Compiled October 2013
Tommy (Tam) Morris was a frequent contributer to my website and
his missives are full of humour and knowledge and written in own version of the venacular
Cambuslang brogue. I thought it would be a fitting tribute to collate his emails and forum
entries to his memory and for your enjoyment
THOMAS MORRIS
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Tommy was born in Cambuslang, started school in 1943 at Busheyhill then graduated to
Gateside School. Left school and entered an apprenticeship with Redpath Brown, Westburn in
their drawing office. He was a member of the 58th Boy Scout troop at Kirkhill Church and
also the 217th BB in Flemington Church. After completing his apprenticeship he emigrated
to Canada. He married an American and now lives in the green mountain state of Vermont,
USA.
Obituary
Thomas Morris of Williston USA and Cambuslang passed away peacefully on Thursday, Sept.
19, 2013, at home surrounded, by his loving family. He was born on Feb. 13, 1938, in
Cambuslang, Scotland, to Thomas and Anne (Dawson) Morris. After graduating from Coatbridge
Technical College, he moved to Montreal, Quebec, where he worked at Standard Structural
Steel. Tom met his wife, Sheila Ann Waite of Alburgh, in 1962. They married and lived in
Montreal for four years where their first two children were born. Tom and Sheila later
moved to Alburgh and then Pittsfield, Mass., where their third child was born. Tom worked
in Pittsfield, Mass., for Nash Steel Corp. for many years and then became selfemployed as
a Structural Steel Detailer for most of his career after returning to Vermont. He is
survived by his wife, Sheila; his children, Penny and her husband, Tim Eaton of Williston,
Robert and his wife, Carmen Morris of Biddeford, Maine, and Thomas and his wife, Michelle
Morris of Litchfield, N.H.; and his grandchildren, Nicholas Morris, Ian Morris, Owen
Morris, and Nia Morris. He is also survived by his brothers, Andrew Morris and wife,
Elizabeth, of Westburn, Scotland, and William Morris and wife, Barbara, of Stowmarket,
England; his sister-in-law, Candice Bullock and husband, Michael, of Hinesburg; his
brothers in-law, Russell Waite, and Richard Waite and his wife, Diane; and several nieces
and nephews, including special nieces, Karen Bullock, and Anne, Carole and Irene Morris.
He was predeceased by his sister, Jessie; and parents, Thomas and Anne Morris. Tom will be
dearly missed by his family and friends who enjoyed his Scottish brogue, quick wit and
willingness to always lend a hand. He liked gardening, listening to Scottish music,
dancing and cooking. He loved spending time with his family and made frequent visits to
see his children and grandchildren. He was a member of the Ethan Allen Masonic Lodge #72,
The St. Andrews Society of Vermont, The St. Andrews Pipes and Band, and the Montreal Sons
of Scotland. Tom's family would like to thank Teresa Jurich of the Visiting Nurse
Association for her kind and compassionate care that she extended to Tom and his family
during his illness. A remembrance and celebration of his life will be held on Saturday,
Nov. 30, 2013, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Minor Funeral Home, Route 7 in Milton. Online
condolences can be made at www.minorfh.com. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to
the VNA Hospice of the Champlain Valley, 1110 Prim Rd., Colchester, VT 05446; or American
Cancer Society , 55 Day
A later obituary in the Glasgow Herald
Extract of emails between Margaret McKinnon and Tommy
This is the first one I got from Tommy.
"Awra
best fur 2009 frae a faur flung place, if yer no in Scotland then it's faur flung, if wee
Miss MacLean cud see ma spellin' the day she'd fair rap ma knuckles wi hur pencil, hur an
Miss Wallace tho hur weapon wiz a wee ruler baith o' thum cud rap sae fast ah've seen a
few get up oan thur tippie toes cos it hurt sae much.
Ah ken who
ye ur Margaret ah've been tae yer hoose oan Johston Drive, yer mum had a chippie oan main
street across frae Langs? Ah went tae school wi' Jimmy an' ye hud an older brither George.
