Recollections

6.

Peter Shedden

Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Peter Shedden who wrote the following after reading  Betty Fraser's comments above:

Home and School

"I was moved to Royston in 1936, and lived at Royston Mains Gardens.  That was at the same period as Betty Fraser quotes.

I was at the school in Granton Square on a temporary basis, until being sent to Granton School until the Royston School was ready for me and others.  So it is a jolt to the memory to read all the comments."

Milk Deliveries

"I did a milk delivery round for Leith Provident Co-op in West Granton Road.  I started every morning with a bike which had a basket on front and did all the far points of delivery:- Gypsy Brae, the Reservoir which was situated at the site which is now east Pilton, Caroline Park and West Harbour etc.

The reservoir has recently been converted to a small nature reserve, part of with a viewing platform for observing wildlife, as part of Forthquarter Park, a new park created as part of Edinburgh's Waterfront development, not yet open to the public.    -  Peter Stubbs

©

After that, I had a two-wheeled barrow, where I loaded the crates of bottles of milk and rolls to deliver at West Granton Road, along to the Wire Works, down to Granton square, the bank and Harbour Master's house.

©

I continued along lower Granton Road, and up the Granton Medway etc. etc.

I remember the manager, Mr Black, and the Manageress at the bakery dept., Fay.  I was well looked after by both."

Pie Deliveries

"On a Saturday, with no school, I did a 'Pie Round'.  The barrow that I used for the milk was loaded up with bakers' boards of Scotch Pies, and off I went delivering orders.

I can remember so many names of families that had the pies for Saturday lunches around Royston, and of the mothers who looked out for me coming.

In those days, I was up early in the morning as you can guess, and had the deliveries done before going to school.  I did the same, even after going to Bellevue Secondary School, to which I had to cycle."

School Mates

"I wonder if she will remember me and some of our school mates.  I went to the navy at an early age, and so I missed out on some of my youth, but I remember much about the area and life there so maybe I can answer some questions.

Best wishes to Betty."

Peter Shedden, Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland::  August 18, 2006 and February 21, 2007

Recollections

7.

Elizabeth Fraser

(née Betty Simpson)

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Thank you to Betty Fraser (née Simpson) who wrote again, sending a photograph.

Betty wrote

Royston Mains Road

Backgreen

"This photograph was taken on the backgreen at Royston Mains Road, Granton, around 1940.  Two of the other girls in the photo are Mima Lothian and Jessie (?) Dudgeon

You can see a bit of an Anderson Shelter in the background and 'me' centre front!"

©

Elizabeth Fraser (née Betty Simpson):  September 9, 2008 + February 13, 2009

Recollections

8.

Bob Grant

Queensferry, Edinburgh

Thank you to Bob Grant who wrote:

Milk and Rolls

"I have a strong feeling that I worked with Alastair Berry (Recollections 1 above) at the store in West Granton Road, delivering milk and rolls."

The Embassy

"Also, as a very young boy, I used to be allowed to visit the Embassy projection room, and used to get old film from the projectionist.  We used it to make smoke bombs.  He had a club foot which we had never seen before.  He was a very nice person.

Memories

"I am 66 years old, but how fortunate I am to have had such happy memories."

Bob Grant, Queensferry, Edinburgh:  October 27, 2008

Recollections

9.

Bob Henderson

Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh who wrote:

Boys Burning old Film

"Bob Grant (Recollections 8) has just stirred another memory for me.

All of us boys at the time knew of the wonderful ability of the old film stock to give off a terrible smell when lit.  It was a highly prized commodity."

Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:  October 28, 2008

Recollections

10.

Vic

Thank you to Vic who wrote:

The Currie Family

"I am wondering if anyone remembers the Currie kids who went to Royston Mains school.  All of this is coming out of my head because my mother, Lilian Currie, who was born in 1929 in Primrose Street, Leith, Edinburgh used to talk of going to school and doing handstands against the wall, showing her underclothes, and being reprimanded by the headmaster.

She had six brothers and sisters.  Her mother, Victoria Currie, died very young at home during wartime.  The brothers and sisters were Anne, John, Iris, Robinson, (my mom) Lilian, Victor and Marina

©

In one of the photos you show Elizabeth Fraser, now living in Australia, the tiniest little girl reminds me a lot of my mom.  Could it be? "

Vic:  November15, 2008

Recollections

11.

Brian Swanney

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Brian Swanney was brought up in 16 Crewe Crescent from 1952 until 1977, and now lives in New Zealand.

Brian wrote:

Artificial Sunlight Health Clinic

"Does anyone have memories or information on the ‘artificial sunlight’ health clinic that once operated in an extension room on the ground floor of the housing on the NE corner of the intersection of Royston Mains Road and Royston Mains Crescent ( - at least I’m fairly sure it was that corner)?

I assume it was a community health initiative run by the health service.  It certainly wasn’t a commercial tanning shop, or a forerunner of that, just a clinic of some sort operating from premises attached to the normal housing of the Royston district."

I have very vague memories of being taken there for sessions when a very young boy, possibly 4 or 5, so maybe 1956/57 – but I remember the grey painted weatherboard bulge still being there in later years as we walked down to West Granton Road to catch buses into Leith.

I seem to remember the little dark goggles the kids were given to wear and the faint smell of ozone from the UV lamps and NHS folding screens etc.

