptions of dresses and the occupation of the bride & groom,and where you would take up house etc.  so the feature would be in the paper the week of the wedding. I still have the cutting from ours, a bit yellow though. but still intact.

Before the Espies bought the bungalow next to Mrs Crichton, two elderly spinsters had that house, and they had a shop (something like Jean Sinclair's, only in a house converted shop in Lightburn Road in Halfway,) I can't really remember them dying, but I have it at the back of my mind that they sold the house and moved up to where the shop was, They used to come over to "TEA" and my Mum would bake her scones and cakes for such occasions, as that was the way back then, Hardly any bought items.

Round the corner in Croft Road an old lady lived in there and the children from school thought she was a"witch" (cruel) ,her name was Mrs. Wilson and soon after she died Mr & Mrs McDade & their son Jim came to live in that house.(,Mr Mcdade had the cobblers shop down the Main St.) next door was Willie Grays house. He had the Post Office in Kirkhill. then there was the railway bridge then the toll pitch.

Later in life,when my two girls used to go to any party in Cambuslang, they got a bit fed up, as one time I asked them how they enjoyed one of the Christmas parties one of them said "It was a great party, but it was my Grans stuff AGAIN! They were so used to eating things from the shop, they would have enjoyed someone else's eats for a change.

Will you let me know how you intend to post all this in the site Ed? I still feel a bit self conscious, but my Grand-daughter Natalie said it might encourage other people to put in some things they remember.  if so it will be good, I suppose.

As I said I like your idea of it, just me, it's the "Who does she think she is" people I am thinking of. but why not, I'm not doing any harm. and you would tell me if I was.

7 November 2009

This is the photo of the Bakery staff in 1967.

L-R   Cathie Gribbons, Annie (who lived in the high flats next to the shop) Mammie Perry, and Barbara Wales. Incidentally, Barbara's niece is in the photo on the school roof, Margaret Orr, and when we had the chip shop Barbara lived in the Glebe, which was in the space surrounded by Croft Rd, Cadoc Street, & Howieshill Road. You would be able to see her house from Carrigans Building, She moved to Cathkin, and sadly died in 1971. Our family loved Barbara, she was sadly missed.

Since you asked me to do this ,there has been things I have remembered, like the day I saw the King Queen & the princesses. I was astounded when I saw the date they came through Cambuslang, and realised how young I was.

My Daughter Alison has the same type of memory. When I told her about you asking if I remembered Jean Sinclair she said "even I remember her!" She can remember my Dad giving her 2/- to get a Toblerone, ice lollies and change back, she was only 4 years old.

When my Dad was ill, we were at Johnson Drive almost every day to let my Mum go to the shop. I was expecting Rhona, and had time to spend valuable hours with him. He died in October 1964 at the age of 58. Rhona was only 10 months old. He told me Alison would remember him, and she does.

I will also tell you about the time Mrs Murray fainted -  when we got the courage to go through the Borgie tunnel - seeing the lights over Glasgow for the first time - going to the shelters during the air raids and my sister bringing home shrapnel after Rutherglen Academy was bombed. There are lots here Ed, in my mind, and if that is what you want me to write about, I will do. The boys and girls I remember from "The Borgie" etc.

10 November 2009

Your family photos are great and as I said they all look very familiar, I recognise Margaret of course, There is a wee girl in one of the Kings Crec photos that I'm pretty sure she is in the last tram photo, years between the two.

I noticed I omitted to put the names of the two ladies who owned the shop in Lightburn Rd. they were Isa McDonald and her sister Nettie. I wonder if anyone remembers that shop. it was on the right hand side going up the hill.

The shelter was an Anderson one out our back door. My Dad had to dig down deep to put that in and we had a great time watching him! The nearest brick built shelters were in Vicars Walk. There were shelters dotted all over the place for passers by to use, in case of daylight raids. Some were built on the Toll pitch for that purpose too.

Another bit of info Ed is, Did you know there was an W.A.A.F.S. station in Croft Road? with a barrage balloon anchored there? we got to know some of the WAAFs too.

Borgie Tunnel

The Borgie Tunnel we went under was from the public park (down at the paddling pond and under the railway and the Church ) to the Borgie Glen. The boys went on to go through to the gasworks, but not the girls!! there was no-one to stop us or nothing in our way, that's probably why your generation didn't get doing it, we spoiled it for you. It must have been all overgrown too, but when we played down the Borgie and could be away for hours, Could you imagine that today?

