Updated March 2024
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Reminiscences from Margaret McKinnon
Margaret
and husband John on the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary.
They married 7th April 1958
Margaret and husband John on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding anniversary.
(On the 9th
April the Mayor and Lady Haughey
paid them a visit. Our card from HM
had been delivered on Sat 7th)
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 Life Story
I was
born on the 11th of November 1935 at 11am. My Daddy said he heard me crying for
the first time just as the church bells of the
My
father was George Kerr, he was born in
My
mother's name was Annie McLean, she was born in
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
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
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"
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
Gerry Murray too from around 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
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
In that view of the private houses
the first house belonged to a Mrs Chrighton,
The chip shop was in Kirkhill in
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
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
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 by
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
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
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
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
The shelter
was an
Another bit
of info Ed is, Did you know there was an W.A.A.F.S. station in
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
We used to chant to her “ Joan Derbyshire comes from
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
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
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
Nancy paid us a visit at the beginning of May, all the way from
I also read in “The Reformer” of the death of Charlie Hill the boxer,
Condolences to his family in
In Cambuslang I was known as “the wee lassie
We would go up to Barclays (aka Scotch Toalies) at
the top of
I was on the back of Tom’s bike one day when he was “speeding” down between
the schools 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
In Kirkhill there was a wee, old
fashioned shop at the corner of
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,
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
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
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
Photos
Donated by Margaret
Jimmy
David Me and Anne Nicol My cousin David Simpson is behind me, and my
brother Jimmy is standing on the left of the picture. I think that
was in 1947-8.
Me
in Mum's arms with Grandmother At the gate in Johnson drive is in 1936 with Mum &
Gran & me 7mths.
Me
With Dad & Jimmy taken
in Torquay 1946.
The four
of us Kerrs. My Brother The four of us Kerrs 1n1947. My Brother George did his
National Service in the Royal Marines by 1949 he was away in
(I'm
sorry it is in such a state, like that when I got it). It was taken in the Ex-Servicemens
hall in
It was
my Mother’s brother Alex & his wife Mary McLean who were celebrating .
You will probably know their Grandchildren, The Islips. I will see how many of the rest I
can remember.
L to R back row. The man in white shirt with Guitar is Alf Islip.(their son-in-law).
2nd back Row. 4th from left, Lizzie (McLean) & Archie Simpson, the woman with White
flower is Ruby (McLean)
3rd back row, Walter Allison with Ernie Islip in arms, Mrs R McPherson,? ? ? Peggy
(McLean) Rankin, ex
(their son) & Wife Margaret, next 8 I know the faces but not the names.
2nd back row. ? James McLean & Maggie McLean my Grandparents, Annie (
Children at front, Don’t know first two, Tom McPherson, Me, along a bit my brother
Jimmy, ? George Islip at his Aunt Margaret’s knee, Uncle Alex worked in the Gas works
with Walter Allison who was a Gas Fitter.
That is all I know Ed. I should know a lot more names, because they were Aunty Mary’s
relatives.
Here is
a photo that will be of interest to a few people who remember my family, you can see
In the photo, Jimmy Simpson, My Aunt Lizzie’s brother-in-law is standing on the
extreme right of the group. He is very well known in Halfway, and he is the youngest
brother and only surviving member of that generation of the Simpson family. They lived in
In the
photo are....
L to R back row My Uncle Willie & Aunty Peggy Rankin, then 5th from them is my Aunt
Margaret, (My Dad’s sister.) ? The Groom
L to R sitting 5 Irvine side ,Nancy Lindsay (Borgie Crescent) Margaret Kerr (Me) My Mother
Annie, brother George, Dad, George Kerr His Brother William (Emigrated to Rhodesia in
1957) Behind him my Grandmother McLean, and the rest are from town. I think there is 40 in
the photo, don’t know where Jimmy is. George was home in leave from National Service
from the Royal Marines.
My sister is a widow now, but as we were saying in June, “that was 60 yrs ago”
Extract from a letter my Dad wrote to my Uncle Willie
McLean, while on active service in Sicily....10th July 1943
It
reads...
"I
must tell you a story about wee Jimmy and Margaret, today was the first time they were at
the matinee by themselves. When they came home Margaret came in first and said "Never
again, never, never, never... the noise ae they weans
All the
best, Your Brother George".