I can't remember anything about how the clinic operated but I guess the group all just played in a small area and bathed in the lights for a set treatment time."

Orange Juice

"I remember parents bought a type of concentrated orange juice, but not from that clinic.  We also got dosed up on that, so I assume it was all a big drive to get vitamin levels up and probably increase our vitamin D to offset any chance of rickets in the growing youngsters."

UV Risk

"In light of all the warnings today of excessive UV exposure when young, I wonder what the risk / benefit balance was?

I guess the atmosphere of the time was rather grey and sometimes full of dust and smoke particles filtering out our natural sunlight, and the extra top up doses of man-made UV would help compensate."

Question

"I’ve looked online to try to find out more information about the Artificial Sunlight Health Clinic, but not looked hard enough or in the right places to find any documents or brochures that might relate to it.

Can anybody tell me any more about them?   How widespread were these clinics around Edinburgh and  elsewhere?"

Brian Swanney, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand:  February 9, 2010

Reply to Brian?

If you'd like to send a reply to Brian, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to him.

Thank you.    -  Peter Stubbs: March 4, 2010

Recollections

11.

Reply

1.

Christine Anderson (née Keith)

Duddingston, Edinburgh

Brian:

Update  1

By coincidence, I have received another email about sun ray treatment.  It reached me the day after your message. It came from Christine Anderson who still lives in Edinburgh.  I've just added her comments to the web site.  Please click on this link to read her comments:

Leith  Recollections 1, Sun Ray Treatment

Brian:

Update  2

Yvonne Cain sent me an email today saying:

"Brian was right about the baby health centre on the corner of Royston Mains Crescent.  That that was the one I talked about in the Granton Recollections when I mentioned the orange juice and cod liver oil.  I did not know about the artificial sunlight health clinics."

Yvonne Cain (née Dorr), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia:  March 4, 2010

Peter Stubbs: March 4, 2010

Recollections

11.

Reply

1.

Christine Anderson (née Keith)

Duddingston, Edinburgh

Brian:

Leith

By coincidence, I have received another email about sun ray treatment.  It reached me the day after your message. It came from Christine Anderson who still lives in Edinburgh.  I've just added her comments to the web site.  Please click on this link to read her comments:

Leith  Recollections 1, Sun Ray Treatment

Recollections

11.

Reply

2.

Yvonne Cain (née Dorr)

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Yvonne Cain sent me an email today.

Yvonne wrote:

Royston Mains Crescent

"Brian was right about the baby health centre on the corner of Royston Mains Crescent.  That that was the one I talked about in the Granton Recollections when I mentioned the orange juice and cod liver oil.  I did not know about the artificial sunlight health clinics."

Yvonne Cain (née Dorr), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia:  March 4, 2010

Recollections

11.

Reply

3.

Mary Nyberg

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Mary Nyberg wrote:

Royston Mains CrescentI

"I was enrolled at the Children's Nursery at Pilton Drive in 1943.  We were taken by one of the nursery nurses for our treatment on Friday afternoons to a ground floor flat which was the Royston Welfare Clinic.

I remember it well.  I think it was on the corner of Royston Mains Road.    The room that we had the treatment in had this strange smell.  We stood in our knickers, with goggles on, and were given Sunray Treatment, 10 minutes on your front and 10 minutes on your back.

It was a wonderful nursery and we were well looked after.  I hope this will jog someone's memory."

Mary Nyberg, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia:  February 22, 2011

Recollections

11.

Reply

4.

Lizzie Stenhouse

Thank you to Lizzie Stenhouse who wrote:

Royston Clinic

"Unfortunately I do not remember the artificial sunlight clinic, but I do remember going the clinic itself  for my polio sugar lump.

I can picture it quite clearly, it was across the road from us.  We lived in No. 12 Royston Mains Road.  Our family name was  Stenhouse.

My brother Norman, sister Jeanette and I attended Royston School and Ainslie Park School."

Lizzie Stenhouse:  February 17, 2012

Recollections

11.

Reply

5.

Carole Manson

Thank you to Carole Manson who wrote:

Royston Crescent Clinic

"I remember that health place in Royston Mains Crescent.

 I used to go there with my sis, Marilyn, to pick up concentrated orange juice and, I think, cod liver oil, mostly for her and my brother, Tommy.  I also had another sis, was Margaret (Peggy)."

Our Family

"We all went to Royston School.

My mother was in the community club for years.

I lived In Royston Mains Street up to 1958,  when I married Norrie Mills who lived in West Granton Road.

 I'm sure someone will recognize us.  Thanks for the memories."

Carole Manson:  January 23, 2014

Recollections

11.

Reply

6.

Lizzie Stenhouse

Thank you to Lizzie Stenhouse who wrote:

Royston Clinic

"I used to live in Royston Mains Road.  I don't remember the artificial sunlight clinics, but I do know that we went to that clinic for polio sugar lumps.

It was on the corner of Royston Mains Road and Royston Mains Crescent."

Lizzie Stenhouse:  July 21, 2014

Recollections

12.

Sandra Smith (née Denholm)

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Sandra wrote:

Question

John Connolly

"I am seeking information about John Connolly of 32 Royston Mains Crescent, Edinburgh.  I understand he lived there about 1952.

