Edinburgh Recollections - East Thomas Street in the 1940s

Recollections

Linda Robertson

London

Thank you to Linda Robertson, formerly of East Thomas Street, and now living in London, for the following comments.

Linda wrote:

1950s - 60s

"I was raised in East Thomas Street (born 1956) and moved out about 1969 -70

I lived in Number 18 (ground floor back) with my parents May & Jimmy Robertson and our lodger Billy Harrow, who died when I was about 8 or 9."

Neighbours

"I can’t recall everyone in our close, but I remember:

- The Smith family and Joe & Nellie Shaw lived on the ground floor to the front

- Jock & Mary Hay were on the first floor.

There was a fatal house fire on that floor at one point.

- Davie, Ivy and Rosalind Paton lived on the top floor.

- My Aunt & Uncle Alex & Gladys Shields lived in no 19.

I believe that another uncle and aunt, Bob & Winnie Hendry, lived in one of the other closes before I was born.

Hot summer days would see Nan Grant in no. 17 opening her window so we could all appreciate the music from her record player."

Shops

I have vivid memories of the shops at each corner. As I recall:

- Peggy Smiths (corner shop with a ‘penny-tray’)

- Jimmy Bruce the newsagent

- a sweet shop at the top end, run I think by a Mrs Anderson

- a betting shop across from that, later turned into a home.

- Mrs Quinn’s grocer shop, in the middle of the street

- Mrs Learmonths grocers, across the road from the top.

The Street

I can remember milk being delivered by horse & cart (very nice horse called Domino) and very little in the way of cars.

I was so sad to see it all pulled down. The amenities may have been basic but those were happy days!

Linda Robertson, London: December 13, 2006

Recollections

Frank Joseph Shaw

Perth, Western Australia

Thank you to Frank Shaw, formerly of East Thomas Street for the following comments.

Frank wrote:

The Shaw Family

"I lived in number 18 East Thomas Street from 1944 to 1965 and I am the son of the Joe and Nellie Shaw referred to in the Linda Roberson article.

In fact we lived next door to each other. I am now living in Perth, Western Australia where I have been since 1970"

This photograph of my dad which shows what the outside of the houses where like:

Demolition

"East Thomas Street was the centre street in a set of three, Elgin Street, to the left and East William Street to the right. They where built prior to 1855 and demolished around 1975."

Shades of Grey

"I remember walking home during the winter when it was a raining. There was absolutely no green material in my street - no trees, no grass, no plants it was a hundred shades of grey.

The roof slates were three stories high and to a five year old they where as high as the Empire State Building, they glistening in the weak sunlight or during the never ending rain. Also the rain gave the grey granite a clean sparking appearance."

Bonfire

"On the 5th of November a large bonfire was built and burnt in the centre of the street. It was created by the local boys who collected the wood, - old furniture - or stole from other streets' collection. It was a large fire and on several occasions it cracked the glass of the house windows."

Coronation Picnic

"A street picnic was held for the 1953 Coronation. The street was decorated and tables were arranged down the centre."

School

"I attended Leith Walk Primary School. It is still the same today as it was in 1950. Nearly all of the kids from East Thomas street attended this school."

Frank Joseph Shaw, Perth, Western Australia: February 7, 2007

Recollections

John Clark

Canada

Thank you to John Clark for sending me recollections of East Thomas Street, Granton and Craigmillar. Here's what John's wrote about East Thomas Street:

Family

"I have an enormous family of cousins, many now passed away, but many more still alive. I have so many cousins, that I don't know the names of some of them, and haven't even met them, yet most of them are still in Edinburgh.

My mum was the youngest of a family of 5 sisters and two brothers. All of that family had huge families. I think my Auntie Lizzie had at least 14 kids. Mum was the youngest , so I have cousins that are either long dead or very old, ( I am 70 )."