When I
visited Cambuslang back in 1996 I was in the bakery and recognised Jimmy in the back shop,
he came right out cleaning his hands on his apron and gave me a hearty hand shake had to
be 40 years or more since we had seen each other, the sweat was lashing off him he was an
awfully busy man. I was surprised and saddened when I heard of his passing he was taken
young.
The
pictures took me back in time Margaret, I recognized you right off, is that a tight skirt
your wearing and it looks like you have a white "hairy bunnet" in your left
hand, didn't know auld Stark allowed such dress code.
Thank you
for posting Margaret you put me to shame that you can remember so many names from the past
I think my mind is going mushie.....LOL, I know many of the faces but can't tag them, in
the picture with Margaret Orr with the flag Robert Fitzgerald in the birds eye check
jacket and Glen Montgomery has the leather, sh........t I've gone and depleted my daily
brain cell allowance.
BTW while
I remember I'm Tommy Morris(71 in Feb), I have an older brother Billy (72)(currit heid an
specs)lives in England he was closer to your age, and an elder brother Andy(75) who lives
in Westburn and was almost ages with George. We lived at 70 Main St. 2 closes past the
Savoy going toward the cross, the family moved to Deans Ave in Halfway around '50.
Best
Regards to you Margaret
------------------------------------------
From: AyeTam @ aol.com
Sent: 10 January 2009 02:46
To: margaret.mckinnon
Subject: Re: a message frae a "Far Flung Place"
"Helen Morris is in my class photo, is she your cousin? she stayed on the Main St. as
well." Aye Ella was my cousin she died around 1998, her dad Alex and my dad were
brothers, Ella lived the 1st close past Tabernacle Lane towards Savoy, (around the corner
at Tabernacle lane lived the Taits, Roy was in my class at Bushie). Ella then flitted to
70 Main following our flit to Deans Ave. where my Gran Morris and uncle John bided, John
was walking wounded from WW2 suffering the after shock of war, he was teatoatler before
the war then after strong spirits became his escape, ended up in Hartwood, Gran couldn't
cope with him and my dad being the oldest took on the responsibility of his younger
brother
"Orlitz" I always understood the houses were called the Orletts, named after the
firm who built them. I'm thinking the residents liked "Orlitz" because it
sounded ritzy, I knew them as the Orletts, I didn't like the "newbies" that were
intruding on my childhood domain. Every fall I used tae howk totties in the farmer's
field, of course the builders NEVER considered THAT before coming in with the
bulldozer........LOL
It's still the same communities don't like change, the usual answer from developers
being, YOU can always buy the property then YOU can do as you please with it, if not then
please respect MY rights as an owner, my brother Andy sent me pictures of Gateside
demolition, you know Margaret I didn't mind it as much as if it were Busheyhill
.............the architectural features gives it a lot of character, so if it goes on the
chopping block I don't need to know.......lol. That's where I banged ma heid an' went
unconscious an' suffered permanent brain damage. At the far stair to the girls playground
we would jump and catch the steel bar going across from the wall to the big 5foot spikes
on the outside of the steps, of course the rules forbid us from swinging, anyways I
remember taking a runner and reaching to catch the bar and my next recollection was waking
up laying down in Mr Smith's room with this huge lump on my head my left arm fractured,my
ankle twisted and my ears ringing and people milling around saying he's awake! he's awake!
he'll be alright, I had a stookie on my left arm and was told to soke my ankle in vinegar
and water, I don't remember what I did for the head injury, probably an askit
powder.........in those days I was undestructible and could fly like Captain Marvel
must've forgot to say "SHAZAM".
I see you are in Vermont. How long have you been there? Did you marry before you went
out there?
No I didn't have the good sense to marry a Scot's lass I married a yank, I use that old
brain injury as an excuse when I make a poor decision, it's not that I don't love my wife,
in hindsight I regret removing myself from family ties and birth-country, though there
were extenuating circumstances, after 6 years of being a widow mum re-married and we had 3
grown men sharing a 20'x20' bedroom, I was happy for my mum until then she lived a hand to
mouth existence and my new step father could provide financial security for my her, she
served school dinners and in the evenings she was the cleaning lady at the Welfare
building near to you, I was attending night school/day release and earning a pittance. In
fact her family the Dawsons lived at Vicar's walk, small world?