Can you put this info on your site to see if anyone knows of him?"

Sandra Smith, née Denholm, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia:  June 24, 2010

Reply to Sandra

If you remember John Connolly and would like to send a reply to Sandra, please email me then I'll pass your message on to her.    Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  June 24, 2010

Recollections

13.

Arthur Sinclair

Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Arthur wrote:

Questions

Friends from Royston

"I was born in Leith and grew up in Granton, where I lived at 17 Royston Mains Crescent.  I would be keen to hear from anyone who lived in the area at the time (1936-63)."

John Murray

"I'm also looking for John Murray, originally from Musselburgh.  I served with him in The Parachute Regiment (1951-53)."

Arthur Sinclair, Wollongong, NSW, Australia:  August 1, 2010

Reply to Arthur

If you remember Arthur Sinclair or John Murray, and would like to send a reply to Arthur, please email me then I'll pass your message on to him.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  August 4, 2010

Recollections

14.

Lorraine Bruce

Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

Thank you to Lorraine Bruce for posting this message in the EdinPhoto guestbook:

Lorraine wrote:

Question

Scouts

"I am trying to fill in gaps in my father's memoirs. Does anyone know of a 141 Inverleith Scout Pack.  My father was the first full-time member.

He was baptised and confirmed on the same day, when he was 15, at St David's Church, either Royston Mains or Boswall Parkway.  The Minister was Dick Calvert.

My father is now aged 80."

Lorraine Bruce, Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland
Message posted in EdinPhoto guest book, August 25, 2010.

Reply to Lorraine

If you'd like to send a reply to Lorraine, please email me then I'll pass your message on to her.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  September 1, 2010

Reply

to Recollections

14.

Archie Foley

Joppa, Edinburgh

Thank you to Archie Foley who replied:

Reply

149th Scout Troop

"The 149th Scout Troop met in St David's Episcopal Church at the west end of Boswall Parkway.  I was a member for two or three years, just post-1945.  I'm guessing that William Dutton was a senior member at that time.

I remember two brothers named McMahon, one of whom was older than me and could have been a Patrol Leader. His first name might have been Douglas.  One year we went to summer camp near Dundee, but we often went for weekend camps to the Pinkie Estate in Musselburgh.  Alfred Sefton, our Scout Master, also ran a troop that met in the stables there."

Alfred Sefton

"Alfred Sefton was a fine organist and played, for many years, at St Mark's Episcopal Church in Portobello as well as in Musselburgh.  He died in 1987, aged 79.

His son Alfred also became an organist but died some years ago. I think another son is still alive as is his daughter, Hilda Mary.  She lives in Norway but I have no information about her brother."

Archie Foley, Joppa, Edinburgh:  November 30, 2010

Recollections

15.

John Dickson

Silverknowes, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Dickson (a Royston boy) who wrote:

Question

Eagle Gates

"I hear a lot of Grantonians talk about the Eagle Gates that stood on Muirhouse Parkway

In Warrender's book 'Walks near Edinburgh, 1890' she said the gate-pillars were surmounted by griffins.

Does anyone have more information on how they looked, or even a photograph."

John Dickson, Silverknowes, Edinburgh:  August 29, 2010

Reply to John

If you'd like to send a reply to Lorraine, please email me then I'll pass your message on to her.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  September 1, 2010

Reply

to Recollections

15.

Bob Rodger

Thunder Bay, NW Ontario, Canada

Thank you to Bob Rodger who replied to John Dickson's comments above.

Bob's last address in Edinburgh was 19 West Granton Road.  Bob lived in Scotland until 1960.  He is now helping to build a gold mine at Red Lake, N W Ontario, Canada.

Bob wrote:

Reply

Eagle Gates

"I remember the Eagle Gates well.  They were at the top end of West Granton Road, at the entrance to the large house, still there I think, which overlooks the camp grounds to the north of Salvesen Gardens.

As a young guy in the late 1940s, I got on the bus at the Eagle Gates going to Royston school.  I don't have any photos of the gates, but the pillars were impressive, 10ft high, and then the griffins looking east.

The gates were knocked down around 1960, after I had left West Pilton.

Bob Rodger, Thunder Bay, NW Ontario, Canada:  September 10, 2010

  Recollections

16.

William Dutton

Colinton, Edinburgh

Thank you to Lorraine Bruce for sending me the story of her father's life, written by her father, William Dutton.  William lived at Caroline Park from around 1930, then at Royston.

William wrote:

1.

Caroline Park

Early Life

"I was born in the Simpson Maternity Hospital.

-  I spent the first six months of my life at Primrose Street Leith.

-  I spent the next nine and a half years in the A B Fleming houses at Caroline Park, West Shore, Granton.

-  I then moved to 40 Royston Mains Crescent."

The District

"I can remember as far back as 1934.  Caroline Park was a row of terraced houses.  There were 12 families in all.  The next five years that I spent there were the happiest days of my life.

It was a boys' paradise:

-  The beach was about 200 yards away.

-  The railway line was 100 yards away.

-  There were large fields with plenty of ponies."

Family

"I remember my sisters being born.  Chris, the fourth child in the family was born at home, at Caroline Park.  The house was very small, just one living room and one bedroom, gas-lit with a stove and a cooker"

Ponies

"There were ponies in the field.  They were all being shipped to France for slaughter.  Had I known this at the time, I don't think I could have coped with it.

