I found your excellent Cambuslang site while searching around to see if any pictures of the prefabs Arnhem Street existed.

I spent the first seven years of my life at 31 Arnhem Street (which would be late fifties /early sixties) and although my memories are fairly insubstantial, I have never forgotten the view looking along the street and up the hill... and the bing that dominated the skyline.

I do remember being perfectly happy there, a few friends to play with and a few enemies to fight with, just the way it should be at that age. Then my world got turned upside down. We moved to Glenrothes. I didn’t want to go.... until I saw the house. It had ‘upstairs’! My mum (bless her, she was a real working class Glasgow girl from Maryhill) was overwhelmed by how big, new and modern it was.

Anyway, thank you  for the time and effort you have obviously put in to document the history of the area. I thoroughly enjoyed those vista photos of the prefabs, i had absolutely no idea of the area it covered... or of the proximity of steelworks. My whole world was Arnhem St and the adjoining streets... and of course the walk to Hallside school.

I’ve attached a few prefab photos I found which you are welcome to use if you see fit. I’m the little blond boy, no idea who the other kids are though. 04 is my mum Jean McPhail, and 06 is my dad, Jim McPhail, both now passed on. The group photo is cousin, aunt and granddad, along with me and mum. Guess dad took the pic J.  I ‘d date the photos probably 1960

Glad the photos could be of some use to you. I’m sure to many these days the prefabs look a rather grim place, but what memories I have are all very happy, and both my parents would talk fondly of their time living there.

Alan McPhail - August 2014

Photo descriptions

Alan Mcphail on the bike, but no idea who the other two are. They look like brothers. I used to trundle that bike to the top of the hill at the end of Arhem St... then freewheel back down, oblivious to the dangers of the crossroads. There were hardly any cars back then.

me on the left, but again, no idea who my friend is. A proper pair of urchins though.

The group photo is “Paw” McGuire, my granddad (mums side)... Jean Mcphail (nee McGuire, my mum)... Cathy Blaine (nee McGuire, my mums sister) and at the front Eileen Blaine (my cousin)

me and mum (Jean McPhail)

me again, but as you say, the interesting thing is the Anderson shelters. I don’t know if every prefab had one, but a lot of them must have, because I have memories of climbing (and falling from) ones in my garden and several others. I can only guess it was a cheap way to provide garden sheds

me and dad (Jim McPhail). He was an able seaman from London who ran away from home aged 15 so he could fight Germans! He wanted to join the RAF but the recruitment office told him he was too young. They suggested to him he should go round the corner to the Naval recruitment as they wouldn’t ask him any awkward questions about his age! At the end of the war he didn’t feel like going back home, but had liked Glasgow when his ship was docked on the Clyde, so settled up here, and met and married my mum, who was one of seven who lived in a tenement on Bilsland Road Maryhill. They lived in a tenement in Cambuslang originally, then moved to the prefab.