East Thomas Street

"My Aunt Mary and Uncle Frank Keighren stayed at, now I am making a guess from only faint memories, I think number 18 East Thomas Street. They had two sons, Johnie and Frankie, and four daughters, Janet, Margaret, Mary and Sarah. Directly alongside them on the top floor was my Aunt Jeannie Stevenson and her husband. I never did know him.

1945

"My vivid memory of these days is of 1945. All of East Thomas Street was ablaze with red white and blue, Union Jack flags and bunting and decorations. There were big 'V for Victory' signs above each stairway, and everyone was happy and singing and dancing.

My two cousins, Johnnie and Frankie, and my Auntie Jeanie's son Jacky, were coming home from years in a Japanese prison camp. I was only 8 years old, but even, at that age, I could sense the bittersweet re-union. It must have been so nice and at the same time, so gut wrenching for my poor Aunties and Uncles.

The peculiar ending to this saga is that I never did know what became of these three brave men. Maybe someone will have an answer.

Wartime

"Does anyone remember the huge water tank, probably about 40 feet square and 5 feet deep. It sat at the top of Easter road. south of London Road, in among the houses on the west side of Easter Road. I think it must have been for the firemen to use during the war to pump water..

Anyway, my heart goes out to all the brave souls who fought for us during the war. I have been in tears while I was writing this, thinking of my cousins, thank you for listening."

John Clark, Canada: April 1, 2007

Recollections

Eric Gold

East London

Thank you to Eric Gold, East London, for sending me the recollections below about Edina Place. Edina Place is on the eastern side of Easter Road, almost opposite Edina Street.

Edina Street

Eric wrote:

School

St Anthony's Annex

"When I was at St Anthony's school, the annex was situated in Hawkhill Avenue and was nicknamed 'Strangs' after the football pools people. (We were next door to Hibs football ground at Easter Road.)

Bakers

Smiths of Hawkhill

"Nearby, there was a large bakers called 'Smiths of Hawkhill' . I can still smell the bread being baked to this day."

Edina Cafe

'Big Maggie'

"On our lunch break we would go to the Edina Cafe situated in Easter Road near Edina Place, it was not a greasy spoon job as all the food was cooked on the premises.

The woman in charge of the cafe was called Big Maggie. The head waitress and boy she could run that place like clockwork, and you daren't get on the wrong side of Maggie as she was tough and I mean tough. You had to be with the Hibs and other football fans eating there on match days.

Maggie, and I got on like a house on fire. She was a funny lady and swore like a trooper. I bet she and Doctor Goldberg would have hit it off. The owners of the cafe later sold the cafe to Big Maggie.

Meals

I remember, on those cold winters days, she would make a big pot of broth and she would give me a free helping.

A few years later, when I was on leave from the Queen Mary, I had 3 barmen staying at our house in Craigmillar and we went to Maggie's. She was short-staffed that day and said, jokingly, 'Call yourself barmen or stewards?'

So I said to Maggie 'Do you want a hand?' and she said 'Yes'. So I got in the kitchen and peeled a few spuds and washed all the plates and my mates, the barmen on the Queen Mary, waited on the tables there (ha ha ha).

Maggie thanked us and offered payment but we all refused as we made good money on board ship, and Maggie gave us a huge dinner that I'll never forget. Her stews were fantastic. M y favourite was her steak and kidney pie and I can still taste the crust at the top of the pie to his day.

New Zealand

Years later, when I was on P&O lines to Australia and New Zealand I went to the Edina Cafe, and Maggie said to me that she fancied New Zealand after I had showed her a few photos of it.

About 3 years later whilst on leave again, I went down to the Edina Cafe but it was closed, unfortunately. I wonder if Maggie went to New Zealand and stayed there?

Does anyone has any information of the Edina Cafe or Maggie, or any photos of the place?

Eric Gold, East London: April 7, 2007

Recollections

Roz Paton

Fife

Thank you to Roz Paton for sending her recollections of living in East Thomas Street from around 1958 to 1973.

For the past ten years, Roz has been a Deputy Headteacher, living in Fife.