The man who owned the ponies was called Cuddy Bain.  His ponies were my first pets, really.  Until I was older, I thought all ponies were called 'Brownie' or 'Blackie'.

I would walk up through them on my way to school, with no fear of them.  I spent two years trying to find a way to get on their backs.

I would build bricks up, only to have them topple over at the crucial moment!  Eventually, I was able to get up onto a dyke.  I waited until one of the ponies came alongside then just stepped on and over.  For a long time, it was my greatest achievement!"

Beachcombing

"I spent a lot of time on the beach, beachcombing being a great pastime.  Once, I tied a piece of wood to each of my feet, thinking that I would float like the wooden ships.  I nearly drowned and caused quite a commotion.

I lost interest in the water after that.  It had let me down badly, or so I felt!"

'Little Texas'

"There was a rail line in front of the shore, with sidings, one of which was covered with trees.  For years, this was known as 'Little Texas', and is still fondly remembered as such, even now.

We had great fun playing 'Cowboys and Indians', the only problem being that it was next to a sewage works.  The building is still standing but no longer in use.

The combined smell from the sewage works, the tar felt company and the gas works was just too much for us at times.  But, in all, it was a boys' paradise."

Dangers

"With the railway sidings, lorries passing, the sea and quarry ponds filled to the brim, mothers were in a constant state of panic as all these places were within a quarter-mile of each other.

I think that for the first five years of  my life, I was always being told 'not to do that' and 'not to go there', an impossible thing to tell wee boys with so much to excite all around.

One of the quarry ponds was full of hot water.  Many children lost their lives there, but they were never local children, funnily enough.

About a hundred yards from our house, on the shore, there were two concrete boats on which I played.   I must have travelled half way round the world on these things.  I could never understand why people could be so stupid as to try to market these boats when even wee boys like us knew that concrete and stones sunk in water."

Trussels Lemonade Factory

"Just round from these boats, there were two  concrete slabs, about 15 ft long, 6 ft high and 3 ft wide.  All the boys used to place bottles on these and throw stones to see who could hit the most.

The bottles came from Trussels Lemonade Factory, about 20 yards from the shore.  We used to pinch the bottles from the backs of their lorries.  We were always trying to pinch full ones but I don't remember ever having much success.

Trussels was housed in an old dilapidated building that was rat-infested.  The firm was ordered to make fish cakes during the war, to help the war effort.  You could smell the rotten fish for miles.  The place stank for about two years after production stopped, which was quite soon as they realised that the fish cakes were doing more harm than the Germans!"

Granny Smith's Shop

"About 30 yards from Trussels factory, there was a shop in a hut.  This was Granny Smith's.  All I remember being on sale there was sweets.  Of course, she must have sold other things, but I was not interested in those.

Next to the shop, on the other side of an embankment, was the field where the horses were.  We used to slide down the embankment on pieces of lino.  This would rip and tear our clothes.  We would get Hell from our mother as clothes were hard to come by.

Tar Felt Company

"Beyond the embankment was the tar felt company.  We used to get remnants of the felt, melt it down, dip our arrows in it and light it  -  just like the Red Indians in the movies.

Once, I got burnt on my face.  This was very painful as the tar hardened quickly.  I had a hard time explaining it to my mother."

Promenade

"I can remember, in 1935, when they started to build the promenade from Caroline Park to Cramond.  There were lorries full of ashes for the foundations  -  tons and tons of ashes.  The promenade opened up a new walk along the shore for us.

It was closed down during the war, however, as soldiers were billeted there."

Disappearance

"I once caused a real panic when I disappeared.  I am told that they were just about to start a search when I was found.

I was missing for ages, the reason being that I was (and still am) very fond of Nestle's Condensed Milk.  I had found an open tin in the cupboard.  Deciding that I could not miss such an opportunity, I nicked it.

I took it into the largest cupboard in the house, scoffed the lot and fell asleep.  I was found some time later, fast asleep with the tin and spoon in my hand and face covered in Nestle's milk."

2.

Ghosts

'The Green Lady'

"I remember the ghost that I was scared of when I was young, 'The Green Lady'.  She was supposed to live half way down the avenue to Caroline Park, a 16th century house that still stands today.

©

'The Green Lady' was said to be the ghost of the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch.  The Caroline Park house always seemed to be a ghostly place to me, and I always used to wish I had a dozen pairs of eyes when I went past it so that I could look in all directions.  I really was scared.

A man once told me that ghosts were disappointed if they didn't frighten you.  Well, I never disappointed 'The Green Lady'."

'The White Warden'

"My other ghost was 'The White Warden', a more acceptable ghoul.  I was quite convinced that he was only out to get milk delivery boys.  I must have imagined that I saw him thousands of times!

Then, when I changed to delivering papers, it was only to hear that there were  men who took paper boys' money.  My hair was permanently on end!"

3.

The War

Start of the War

"I was nine years old when the war started.  I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.  We were all fitted with gas masks at school, and were shown how to build Anderson shelters."

Anderson Shelters

"The Anderson shelters were meant to be built by ourselves, one shelter for two families.  The shelters were cold and damp, and smelled of cats.