The letter was written on the 10th July, then it says hospital 28th July - it is then
stamped 22nd August. There are a lot of stamps all over the envelope, he finally got it on
25th Aug. in hospital. He had been wounded in the leg and had to have his kneecap removed,
His eardrums were perforated with the blast. He lived till he was 83 yrs old.
There are not many forget the day they
started school, and I am no exception, I remember walking along
The colours and the pictures around the walls intrigued me. There was “Three Ships a
Sailing” on a big frieze all round the wall of the class. Then the reading books.
Apple says A, Camels Hump says H, Swan says S, Drummer Dick says D. Needle says N .Piggy
says P. etc.
The boys... John McKinnon, Nicol
(Marsh) George Callan, Robert Russell. The late Alex Hood, Jim Hume, Archie Edmunds, the
late Gordon Leighton, (Same birthday as me) Jimmy Glencorse, John Thomson, Alex Swan, Tom
Perry, (Tom’s Mum is in the Home Bakery staff.. Mamie) Peter Wotherspoon, Bert
McIlroy, , Later on the classes were amalgamated, and we met lots more, like Alvan
Ditchburn, Jean Perry, (Tom’s sister) Ellen Morris, Margaret Orr,(Dux Girl) and I
remember two girls who were great tap dancers, Nancy Price & Nancy Laidlaw, maybe a
bit younger than us, and Billy McNeil, (Dux Boy) who later lived beside us in Springhall
in the 60’s.
Our teachers on the ground floor were
Miss Strang, Miss McLean, and Miss Wallace. Very nice teachers. Then... The dreaded Miss
Shearer Nicknamed “Scrubber” because, may I quickly add that when you
misbehaved, she threw the Blackboard scrubber at you, and another rotten habit she had was
to dig a small sharp wooden blackboard pointer into your ribs. She was the cruelest woman
I encountered at Bushiehill. Mr Smith “the Jannie” was great . He was the
Grandpa of Lillias & Anne Lindsay who lived in
Miss Downie, very fair minded, Miss
Liddell, lived just round the corner from me in
The Girls got Miss McLean for sewing,
(She had a strange accent and it was years later we discovered where she came from in the
most amazing coincidental meeting. (Which I will tell you about later) She used to say to
us that if we POOLED the thread tightly, it would pucker on the material!! It was the way
she said “POOOLED” she drummed that into us as I’m sure Margaret Graham and
I learned to our cost. I can do a neat hem now, and my grown up daughters still get me to
alter things for them, in her class we knitted socks with four needles which I had seen my
Grandmother constantly do. We made the obligatory Lap Bag, and the shapeless apron etc.
Then there was the Nurse who paid us
regular visits, to give us injections, weighed us etc. She told me I as underweight, but
didn’t seem to take into account how small I was! The worry I had of what the nurse
told me was dispelled one day when we were waiting in the line to go into class after
“dinnertime”. I had been home and my mother was making soup, so I got my
favourite raw carrot back to school with me. As I munched at the carrot a hand grabbed my
wrist holding it up high, it was Mr McIlwraith, and I thought I was going to get a row,
but he shouted to everyone “SEE THIS? This is where she gets her red cheeks
from!!”
It was wartime when we attended
primary.
It was while I was in class one day
that I was told about a “ Family Secret” A girl sitting across from me suddenly
said “ Your Grandpa is my Grandpa” I looked at her and was trying to digest how
this could be. I had my Grandpa at home and she wasn’t one of my many cousins, so why
would she say that to me? I was a bit annoyed as I didn’t really know her all that
well. So away I went quite indignant that she MUST be wrong, told my Mother what she had
said, and then it was explained to me, oh I was affronted..........but not as much as my
Dad and his many sisters. My Granda Kerr had been widowed before I was born, and he had
not long died at this time, I think it was 1946/7. It seems he had married a widow woman
to the horror of the Kerr family, whether it was in memory of their Mother I don’t
know, I can only imagine. Of course they disowned him, his daughters didn’t speak to
him after he remarried and neither was my Dad supposed to. But I remember I had gone to
meet my dad at work at the Iron works and as we were walking away from the gate a man
shouted and waived to us, My Dad waived back, I asked who it was and he said ‘That is
your Granda Kerr over there’ I did not know they worked together, and I don’t
think my Dad stopped talking to him, but I feel now I was cheated out of knowing him
because of the opinions of his family. In recent years I brought the subject up to an old
friend, a women about ten years older than me, she laughed and said, Aye that was that
talk o’ Cam’slang for a while!!