My one and only wife Sheila is a "Native Vermonter" we 1st lived in Montreal
then moved to the states in '66, worked in New York, Massachusetts and finally settled in
Vermont '72, we have a daughter Penny, two sons Rob and Tommy, 3 grand-sons and a
grand-daughter, Penny and hubby live close by, Rob in Scarborough Maine (4 hrs) and Tommy
in Manchester New Hampshire (3 hrs away). Scarborough is next to the ocean and I always
loved the beach, thought maybe we'd move there in retirement but it doesn't look like that
will happen.
He married Nan Frew from Tabernacle Lane. Nan and Willie Frew was their father William
Frew the butcher on Main St? I knew them both they lived above Charlie Clark (the crippled
lad) in the 2 story across from Guy Eadie's coal delivery business, I knew the Eadie
family Kenny,Gavin, Gordon, John they moved from being neighbours of Ella on Main St to
Cairns Rd ..... Gordon was a postman and a good cross country runner.
Back to Davie he was the president of Halfway bowling club for a short time, my family
were all keen bowlers 3 generations..... brother Andy still bowls, anyway Davie apparently
knocked heads with "the auld alliance" at the green by wanting big change with
big plans to expand, they've always had a good strong membership and most liked it just
the way it was, the bar in the clubhouse sells drinks at non-profit prices and I think
Davie wanted to increase patronage by allowing the public.......cut-price drinks half the
drunks in Halfway and Cambuslang would have inbibed. Myself I think Davie enjoyed
confrontation he should have been a politician, aye I remember the brother Jimmy, he had
to be a 2 or 3 years younger and not quite as visible as his big brother.
I can't write the way you do, in the auld Scottish tongue,
That's not auld Scottish my dear as much as it's Glesga slang (Stanley Baxter circa)
I had several Glesga Keelies I use to correspond with thru work we were on an engineering
message board and we'd go into Glesga Parliarmo just to confuse the other posters, we got
so good that it was almost like a code, the other US posters got po'd because we were
hogging the board and they threatened to ban us if we didn't chuck it.
Chip Shop, it was in Kirkhill,
I recall your mother serving up fish and chips but I don't remember the chip shop in
Kirkhill, although when I lived in Halfway I'd walk to Cambuslang by route Gilbertfield Rd
onto Cairns down past rookery and swings. I also was a member of the 58th cub and boy
scout group attached to the Old Kirk, and when I picture John he's wearing a BB uniform,
I'd probably see him when we were out on parade, we made quite a few visits to the War
Memorial in the pubbie park, from the Main St it was uphill all the way. There was a
Willie McKinnon in my class at Gateside, tall slim dark hair, that had to be the 3B class
of '53 I can't picture Sandy though that doesn't mean he wasn't there. You know Margaret I
can't ever remember having a class group picture taken at either Busheyhill or Gateside I
had 2 head only taken at Busheyhill and that's all, I haven't seen any groups with either
of my 2 brothers, I'm thinking if you couldn't afford to buy the picture you weren't
allowed in the picture, photography is a business and the photographer would need to know
ahead of time how many pictures he could sell to make it worth his time?
It's jist no fair..........boo... hoo... hoo sniff....sniff.
Thanks for the very nice 50th anniversary pic you both carry your age well and look happy,
"they" say if you make it to the gold it should be all clear sailing from there
on. dinna ask me who "they" is..... ye use wee text when ye waant tae whispur.
I'm a 2 finger typist Margaret and I've been typing this letter in stages, it was great to
hear from you, I've included 4 links with a good auld Scottish flavour I hope you haven't
already viewed them, the links get you into the youtube website, on the steamie for eg
there are I think 6 parts to the entire video.
Does John use the laptop?
All the Best of 2009 From a Far Flung Place,
To You and Yours Margaret.
Tommy
===========================================================
Website Forum entries
Tam Morris
Aug 31, 2008 - 3:10AM
75.69.32.143
Re: Re: Re: Re: Growing up in Westburn
John your comment about people drowning in the Clyde reminded me of an incident that took
place in 1956 one of my oldest pals Jim Fleming (18 years old) drowned down near the Orion
Bridge.He lived on Deans Avenue.