Getting out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the shelter was Hellish.  I seem to remember that we did this for every air raid warning that went off at the beginning of the war.

This happened about once or twice a week.  After about a year, Dad decided that we shouldn't bother any more.  He said, 'If we get hit by a bomb, we'll all go together'."'

Shops

"As for myself, the war changed many things.  Shops were miserably dull with no displays in the windows.  The shop windows, bus windows and tram windows were all netted-up to prevent shattering.

The queues in the shops were a nightmare.  I can remember waiting up to two hours for messages:

-  Fruit came in only about twice a year, oranges and apples being a luxury.

-  There were no biscuits or sweets, jam or preserves

-  Bread was a brownish colour.

-  There was no soap powder, only 'supply soap' which was hard and latherless.

-  The only disinfectant available was weak bleach, and later Parazone, or if you were lucky, Carbolic or Lysol.

-  Cloth was rationed.  Coupons were easily sold if you had no money to use them.  There was a lot of black market stuff about, but we never had any money to deal in it.

-  However, we did get vitamins:  orange juice, cod liver oil, malt extract and Ovaltine tablets and dried milk were all available, free.  As a result of all these supplements, rickets almost disappeared during the war and young people grew taller than they might have done."

Bombings

"I was a quarter of a mile away from the bomb that killed two children as they were having a bath in their house near Boswall Parkway.  Later on, I came to know their mother through the church.  I joined the church after these events.  I reckoned it was a good time to make peace with my maker, in case I got an early call!

I was down at the beach when the Germans tried to bomb the Forth Rail Bridge.  We kids thought it was our own planes practising.  It was great fun until our mothers came running up to get us.  There was great panic and my mother was ill for a long time, convinced that her boys were dead.  It was then that she decided to send Tom and me to Newtongrange.  We were there for a year."

Evacuations

"I remember playing with friends one day and going to get them the next, only to find them not at home.  I was told they would not be back for a long time.  They had been evacuated to Canada and Australia.  This was done amidst great secrecy as people were so scared of spies."

Soldiers and Prisoners

"In Edinburgh, I remember finding the war pretty exciting.  There were plenty of soldiers about and big lorries with my initials on them  - WD for War Department.

I remember seeing Prisoners of War.  It amazed me to see that they looked just like the rest of us.  They were made to wear a diamond shape on their clothes, and worked on the farms.  Apart from that, they went about quite openly though they were not allowed to mix with us."

Rackets

"There were plenty of rackets going on.  One in particular was backgreen concerts.  'Money for Spitfires' or so they said.  The people thought it was for a good cause, but the organisers were quite crooked!"

Deaths

"The sad side of this was, of course, the loss of life.  Amongst our neighbours there were three dead and two Prisoners of War, and that was about average from street to street.

It was sad to see the collection of money for headstones for neighbours who had lost sons and fathers.  When the money was collected and stone bought, it would be displayed in the front garden of the family's house.  This was the family's way of saying thanks to the contributors.

It was such a sad thing to see.  You couldn't get away from the war, even when you played in the streets."

'VE Day'

"One of the highlights of my teenage years was 'VE Day'.  There was such celebrations.  Street parties were being held in every street."

4.

Royston

The Move

"I never came to grips with leaving Caroline Park.  Life was never the same for me again;  childhood ended when I was nine years old.

We moved to Royston, and it was here that I saw people drinking and women smoking.  I could not help staring at them and this got me into trouble.

I became aware that people were mortal.  Young people were dying of diphtheria and TB.  It became easier not to allow myself to become fond of people for fear of losing them."

The Fumigating Van

"I remember, at this time, hating the fumigating van.  It came to your house if there were any infectious diseases there.  This could have meant the dreaded scarlet fever or diphtheria.

I would run away as soon as I saw the van, often as far as three miles.  I was so scared.  The van represented illness, hospital and death.  Well, they were not going to catch me.  Someone used to come and get me, assuring me all the while that it was quite safe to return home.

My sister was very ill and almost died of diphtheria.  I think I must have run away so often that I simply was not at home enough to get contaminated.  That was certainly the general idea."

School

"I remember that for play-pieces, we took syrup, no margarine.  The syrup would turn to a toffee-like consistency and was most enjoyable.

I cannot remember ever having biscuits, crisps, cakes or even sweets in all the years that I was at school.  They were hard times.

I never had pocket money until I started bringing money into the house myself.  Even when I was breaking and selling sticks, the money would all go back into the household."

Earning Money

"I started to earn money when I was eleven years old.  I   chopped wooden boxes for firewood and sold it for 3d a carrier bag.

I was eleven when I started selling and delivering rolls and milk for the Co-op, during the blackout.  I earned five shillings a week for six days' work.

I was scared - and I was scared to admit that I was scared!  I used to walk up the middle of the street, pushing my barrow and whistling loudly.  I had always been scared of the dark.

Next, I got a paper round.  It was much harder work.  I made two deliveries a night for six shillings a week  -  big money!  I gave my mother five shillings and the rest was for me.

I left this job to be a message boy when I was thirteen.  This brought in 13/6d a week for working five days a week after school and all day Saturday  -  11/- a week from this went to my mother.

Rent Night

"Friday night was rent night for the whole stair.  It was 30/- for four families,  7/6d per household.  Things have changed a bit since then, but with all these little jobs, I was never idle."