Bushiehill was so dear to a whole lot
of children, (and like me, didn’t appreciate that fact at the time) The one thing
that got to me in school was the fact my older sister was DUX girl about 7 years before I
got there so the teachers expected George and I to do the same, My sister went on to
Rutherglen Academy, we went to Gateside. The fact I would have to get a bus to school did
not appeal to me at all.,
I knew a lot of people from St Bride’s because we used to walk along the road
together. And my neighbour Rachel Cole went there, she taught there later on.
Alvan Ditchburn wrote to me reminiscing about how good a founding we had at Bushie. We
were wondering what the teachers would think of us all now. Would they say “Oh well
they did not bad” I would hope that they would be very proud of our outcome with
their teaching, the old saying goes “Give me a child before the age of seven and I
will show you the man” (Or Woman I hope!)
I think that is where Miss Maclean,
Wallace, and Strang came into our lives, and not through fear tho, they taught us how to
behave and conduct ourselves, with a lot of input from my parents. How to be polite,
respect our elders, and in general behave.
I often wonder how Miss Maclean coming down from Uist in the
Yes until advertising on T.V. we really did not have a clue. All old Scottish words the
way our parents and Grandparents talked. It took me ages to learn that my Grandpa came
from Auchentibber, not Aitkentibber, and he also lived in the Glessert now I know it was
actually Glassford and Blantir.
When I started work at 15, I was
always being corrected, because you see. I came from “The Sticks” working in
I often think that a lot of my school
pals from that time could leave a wee message in the guest book just to say they have had
a look at the site. It would show Ed how much we appreciate all the hard work he does!! I
got a lovely surprise last year when a childhood friend (Agnes nee Kerr Wilson) who lived
in the same building in Kirkhill as John’s Grandma, phoned me and said she walked
through Cambuslang with me after reading my reminiscences.
Another surprise was when David
Turbitt sent in the Photo last year of the 207th B.B. (St Pauls Church) with my
two brothers in it, George & Jimmy Kerr, and Jim Lindsay.
Yes we had a great wee village, at one time the biggest in
About 10 years ago while on holiday on Skye, John and I were having lunch in the
Restaurant in Staffin. We were in the “Columba 1400” it is an Internet cafe as
well and I had a look round it and thought to myself that it would be great to be able to
work one of them, (The computers) Now after taking lessons a few years ago in Rutherglen I
am able to sit down and write this. Never did I think I would be able to do this at my
age. You’re never too late to learn right enough.
Having looked over the place, (I suggest you Google it, they do fantastic work there) we
went into the tearoom. There was a crowd of pensioners in and as they were about to leave
one of the women said to us “I hope we haven’t disturbed you with all our
chatter” they had been having a trip out from the surrounding area with their club
members, and they were laughing and having a real good time. We said not at all, and when
she heard our accent, asked us where we were from, John said Cambuslang and usually folk
say ‘Where is that? The lady then said, Oh I know where that is, my Aunt worked there
all her life, she was a teacher. She went on to say she could not remember what the name
of the school was, and told us her aunt’s name was Morag Maclean. We said we had a
Miss Maclean but in our day we never knew the first names of our teachers. (Except for
Miss Liddell, who lived in
Also when her Aunt came to Skye on holiday she brought a Miss Wallace with her. Well that
was it!! As you can imagine, here we were at the age of 66, remembering our primary school
teachers, and meeting one of their nieces by chance. She told us she had photographs of
the school staff, asked us to write down our names and address and told us she would send
them to us as long as we promised to send them back to her, within half an hour she was
away with our contact details and we wondered if we would ever hear from her. I was a
lovely meeting and very unexpected.
We felt chuffed to bits, and sure enough after we came home, the photographs arrived from
a Mrs Mackay from Skye, We hadn’t even asked her name, Over the next few weeks we had
the story printed in the Reformer, The reporter even got in touch with her to get her side
of the story, and in due course her photographs were sent back to her with a very big
thank you, We tried in vain to see her the next time we were there, but we’ve never
heard from her again. She was a lot older than us at the time, so I don’t know if she
is still with us or not. It was a ‘feel good’ meeting and we often talk of the
coincidence of it. You can find the photo of the teachers at
In the school there was the ground
floor then the first floor, where we had Miss Shearer and Miss Downie, then upstairs again
there were more classrooms about four in all. We were then taught by Miss Liddell &
Miss Melville who was the qualifying teacher. We sat and passed our “Quallie” in
the spring of 1947, only to be told that Gateside was full and we would be staying in the
primary till December, not going to secondary in August as was expected, this resulted in
sitting our Qualifying exam again. Because of that hold up, we didn’t get our Third
Year Leaving Certificate because we only attended Gateside for two and a half years. I
started work, and John Engineering college in January 1950.