Response from Ed Boyle

With regard to the Borgie tunnel again. when we left school (St Brides), we would jump the fence and head up the borgie, past the 'well' and up to Kirkhill. There was a tunnel which went under the swing park but this was always flooded. So we went up past the tenements (the rookery) down into the burn and entered the tunnel to which you mention led to the public park. This was concrete tubular tunnel about 6 feet wide which initially looked very dark and foreboding, but this was just because there was a right hand bend just inside and you couldn't at first see the other end. Provided the burn was not in spate you progressed along the tunnel walking gingerly on the sloping side. As you say, this took you into the park and further adventures. During a recent visit I noticed that the had barricaded the park tunnel entrance..(health and safety I suppose!)

Donated July 2010

During the war, we had a Waafs station in Croft Road where the Salvation army hall stood, I remember the Nissan huts, I don’t know how it came about but a lot of the families “adopted” a Waaf, The girl who came to our house once a week was called Joan. Her name was Derbyshire She came to the house once a week, for the evening.

We used to chant to her “ Joan Derbyshire comes from Lancashire and stationed in Lanarkshire” I saw a lot of her after the war, because she met and married a Cambuslang man and spent the rest of her days here. She had a family of her own but I can’t remember her married name. ( Nancy had a girl called Connie who visited her house,) I suppose it gave them a break, and of course they would be homesick!

Joan died quite young, but a lot of her family must still live in the area, if so. I just want them to know we, as a family, grew to be very fond of her, and often when I used to meet her we would go over old times, Once she took Jimmy and I in to the barracks, I’m sure she was taking a chance and had to hide us, it was very exciting for us as children to get in there. We had a great time with her, she was always very nice to us.

The big Barrage balloon was anchored there, for anti aircraft protection, It was huge looking up in the sky. So different from the Johnson Drive of today.

My Dad was in the home guard, as he was employed in the Iron works in a reserved occupation, he decided to join!! There was one night he told us about, when he was nightshift, he was driving his “Goliath Crane” and all of a sudden there was something white in the darkness caught up in the girders above him. He and his workmates decided it was a German paratrooper, as the all clear had recently sounded. They all got armed with their picks and shovels (no guns) they were going to sort the “Baddie” out, yes you’ve guessed it. As they climbed up towards this white thing billowing in the night air they discovered it was a barrage balloon that had slipped it’s mooring. He told is that tale often and I’m sure it grew a longer tail as the years went in.

The death was announced in May 2010 of Mrs Espie, (Nessie Scoular) Daughter of the Blacksmith mentioned earlier. Her Uncle owned “The big Key” she was 85. Her house was formerly the McDonalds, (I see Walter Jaap has mentioned where their shop was in Lightburn Rd Halfway.) I met a few old neighbours at her funeral, but none of my childhood pals.

My Aunt Beatrice & Uncle Willie McLean lived in Sussex, they had in their time worked for Lord and Lady Spencer, Dianna’s grandparents. long before Dianna was born, We went to see them quite a few times, and in 1999, while we were there, after my Uncle had died, she brought out a leather writing case, and in it were letters he had kept from his time in the Army, She let me see them, and there was one from Isa McDonald, she described the four of us and how we were growing up while he was away, and George & Annie at school, a really glowing “report”. I wanted to ask her if I could have that letter, but as she was still grieving for my uncle ,I couldn’t bring myself to do so. She died in Jan 2000, without us seeing her again, At her funeral I asked if the letters were there, but was told there was not any, maybe she destroyed them before she died, but it was such a nice letter that Isa had written about our family, I know my Aunt would have given it to me if I had asked. I regret not asking for it.

I talked earlier about Mrs Murray, One day, of many, we were over at the railway (over behind where the garage is now) We used to go over to wave to the troops coming into Glasgow. They would always be hanging out of the train windows, waving, so glad to be home, and as always Mrs Murray was there, Then we heard the shout drowning out the noise of the steam engine,” MAAAA!!!” Next thing Mrs Murray fainted. It was her son Tommy, we could see his ginger hair shining bright in the sun, We were all running around like “knotless Threeds” as my mother always said. I don’t remember who saw to the poor woman, but Gerry (her youngest son) was there and he was in such a state as well, The fact that Tommy Murray was posted “Missing in Action” was lost on us, but what a shock for his Mother who must not have given up hope, and went over to the railway line every time there was a troop train coming in. The elation on everyone, when it sunk in was very emotional. We were all crying and laughing at once. Tragically Tommy only lasted about a year. He died after the harrowing time he had endured, all the years he was away. I haven’t heard from Gerry for years, he went to live in Largs, If you are reading this “GE MU” Hello to you from John and I.