Tattie Howkin'

"Later, I remember going to Cockburnspath, Chapel Hill, Berwickshire, to do 3 weeks tattie howkin'.  From hard work came great fun.

We stayed in the local school which was closed for the holidays.  I can still remember the farmer's wife bringing steaming tea and hot, freshly-baked bread out to us in the field for our break.

I took home 7/6d in all;  it all went into the household.  I left school the same year.

Jackie Doig

"Jackie Doig and I were great friends and went everywhere together.  We were together for about ten years until we got married when we were aged about twenty.  We used to have some laughs, especially in the blackout.

We delivered milk together, and were the biggest cowards ever.  We would bolster each other's courage, saying the two of us could handle anything.  But at the first sign of trouble, we both ran in opposite directions from each other.  So much for the brave talk!

Jackie was much bigger than me and six months older.  If one of us was off school, the teacher would look in the other's class.  If we were both off, then they knew we were skipping school.  They only ever caught us once, and we got belted for it.

Jackie and I started dance classes together at Dickson's Academy - quick, quick, slow.  We were rubbish.  According to the girls, we were the best looking boys, so the failure to dance was a great disappointment to them."

Guiders

"I had my own guider.  It was made out of an old fish box and stank of fish.  So did I, and anyone else that was daft enough to ride in it.  I never could understand why the odour did not fade with time.

It was the best guider in the street, built for two  -  Jackie and myself.  We sustained a lot of cut elbows and knees, which was tragic as they nearly always festered."

Remedies

"The only cure for the guider injuries was the old wives' cure, bread and butter poultices -  a barbaric remedy.  The poultice would draw out the puss, but it stuck like superglue and was excruciating to get off.  Mother would often put diluted bleach on the sores.  Can you imagine the agony of that?

I once had Lystol put on boils on my neck.  My skin was bright red for a month.  She had not diluted it enough.  But it has to be said that it cured the boils!

I also had raw mustard put on a sore  back.  It cured the pain, but I had a mark on my back for years after, so strong was the mustard.

It took me a long time to get over my conviction that no matter what the illness, the cure just could not be worth it."

Wireless

"I can remember our first wireless set.  It needed two wet cell batteries.  When they ran out, they had to be taken to the shop about a mile away to be recharged.

This was a hazardous job as the battery was full of acid water which, if spilt, would burn you badly and, what was worse, would burn holes in your clothes.

As soon as the wireless needed to be recharged, my brothers and I would do a disappearing act.  Still, it was good to listen to.  I remember the first fight between Joe Louis and Tony Farr."

Gramophone

"I also remember our first gramophone.  It was in a cabinet.  Records then cost 3/6d each in the 'old money'.  My father was in sole charge of the gramophone.  He had a lot of Gracie Fields and Harry Lauder records.

The worst of it was that you had to wind it up and it always seemed to wind down in the middle of a record.  In those pre-stylus days, the gramophone came with a box of 100 needles."

Church

"I started to go to church because I wanted to get into the choir.  I had been daft on singing from an early age.  After about a dozen visits, I got into the choir.  I was in my element and did not miss a practice for three years.

This was at St David's Church, Boswall Parkway.  The Minister was Dick Calvert.  I was baptised and confirmed there on my fifteenth birthday by the Archbishop of Edinburgh.

When my voice broke, I became a member of the Scottish Guild of Servers until about age 18.  The church certainly did me no harm.  The people were interesting and different from what I had been used to."

Scouts

"I joined in all the activities, including the scouts.  I was the first Patrol Leader of the 149 Inverleith Pack, so at least at this time in my life, I was trying to be a good citizen.

Dance

"The first dance I ever went to was the School Leaving Dance.  I got my first suit of 'longs'.  My mother had to cash a Providence Cheque to pay for it.  In those days, only a few shops accepted Providence Cheques and the stuff they sold was rubbish.

I looked smart for about an hour, but when I got up for the second dance, disaster struck!  In the middle of the Highland Scottiche, my trousers split from back to front, from fly to rear.

Talk about embarrassment.  My friends had a field day, taking great delight and telling all the girls.  And it was a very cold night, going home.  Was I glad to get to the end of school!"

Work

"One week after  leaving school, I started to work in Cummings' box making factory.  It's the worst job I ever had.  How men worked there their whole lives in such humdrum surroundings, I will never know.

Later, by the age of 27, I had turned to selling cooked chickens.  I also helped to design the internal layout of the shops.  All the surfaces were finished in Formica.  I was working at the first 'all fridge' shop in Edinburgh.

I was determined to make a success of the job and introduced a recipe system into the shops, '47 Ways to Cook and Prepare Chicken'.

Life was good then - a wife, a child and a well-paid job.  I got myself a pre-war motorcycle.  You could hear it a mile away, like a regiment of tanks.  Then, after two years, it just fell apart."

Flute Band

"At about the age of 28, I started to play in Broxburn Flute Band.  To play the flute, I had to cycle to Broxburn from Royston Mains, every Friday.  That's 24 miles, there and back.  I was in the band for seven years.  It was a good time."

William Dutton, Colinton, Edinburgh
 Message received from Lorraine Bruce,
Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland:  September 7, 2010

  Recollections

17.