It was when I got to Gateside I
realised how much I had loved “Bushie”
Email Sep 2013 about War Memorial in public park
Thank
you Ed, How very sad to look at, I don’t know why the names have never been put back,
and there was talk a while ago about putting the names of the 2nd world war on as well. I
should write to the council. I notice my Dad’s sister’s father- in-law’s
name under the Gordon Highlanders, Pte Thomas Gebbie from Flemington. I have sent my
cousin a link. Her name is Barbara Gebbie from Gateside Avenue Halfway. She will see her
Grandfather’s name. She lives in Newcastle and was here to see me last week, we were
talking about her remembering her Granny but not her Grandad, as he died in the War, We
share the Kerr Grandparents, but only remember one Grandfather Kerr slightly. And her
Granny Gebbie. Also the old Minister’s son, Rev Dr.Calderwood, you see his name in
all the marriage Certs of those married in the Manse in Kirkhill. No doubt we should know
a lot more.
I am going to write to the Reformer as well.
Thanks Ed for reminding me about this,
There was a woman I knew in Glenburn Avenue who said the figure of the soldier on the war
memorial was modelled on her grandfather. Her name was Jean Cousins. She is dead now, but
she used to talk about it.
Further submissions from Margaret - June 2015
My
Mother was 14yrs old when her family Father & Mother (James & Maggie McLean) got
the house. (She said she and her sister Lizzie used to play in the foundations of the
houses, not knowing that one day they would live there.)
The McLeans moved into 3 Johnson Drive, so as she was born in 1906, that made it 1922 or
as her birthday was Nov it could have been 1923. These houses in Dukes Road were built at
the same time. The McLean’s moved from Blantyre to 26 Colebroke St when she was a
schoolgirl. I know my uncle; the youngest was born in Blantyre in 1911.
In the pic of the Toll pit, on the extreme left on the top corner of it could be the
chimneys of the same tenements. The wee building on Hamilton Rd/Westburn Rd is still
there. And Lees building. (See Jean Dougal’s pics)
housed lots of Cambuslang well-kent families. The Pub ended up owned by Tommy Currie, I remember his Dad when we took bottles back for
pennies, he used to lean over the counter and seemed so very tall.. and didn’t seem
to want us weans taking the money from him. But we persevered.
In Gordon Dinnie’s photo, Attached, The big gable end is near the building which
housed the Gardners Halls, for dances etc, my Mum and Aunt used to say they went to I.L.P
dances, It wasn’t till I was older I realised it was The Independent Labour Party!
Dance. I don’t remember the tram lines being here as in this pic!
I remember my Dad taking me to the back court of the coffin building to see the King,
Queen and the Princesses after they were at the Empire Exhibition.
I read Mary Gibson’s memories
you sent me, She didn’t mention Rutherglen academy, My sister went there after being Dux Girl at Bushyhill, my brother’s or I did not reach
these dizzy heights!! Tho the teachers expected it. I knew lots of people who went to
Rutherglen.
Mary says that the Co-op ran the whole length of the Main St, from Tabernacle lane to the
terminus, but I remember, from Hamilton Rd going towards the Co were the shops like Cairds
at the corner, Then DK Brown Newsagents, run by his sister Mrs Boyd, then Russells the
fruit shop, Curleys Butchers, The East Kilbride Dairy ? Charlie Glen’s Butchers shop.
McIntosh the Bakers with the function hall at the back. I think Mary’s Dad’s
shop was down in Silverbanks? At Bothwell St.
Tony’s Cafe, was it called the Criterion or something like it? Their name was
D’arpinno. When my son-in-law worked in Di Maggios in Hamilton we went there for
dinner a lot, but it was the first time we were in it, there was the usual photos of Joe
DiMagio and Marilin Monroe, But there was one Framed photo quite prominent on the wall and
John and I recognised it right away, it was one of Tony!! We then discovered that Joe the
co owner was married to his Granddaughter. We had quite a conversation with him that
night, he was delighted we knew who he was and remembered Tony, The other co-owner is
Mario Gizzi, who is related to the Gizzi’s of Bridgeton They owned “The Clyde
cafe” Maria his Aunt lives near us, and John runs her up to Hamilton to their Art
Class, she tells us many interesting stories. She will be 90 yrs old in August, her only
surviving Brother is 85yrs old. The only one born in Glasgow.