Roz wrote:

1958-73

"I was born in the Eastern General Hospital in 1954, and came home to number 18 East Thomas Street – top floor, first door – with my mother Ivy and my father Davie.

My memories of the street cover the period of time from about 1958 till we were re-homed in time for Christmas 1973, not long before the street was demolished.

Our Flat

"Our flat was a traditional ‘but and ben’. There was a very small toilet behind the front door – just enough leg room to sit on the pan and no more! – and then a second door opened into the first room which was used as a kitchen/sitting room and bedroom for my parents.

The other room was my bedroom and a store room for our clothes and other belongings. There were four flats like ours on each floor and three floors in each close – 12 flats in all.

If you counted up all the people who lived in that wee street at any one time, there must have been hundreds. Some of the families were really big – I can’t imagine where they all slept!"

Neighbours

"East Thomas Street was a really happy place to grow up in. Everyone knew everyone else and most of the time – maybe I’m remembering all of this through rose-tinted spectacles of course! – people looked out for each other, shared things and tried their best to be good neighbours.

I remember all of the people Linda has mentioned very well, and old Mrs Stevenson (who lived in the flat next door to mine) and Mrs Keighran (on our landing), both mentioned by John Clark.

I also remember the Morrisons, a really lovely older couple, who stayed at Number 18 before the Smiths came. Mr Morrison made me a bow and arrow one summer when we were all addicted to playing Cowboys and Indians.

When I was small, old Mrs Stevenson lived in the flat next to mine and old Mrs Keighran (both mentioned in John Clark’s reminiscences) lived on our landing as well.

Children who were contemporaries of mine included Janet Croback (spelling?) grand-daughter of Mrs Keighran and:

*No. 6 or 7*	*Lorraine, Charmaine, Michelle and John McLean* AND *Norma Mitchell* (spelling?)
*No. 7 or 8*	*Tishy and Eileen McAllister* (spelling?)
*No. 12?*	Hazel Purves and brother
No.12	Elaine Coates
No. 15?	Alexis Miller
No 16	Sandra McLean AND Sandra and Jembie
No. 19	Vivienne Kelly
No. 18	Margaret Smith
No. 19	*Esther,* the McAllisters' cousin
No. 20?	Frances Welsh"

Happy Memories

"I have lots of happy memories of living in the street.

- the excitement of Bonfire Night.

- Nan Grant’s record player.

Cliff Richards’ ‘Summer Holiday’ always transports me back to hot, summer afternoons with the younger adults out in the sun joining in with skipping games we played in the middle of the cobbled street.

Games

"I remember

- ‘Kick the Can’

- ‘Hide and Seek’

- ‘Peevers’

- circle games like ‘The Farmer’s in His Den’'

- holding concerts in the backgreen

I remember us as a very active, imaginative generation.

One popular game

- sometimes called Cowboys and Indians

- sometimes Batman and Robin

- sometimes Nazis and British!

was a mad chase through the street, backgreens and over the walls. It involved weapons like old Fairy Liquid bottles full of water, toy guns, bows and arrows etc.

When it was wet weather we ‘played in’ – either in one of the flats or, more often, on the stairs in our close – at ‘Schools’, ‘Shops’ or ‘Hospitals."

Ponies and Donkeys

"One of the really exciting things that happened in my street one summer was when Paddy (Number 14?) tethered his donkeys and ponies for the day on his way to Portobello beach. All of the kids got a free ride."

Weddings

"Every so often a bride left for her wedding from the street and word would be passed from one kid to the other – ‘Poor Oot this afternoon!’

By the appointed time a sizeable crowd of youngsters would have gathered to watch the bride and her father climb into the wedding car. Just before they pulled away, the bride’s dad would throw coins out of the window and the kids would scramble to get as much money as possible.

There were always casualties who were left crying and without anything at all – usually smaller kids who got trampled in the rush. I don’t know how nobody ever got run over!"

School

"Nearly all of the children in the street were educated at Leith Walk Primary School which is in Brunswick Road and still going strong today.