William Dutton

Colinton, Edinburgh

Edinburgh Recollections

Most of William Dutton's recollections from the time that he lived at Caroline Park then Royston are included in 'Recollections 16' above. 

However, William also sent memories of some of the other places in Edinburgh that he visited while living at Royston.  I have included these on the following pages:

-  Cinemas

-  Leith Wrestling

-  Museum

-  Pantomime and Theatre

William's daughter, Lorraine, added:

My Father

"My father is a simple man who brought himself out of poverty and nearly went into the Church.  He is very well read.  He taught me to love music, poetry and the great outdoors."

Lorraine Bruce, Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland:  September 7, 2010

Recollections

18.

Lorraine Bruce (née Dutton)

Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

Thank you to Lorraine Bruce who emailed me on behalf of her aunt, Christine Dutton.

Lorraine wrote:

Pies

"My aunt, Christina Dutton, who lived at 40 Royston Mains Crescent remembers a Peter Shedden who used to deliver pies."

Friends

"Christina also remembers:

-  Arthur Sinclair

-  James Polson

-  Izza James

-  Sheila Brown

-  Jean Tracey

-  Chrissie Harper

-  The Macdonalds

-  The Andersons

-  The Farrels

-  The Hunters

-  The Hogs

-  Mrs King

-  Mrs Moody

She went to Flora Stevenson school in 1944."

Lorraine Bruce (née Dutton), Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland:  September 28, 2010

Recollections

19.

David Aberdour

Thank you to David Aberdour for posting a message, about the time he spent at Royston, in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

David wrote:

Royston Mains Crescent

"I was born and bred at Royston.  I lived at 36 Royston Mains Crescent from 1954 to 1979.  In between fending for yourself, it was a great place to grow up."

Play

"My house was in front of a grassy area that we called the 'half moon'.  We played a lot of games on that area.  There was also a bowling green.  Many a game of footie was played there*"

*  Not on the bowling green, I hope!  -  Peter Stubbs

Safety

"You could go out and leave your door unlocked and not have to worry about anyone breaking in, unlike today.

I feel so proud to have been bred and buttered there."

David Aberdour:  Message posted in EdinPhoto guest book:  November 26, 2010

Recollections

20.

Lily Burke

(née Lilias O'Connell Cavanagh)

Foulden, Thetford, Norfolk, England

Thank you to Lily Burke for posting a message in the EdinPhoto guest book.

Lily wrote:

Playing

"It's great, going down memory lane, back to Royston, Granton and Pilton.

I remember:

-  the Anderson shelters in the snow on Granton Hill.

-  going down Gypsy Hill  to Royston Beach on our bikes.

-  playing kick the can, whips, peeries and skipping ropes.

We kids knew how to play games.  Nostalgia!"

Lily Burke (née Lilias O'Connell Cavanagh), Foulden, Thetford, Norfolk, England:
Message and email address posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook, February 14, 2011

Recollections

21.

Peter Gallagher

Thank you to Peter Gallagher for sending a message after reading the comments from Arthur Sinclair in Recollections 13 above.

Peter wrote:

Message for Arthur Sinclair
Recollections 13 above.

Hello Arthur

"Think I know you, Arthur!  Your dad was Murray Sinclair.

-  Bellow you was Thompson the cobbler, later the Curries.

-  On the other side were the Armstrongs and the Marrs."

Growing up in Royston

"I lived at 7 Royston Mains Green. You had red hair and a 'dug' and a pet rabbit!  It would take a week to talk of the great life experience of growing up in Royston:

-  Playing 'fitba'

-  clay fights

-  re-enacting yesterday's 'pickchur'  at 'The Embi' **  on the green.
    **  = film at the Embassy Cinema, Boswall Parkway

"I've been around a bit since, but Royston taught us how to handle the rest of the world!  Lots of memories to share.  Keep in touch"

Peter Gallacher:  December 1, 2012

Message for Arthur Sinclair

I've sent an email to Arthur Sinclair to let him know about the message that Peter Gallagher wrote for him above.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 1, 2012

Recollections

22.

John Dickson

Royston, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Dickson, Royston, for sending me these cards showing meter readings taken at his house in Royston in the 1950s.

John wrote:

Cards with Meter readings

"These cards were hanging behind the meters when we bought our house at Royston.

Gas

"The gas card names John Brown who built the house in 1908, and was a crane man at Granton."

©     ©

Electric

"The electric card is for Reginald Hill in 1951.  The meter reading changed in 1952 when Ronald Delnevo bought the house.  Ronald owned the Jubilee chip shop in West Granton road.

Interesting?"

©            ©

John Dickson, Royston, Edinburgh:  December 4, 2012

Recollections

23.

Carole Mills (née Manson)

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
(since 1965)

Thank you to Carole who wrote:

Billy Sinclair

"Reading all the recollection of Royston certainly gets you remembering.  I remember a William Sinclair who was in my class at Royston school.  I wonder if he was any relation to Arthur Sinclair who wrote Recollections 13 above.

-  Billy Sinclair, as we called him, lived in Royston Mains Road.

-  The Armstrongs that Arthur mentioned are relatives of mine."

Jessy Dudgeon

"I also knew Jessie Dudgeon who someone else in recollections mentioned.   It is certainly a small world."