Jim and his brother Andrew (lived on Colbrooke St) were in the Cambuslang Harriers
(another notable Gordon Eadie was also a member at that time) anyways.... Jim and Andrew
were out running on a summer evening and near the end of their run decided to paddle at
the edge of the Clyde and splash each other to refresh themselves, neither of them could
swim Jim lost his footing and got caught in a current Andy had grabbed his brother's but
sadly had to release Jim for fear of being drawn down into the undercurrent.
What a tragedy, Jim was an apprentice painter with Peter Spence the snooker champ.
Is there anyone that remembers that paticular drowning.
Tam Morris
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Tam Morris
Oct 18, 2006 - 9:31PM
69.171.197.69
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Dechmont Hill
ye ken Jim, when we start tae get almost as auld as yoo ur some o'us look back (jist like
ah did) an determint ah've been a peopul pleesur maist o' ma life an frae heer oan ah've
decydit
"ah'm no gonnae no dae that nae mair"
So Jim tae answer yer QUESTION OR DIRECTIVE
"Tam I hope you're reading this"
NAW Jim! ah'm sorry but ah'm no readin' that, an furthur mair ah've nae intenshuns o'
readin' it onytime in the neer footchur neether.
Tam
Your location Essex Junction, Vermont, USA
===============================================================
Tam Morris
Oct 19, 2006 - 6:57PM
205.188.116.137
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Dechmont Hill
Hello Bill,
I reviewed a map used by Royal Mail and produced by multimap.com Auld Kirk Road is part of
the Orlits Scheme and has approx. 8 houses which start from The Glen to roughly 50yds past
the farm road that would also take you to the ruins at Gilbertfield Castle.
The houses end at Chocolate Lane appropriately named because if you didn't want sh...(aka
keech) on yer shoes it was best to hop-scotch from one end of the lane to the other. The
house addresses for Gilbertfield Rd ran from the Glen in the other direction toward
CastleChimmins Rd.
The houses on Auld Kirk Road were only on one side toward Craigallian so originally there
was a picky bramblie hedge and a piece o' land wi' scuzzies (assortment of weeds)between
Gilbertfield Rd (aka The Back Road)and Auld Kirk Road, from the map it appears that the
hedge and skuzzies are removed and the part of the old road running parallel now becomes
part of the wider Auld Kirk Road.
The original Back Road running from the Glen to the Public Park has no houses so the
remainder which runs from Chocolate Lane to the park could be called whatever....
Hope this helps confuse even more....LOL
Tam
Your location Essex Junction, Vermont USA
=================================================================
Tam Morris
Jun 22, 2010 - 9:52PM
75.69.67.115
Re: Dechmont Hill
"The houses were next to the ebeneezer hall"
Catherine there was an ebeneezer hall on Overton St. which was on the other side of
Hamilton Rd. it lined up with Glen St.
Macginley's chip shop was on the corner and the ebeneezer was about 100-200ft on the right
side.
Heading up Glen St. on the right just after the Co-op building there were 2 story
tenements with 2 access closes, on the left corner there was Gilbertfield Co-op grocery
store with it's front on Hamilton Rd.next on Glen St. was a pen opening for rear door
deliveries and next to that there was the Co-op offices where you could retrieve the cash
value of your dividends,up above over the offices was the Gilbertfield Cooperative Hall
which had a great dance floor.
In the 50's there were 2 Fleming families I knew of one lived on Lightburn Rd. and the
other in Cooper's Building, were they your kin?
Also I knew a George Brown born around '36 lived at the top of Castlechimmins Rd.was he
your kin?
Your location USA
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December 22nd 2004 01:22:58 PM What is your name? Tam Morris Please enter your comments? In the picture "across from the Savoy" what happened to Charlie Flannigan's pawn shop. Was it replaced by Cowans although if my memory serves the door to Charlies was on the left side of his display window. Didnae go tae Rab's chip shop, they used tae say thit Rab served the chips wi same hawn thit he used tae tak a leak, an how cud he wash his hawn, ach it wis jist laddies' havorins. I think big Rab Bunnion lost his arm in WW2.
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