The Finish of a Race

Who?  When?  Where?

The Finish of a Race - Who? When? Where?

©  Reproduced with acknowledgement to John Stirling, Currie, Edinburgh:  November 6, 2009                         Photographer not known

 

Enlarge this photo

    The Finish of a Race at Myreside Field ©

 

The Finish of a Race

Old Photo

Thank you to John Stirling for allowing me to reproduce this photo.  The photo is taken from a collection of lantern slides that John rescued from being destroyed in 1974.  The photographer is not known.

Some of the other slides from this series are known to have been taken between about 1910 and 1920.

Who?  When?  Where?

Can you suggest where or when this photograph of the finish of a race might have been taken?  Some  of the other photos from this collection were taken at the Edinburgh University Playing Fields at Myreside.

The board in the background reads:

5

5

3

Time 13

together with a couple of symbols and words that I'm not able to decipher.

What does all that mean?

The Start of a Race

Here is another photo from the same collection, this one taken at the start of a race, but it does not look like the same race.

There are lots of well-dressed spectators at the start of the race, but none to be seen at the finish - just a well dressed man who appears to be operating a stop watch, with two colleagues behind him.

 The Start of a Race - Who? When? Where? ©

 

Answers?

If you know the answer to any of the questions above, please email me.

Thank you. 

Peter Stubbs:  December 1, 2009

 

Reply

1.

John Wishart

Thank you to John Wishart who replied

Myreside Field

"This photo was taken at Myreside Field.

    The Finish of a Race - Who? When? Where? ©

Craighouse (Andrew Duncan Clinic), now part of Napier University, can just be seen in the background, below the top of the flag about 1cm to the right.

I think you have remarked about the crowds at the start of the race.  Eric Liddell was President of Edin Uni Athletic Club in 1924 his Olympic Gold Medal year.  Maybe he was running, or perhaps just acting as starter as I can’t see him in either photo.

Recent Visit

I went down yesterday with a copy of the photo just to work out exactly where it was taken from.

The photo was taken behind Myreside Court looking west. Today, that outcrop of Craighouse, in the background, is blocked by trees.

John Wishart, 2 emails, August 21, 2011

 

Where is it?

Around Edinburgh

    

 

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