Nancy paid us a visit at the beginning of May, all the way from Windsor Ontario, she was over to see her sister Carol. Lots of catching up again. She was telling me someone in Canada told her she had been mentioned in this site, isn’t it something, that people read these pages and recognise someone they know.?

I also read in “The Reformer” of the death of Charlie Hill the boxer, Condolences to his family in Brisbane. He put Cambuslang on the Map then.

In Cambuslang I was known as “the wee lassie McLean” It always annoyed me, as that was my mother’s maiden name, but she and my Dad had attended Bushie and were well known in town, the Kerr name was usually missed out. I was no relation to Tom Kerr at the other end of the Borgie, but we were all the best of pals. Tom had an older sister Anna, and I had an older sister Annie, it got confusing at times, and it was from Tom’s back garden we gained entry to the Borgie Glen, There was a loose railing, Which no-one knew about??? We used to pull it out and squeeze through then put the railing back in its place. We spent many a happy hour over there and even though we could hear my mother shouting for us, we would ignore her for as long as we felt we could get away with it. We made fires, roasted potatoes, usually blackening our teeth trying to eat them, as they were not the BBQ’d kind we get today.

We would go up to Barclays (aka Scotch Toalies) at the top of Croft Road for fallen fruit at a cheaper price. That was another hidden lane. Going along from just below Whitefield Creamery. (Where Ed worked 1960) There was a big house with stairs up to where we bought the fruit. I knew people from Kirkhill because of the chip shop. I see Margaret O’Brien has a feature in the website.

I was on the back of Tom’s bike one day when he was “speeding” down between the schools in Tabernacle Street and when we got near Jean Sinclair’s Shop, off we landed in a heap, skint shins and knees. I didn’t go home to get them tended in case I got kept in.

My husband’s Grandmother lived across from the shop, so I knew John since before we went to school. Every one of the children were very wary of Mrs McKinnon, she did not like children going round the back of the building, It was a very nice back garden, tended well, and I was always too scared to venture round there. Little did I know then, that she would become my Grandmother–in-law, be at my wedding and be part of my life till she died in 1963. Her Husband (John’s Grandpa) used to come over to fix the pipes in the chip shop during the winter, to defrost the pipes, or fix a burst pipe. Sadly he died when we were 10-yrs old, so I didn’t get to know him, but he and my Grandpa used to have a pint or two down in Carrigans together.

One night, again during the war, I was with my Uncle Willie,( who was home on leave from the army) going to the shop to see my Mum, as we came up the steps from Borgie Crescent to Cadoc Street, we heard a plane, and all of a sudden the whole place lit up as if it was daylight, A flare had been dropped, . The planes were looking for the Iron and Steel works. It was eerily quiet. Then just as quickly it got dark again, and with no street lamps it was hard to see for a wee while. On another dark evening, my Granda was coming out the chip shop with my Mum, he had been to Carrigans earlier, my Mum let him go to lock the door. And he staggered from her, right across the road and hit his face against the lamp-post, what a keeker he had. In the darkness, people were walking into Baffle walls, which were built across the mouth of closes to reduce the impact of any explosion. Many a person had some explaining to do, hence the expression for a long time “ I looked like I had walked into a baffle wa’” when one had been in a fight.

On a journey on a bus you never knew where you were in winter, the conductress was known to call out the stages of the journey, if you were coming from Halfway, she would shout “C’mslang terminus” as the bus came down Hamilton Road.

In Kirkhill there was a wee, old fashioned shop at the corner of Cairns Rd and Vicarland Rd. It was called Hess’s. When the German Hess landed at Eaglesham, I wondered what all the fuss was about and why Mr Hess was being called a German. My young mind couldn’t take in all that was happening.