Peter Gallagher

"I'm sure that Peter Gallagher, who mentioned the Curries above, would have known my husband, Norman Mills, who lived at 221 West Granton Road, close to the Curries."

Remember Me?

"I'd love to hear from anyone who remembers me and my husband.  It would be great to be able to recollect with whoever."

Paper Rounds

"I remember the corner newsagent at Boswall Parkway.

- I did paper rounds there,  1 round in the morning and 2 rounds at night, six days a week  -  for 7s6d a week.

-  Then, I moved to a paper shop next to the Embassy Picture House for more money  -  8 shillings a week

-  I, moved again to Inverleith Road for 12s6d a week.  You got better tips there too, at Christmas time.

We had a great childhood in Royston everybody was friendly."

Carole Mills (née Manson) , Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (since 1965):  Feb 10, 2014

Reply to Carole?

If you remember Carole or her husband and would like to send a message to them, please email me, then I'll pass on Carole's email address to you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  February 10, 2014

Recollections

24.

 Andy Merrylees

Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada

1970s

Royston Beach

   ©

Despite the desolate appearance of Royston Beach (above),
it is only about three miles from the centre of Edinburgh

Thank you to Andy Merrylees for the recollections below.  Andy lived in Edinburgh until he emigrated to Canada in 1988.

Andy's grandparents, Andrew and Lizzy  Merrylees,  moved from Canonmills to 62 Granton Crescent in 1937.  Both lived there until their deaths in the 1980s.

Andy wrote:

Coal from the Beach

"Looking at the photos of Royston beach brought back memories  from 1972 of my father, his close cousin and myself when we used to go  down there and pick up coal off the beach for our old coal fire.

We also used burn some of the coal in small bonfires we lit on the beach in the rocks facing Silverknowes.

One of my father's brothers in law didn't believe my father about the coal that we could get from the beach. 

He was speechless when he came with us one weekend.  For years, he thought that the coal came from the old mine shafts that were under the Firth of Forth."

Change?

"I remember saying to my father I wonder what this place will look like in a hundred years from now.   It has changed in the last twenty, never mind the next hundred!"

Andy Merrylees, Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada:   29 + 31 December 2005

Recollections

25.

 Anne Third

Corstorphine, Edinburgh

Thank you to Ann Third for leaving this message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

 Anne wrote:

Royston Mains Crescent

"I am originally from Royston, and am now living in Corstorphine.

I'd dearly like to hear from anybody who, like me, was living in Royston Mains Crescent in the 1970s."

Anne Third, Corstorphine:  Message posted in guestbook, November 18, 2008

Unfortunately, I don't have an email address for Ann, so if you wish to contact her it would probably be best to:

-  post a new message to her in the EdinPhoto guestbook, or

-  post a reply to the message she left in the guestbook on Nov 18, 2008.

Recollections

26.

Wendy Skene

Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland

Thank you to Wendy Skene who wrote:

Royston Mains Road

Granny Jeanie Grant

"I have great memories of visiting my granny Jeannie Grant (Georgina) at Royston Mains Road in the 1960s.  I especially loved her treacle toffee.

I remember that she used to work in a clay pipe factory.

She used to clean the school which was right opposite her flat at No.19, Royston Mains Road.

My visit to my granny's house would be perfect if my beloved uncle Boabie was there.  Uncle Boabie was a contributor to this page."

My Family

"My mum was Barbara Skene was the oldest of Jeannie Grant's children.  Then there were:

-  James

-  Robert (Boabie)

-  Jessie

-  Jean

-  John

My Mum's pal was Laura Griffiths.

 Neighbours

I remember the Scanlons who lived in the same stair, and a family that lived downstairs.  I think they were:

-  Grace

-  Sonny

-  Raymond (?)

Memories

"I remember:

-  our back green, and the chapel round the corner where you could get a 'poor-out' when there was a wedding.

-  going out to the ice cream van with a bowl and getting it filled with ice cream and wafers.

-  lentil soup made with ham ribs then you'd have the ribs with tatties and cabbage, beautiful!

Do you remember?

"I'd dearly love to know if anybody remembers my granny or any of her family.  I know that my grandad was drowned when his ship SS Crichton was torpedoed.

Sadly, both my Mum and my uncle Boabie have also passed away - uncle Boabie about 4 years ago -  but I loved hearing the stories from when they grew up in Royston Mains Road."

Wendy Skene. Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland:  March 6 + 8 + 8,  2014

Reply to Wendy?

If you remember Jeanie Grant or any of the other people or places that Wendy mentions above, and would like to send a reply to Wendy, please email me, then I'll pass on her email address to you.

      Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  March 7, 2014

North Edinburgh

Cramond - Granton - Royston - Trinity -  Wardie

Maps

Granton:  transport map 1932

Granton:  small map 1870

Granton:  large map 1870

Recollections

Cramond:                        from 1940s

Cramond Island:              1970s

Granton:                           1930s   1940s   1950s   1970s

Granton, Trinity, Wardie:  1940s   1950s - 60s   Shops

Lower Granton Road        all dates

Muirhouse                         from 1930s

Pilton:                               1940 bomb

Royston:                            from 1930s

Wardie School:                 1930s    1940s   1950s

                                         1960s    1970s   1980s

History

Granton, Trinity, Wardie:  from 1544

Recollections  -  More Pages

Recollections  -   Contributors