Around Edinburgh

Grangemouth

Recollections

Grangemouth

Recollections

Thank you to George Smith, British Columbia, Canada, formerly Edinburgh, for the following recollections:

Docks

"On your site you have a photograph which purports to be of Grangemouth Docks; I worked at Grangemouth Docks for some time on Carron Dock but can not identify which dock is this photograph.

The old town had an interesting history with some strange buildings and I ran the Ships Stores warehouse in a deconsecrated church where my office was the former vestry

I witnessed the launch a car transporter there sometime in the late 50's.   The last ship to be  built at Grangemouth was a fishing vessel, launched in 1971."

Airport

"Grangemouth had an airport built  just before the WW2, then requisitioned by RAF as a Flying Training School . 

It was a brave attempt to provide a Central Scottish Airport. I did find a photograph of a line up of biplanes on what appears to have been a purely grass field  -  no sign of any runway.  Though I understand Dakotas (Douglas DC3)landed there.

I would not have fancied landing there because the approaches are over low hills on an east west approach and there is a hint that the pupil pilot attrition rate was high enough to warrant a special corner of the local burial ground!

The airport still remained in 1967, an ornate gateway wall with, I think, lions heads carved in to them. The site has since been built over with petro-chemical works of various types."

George Smith, British Columbia, Canada:  Jan 2005