My Mother was great at making meals from the rations we got. In particular the dried egg mix, done in the frying pan, and browned just the way I liked it. Like a well done Omelette. She was a great soup maker, and my Dad grew all the vegetables in the garden, Mr Lindsay, Nancy’s Dad kept chickens in his garden in the Crescent and veg and beautiful flowers. My sister made mock cream with cornflour and milk whipped up with Vanilla essence. I loved all these things, We ate them because we didn’t remember the sweeties or bananas, or fresh cream. My Mum and Auntie took us on the bus up to the Clyde Valley in the summer for fruit to make jam and jelly, and get lovely Clydeside tomatoes, and cooking apples, we knew then we would be getting delicious apple cake, made famous later in the home bakery.

My Grandparents had a worrying time, as my Uncle Willie McLean was serving with the London Scottish Regiment with the 8th Army and was stationed in Sicily. He wrote and told us of the exotic fruit trees there were, things we take for granted today. In fact I have letters my Mum & Dad wrote to him as well, I have copied one page in which my Dad is describing a trip to Paddies by Jimmy and I. When I read it after all these years, it brought back the mayhem there used to be in “The pictures”, when all the children in Cambuslang (it seemed) were in the one cinema. Weans with their wee brothers and sisters like myself, who were allowed to take them to see the latest western which was probably a dozen or so years old. My experience was in August 1943, when I was just under 8-yrs old.

Another letter my Dad is describing the garden full of newly planted veg. He loved the garden and as he was on shift work he was able to tend it every day weather permitting, but it was always good weather then, in my memory!

My cousins the Simpsons (Mill Road Halfway) were a big part of my life, as my Mother and their Mother (my Auntie Lizzie) worked in the chip shop together, we had many holidays together, usually to the Fife coast, May was 10 months older than I was, David and Jimmy were the same age, born 1938 and Jimmy Simpson or “Wee Jimmy” was the youngest. Born 1941. Of the ones mentioned here David and I are the only ones left. It is hard to believe, My sister Annie is still with us and lives in Erskine.

Still in the war years, there was one night, (my Dad was nightshift ,again) when an air-raid started. My Mother refused to take Jimmy and I out to the shelter as we had Measles, we were in the bed settee in the living room. The noise was terrible, and I was scared because my Dad was not in. The noise was getting worse by the minute, Eventually, my Dad arrived home, he had walked from Clyde iron works with a bit of steel plate held on his head, as he usually did. After he came in I could smell something cooking, my Mum was making him something to eat. She had put a very scarce egg on to fry for a sandwich for him, The next thing we knew she was screaming above the noise of the air-raid, she kept saying the egg had jumped out the pan, there on the kitchen linoleum was the fried egg,.... disaster!! She kept repeating that the egg had jumped out the pan. I suspect that when (as we later discovered) a bomb had landed near the works it was so loud that she must have jumped with such a fright that the pan went up and the egg came down, Yes my Dad had his egg, he wasn’t going to let a wee thing like the floor keep him from a very precious egg. It took a long time for her to live that down!

I later learned it was the Clydebank Blitz that night, so I would be 5-yrs old. Oh, and the measles were rough. Because of having them I have suffered all my life with Ear trouble and many visits to the ENT depts.. When you read the names on the Clydebank Website, the ages of the children, and whole families gone in two nights, I got off very very lightly. We were so fortunate where we lived.

I cannot tell you if it was the same time, but my sister came back from school, having been sent home because Rutherglen Academy had been bombed, but I was more interested in the shrapnel she brought back with her, the jagged edges, very rough to handle, and of course I didn’t know at that point what it was or the destruction it caused.

On V.E. night, my older brother and his pals built a bonfire in “The Rounders” (Vicars Walk) we were having a great time until I ran round just in time for George to swing one of the sticks ready to go on the fire, and it hit me right on the forehead, so I had split my head “wide Open” as I was told, It was sore, but it couldn’t have been that bad because the next night I was down at the Ritz with a big bandage round my head, it looked impressive, I was a wounded soldier, and poor George was wounded in a different way with the belting he got. We had flags up on the windows of our house, they were on all the houses, and it coloured up a previously dull and frightening existence,

The reason we were at the Ritz was they had a big light beamed up lighting the front of the building, and the shops had no blinds on the windows, it was the first time we had seen that, and the radio songs included “When the lights come on again all over the world” Well that is how I felt, all our lights came on and it was wonderful. My Dad took us up to Howieshill Road to see the lights on all over Glasgow - What a sight!!!

Photos Donated by Margaret

Dad in Garden