When looking at the Main St shops at that time Nancy’s (My friend & bridesmaid in
Canada) Mum had leased The Chapel dairy (hence the owner being J. Lindsay) So this line of
shops at that time must have been 1958-59, I remember buying lovely cooked meats from Mrs
Lindsay for my 1st time hosting a New Year party. Stepek must have taken over from
McIntosh’s Bakers, and purveyors for their reception halls. My Grandparent’s
Golden Wedding Party was held in the Hall at the back of the shop in 1943. A few weeks
before my 8th birthday. They were married in Blantyre 31st Oct 1893. I don’t remember
the wee shop next to DK Brown’s. I know all the rest. We also knew people who lived
above the shops.
Tony’s Cafe was on the Main Street from
Clydeford Road side. 1st was Hunter’s Upholstery business at the corner of Clydeford
Rd and Main St, then M. Wilson’s confectioners and general store, next was the
Funeral undertakers (Co-op?) Then maybe The Borgie Rest
pub. Then Tony’s chip Shop, and cafe, he had 2 shops. You are bound to have a view of
that Ed.
The image you have sent of the roof you circled will be the extension of the Gardners
hall. The tenement was not broad enough for the size of the hall. A fact I have not
realised till now. John says there was a Public House down the low Hamilton Road, Could
that have been McGettigan’s? But we don’t
know where it was, I think Paddy McGettigan owned a lot of places like the Empire.
Tony’s Cafe, was it called the Criterion or something like it? Their name was
D’arpinno. When my son-in-law worked in Di Maggios in Hamilton we went there for
dinner a lot, but it was the first time we were in it, there was the usual photos of Joe
DiMagio and Marilin Monroe, But there was one Framed photo quite prominent on the wall and
John and I recognised it right away, it was one of Tony!! We then discovered that Joe the
co owner was married to his Granddaughter. We had quite a conversation with him that
night, he was delighted we knew who he was and remembered Tony,
September 2022 - Queen's Death
It is sad news indeed. I know you have a special bond to her too.
When I heard the newscasters say she was the only monarch they
have known, it set me thinking. When I was born in November 1935, the Queen’s
grandfather was on the throne, George v. Then Edward Abdicated, then our King, George v1,
then our queen, now our new King. Not that we knew much of what was happening in
I loved their hats, always wanted one, but not to be. There was
always a mystery about them. We would see the odd picture in the papers of them. In fact
it’s not that long ago that I learned the Queen lived in
My first real memory is of the Queen and prince Philip getting
engaged, so did my sister around the same time. Then the Royal wedding, we saw that in the
pictures when the news came on. Where we dare not walk out till the National anthem was
finished.
The first time I knew about Prince Charles was when I picked up
the paper and the headlines read, "To Elizabeth, a son." I was 13 years old.
Then the year I started work I was told in the office the King
was dead. I could not believe it. We did not know how ill he was, and at that young age we
didn’t notice anything wrong.
I have watched, ‘The Crown. and each time I saw it I
wondered how the Queen felt.
We got a public holiday for the Coronation. Our house was packed
out, as my mum and dad got a TV specially for it. I learned later on my dad ordered it
early so he could see Stanley Mathews in his only English cup final, (I think) he was
playing for
There was the problem with her name; The Scots never had a Queen Elizabeth. So she should
have been “the first” that was a protest from our generation.
Then things began to change, titles on letters photos on money,
stamps, the Queen’s head turned the opposite way. The National anthem took longer to
get used to say Queen instead of King. Not for many years had so many changes been needed.
I could never call myself a royalist, but as I got older, I marvelled at her, how could
she do all that work. Oh, she had plenty of help, so have I now. We’ve all had
problems in our families as they grew up. But not in the glare of the media.
Where, now I can say to my family, I don’t feel like going
out, even if we had arranged to do so. She had to do it.
Just a wee lie down.
I believe she went to Balmoral to die. What a lovely way for her
to go. In a place she loved and a place she danced with a young Cameronian called Edward?
What a s
End (for now)
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