Edinburgh Old Town
Castle Hill
Primary
School
|
Opposite the Camera Obscura
Castle Hill School is situated on the south side of Castle Hill,
close to Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, and across the road from the Camera
Obscura.
The school opened in 1889. It is the building set back from the
road in the photograph above, taken from the Camera Obscura. |
Castlehill
from the
Camera Obscura
©
Copyright:
Peter Stubbs - please contact peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk
Photograph taken 3 May 2004
Castle Hill School
©
Recollections
|
1. |
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
|
- School Dux
|
2. |
Jim Robertson
Berlin, Germany
|
-
School Photo
|
3. |
Jim Currie
Sarnia Ontario, Canada
|
- School
Photo
|
4. |
Anita
Razzell (née
Canale)
Qualicum Beach, British Columbia,
Canada |
- School
Photo 1950-51
|
5. |
Kathleen Crawford
(née Matheson) |
- Grannie's Green
- Dux
|
6. |
Jim
Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
|
- Basher Thomson
- School Pupils
|
6.
Reply 1 |
Andy Wanstall
Swanston, Edinburgh |
7. |
Florence Broderic
(née
McGhee)
Muriston, West Lothian, Scotland |
- Milnes Court
- Family and Schools
- Friends
- Return Visit
- Tattoo
|
8. |
Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland |
-
School Photo
- First Year
|
9. |
John McCall
Murrayburn, Edinburgh |
-
School Friends
|
10. |
Florence Broderic
(née
McGhee)
Muriston, West Lothian, Scotland |
-
Castle Hill School
|
11. |
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
-
Castle Hill School
|
12. |
Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland |
- When did the school
close?
|
13. |
Bryan
Gourlay
Biggar,
Lanarkshire, Scotland |
-
The school closed in 1951
|
14. |
Ronnie McGrouther
Prudhoe, Northumberland, England |
- Castle Hill School,
1946-50
|
15. |
Alf Douglas
Edinburgh |
- Castle Hill School,
c1942-49
|
16. |
Alex Guild
Rocky Hill, Connecticut,
USA
and
requests to contact Alex from
Anna Burns (née
Duffy)
Adelaide, South Australia,
Australia
and from
Mary Moriarty (née
Elden)
and from
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
- Home and School
- Teachers
- Pupils
- Games
- Religion
- The Pictures
- Move to USA
- Return Visit to Edinburgh
|
17. |
Marion
Marshall
(née
McLaren) |
- School Closed
- Jim Cairns
|
18. |
Lorraine
Beach
(née
McGrouther)
Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England |
- Walter Mcgrouther
|
19. |
Marlene
Deans
Edinburgh |
-
George Deans
|
20. |
Charlie
Wookey
Edinburgh |
- Home
- Daughters of Nanny
Brown
|
21. |
Patrick
Carlin |
- Castlehill School
|
22. |
Jemma Jones |
-
PC 'Basher' Thompson
- A book about 'Basher'?
|
23. |
Jemma Jones |
-
PC 'Basher' Thompson
- The Grassmarket
- 'He died with his boots on!'
|
24. |
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
- Jim Currie's Book
|
Recollections
1.
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
Thank you to Jim Currie, now living in Canada, who sent me the
following message:
Jim wrote: |
School Dux
"My name is Jim Currie. I attended Castle
Hill Primary School when I lived in the Lawnmarket at # 1 Upper Bow.
Around 1949/1950.
I
was lucky enough to be the 'Dux' boy that
year and received £3 and a Book at a School Ceremony for my efforts.
Unfortunately
the £3 are long gone as you can imagine and the book
which I had left with my Ma and Dad also
disappeared after I emigrated to Canada.
Any chance there might be a record of this
achievement to be found, or a picture of the graduating class?
I do have a small cutting out of the Edinburgh
Evening news from that time, but no other documents.
I would be very surprised but happy if you
came up with anything. Thx."
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: 3 January 2006 |
If you have any comments for
Jim, please
e-mail me so that I can pass them on to him.
Thank you.
- Peter Stubbs: January 2006 |
Recollections
2.
Jim Robertson
Berlin, Germany |
Thank you to Jim Robertson who replied: |
School Photo
"I thought the photo below might
interest Jim Currie who was at Castle Hill Primary School. The photo
comes from a friend of mine who came from the Upper Bow.
His Name is Ian Kerr. He
now lives in Berlin, a few doors away from me. The photo was taken
also around 1948-50.
Jim Robertson, Berlin: March 16, 2008
|
Castle Hill Primary School
Around 1948-50
©
A note on this photo says that it includes the Kerr twins, Inez and
Ian. |
Recollections
3.
Jim Currie
Sarnia Ontario, Canada |
After reading Jim Robertson's comments and seeing the photo above, Jim
Currie wrote: |
"Jim:
School Photo
I really appreciate seeing the
picture you sent of a class at Castle Hill Primary School.
Alas it's not the year i was looking for. I'm still looking for 1949
or 1950.
Please
tell your friend that we lived in No.1 Upper Bow for several years before
moving to a housing development at Broomhouse in the West of Edinburgh -
not a great experience - then to Stevenson Drive where I lived until
emigrating to Canada in April 1960.
Here are some
names that you may recall from the Upper Bow area:
-
Alec Lauder
-
,Donald Reid
-
Bobby Gibson
-
Sandy Cornelius
-
John Middlemas
-
James Lindsay
-
Donald Urquhart.
We played a lot in Princes Street
Gardens, Riddles Court, and Milnes Court, just across the 'Lawnie'.
My claim to fame if you want to
call it that, was that I spent a lot of time in a wheel chair in my early
years attached to the railing at the top of the Bow, as I had been born
with a club foot."
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: March 21, 2008 |
Recollections
4.
Anita Razzell (née
Canale)
Qualicum Beach, British
Columbia, Canada |
School Photo
1950-51
Thank you to Anita Razzell
(née Canale) now living at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada for
sending me this photograph of the 1950-51 final year class at Castle Hill
Primary School.
©
This may be one year later than the class that Jim Currie is looking
for. |
Recollections
5.
Kathleen Crawford (née
Matheson) |
Thank you to Kathleen Crawford for sending this
message to Jim Currie in reply to 1 above.
Kathleen wrote: |
"Jim:
Grannie's Green
I believe I was in your sister
Margaret's class at Castle Hill School. My
teacher was Miss Mowat. My brother, John,
and I lived in the army barracks at Johnstone Terrace. We used to play in
Grannie’s Green, and used to be scared of the local policeman
— Basher Thomson." |
Dux
"We had Australian accents then.
Did you find out information regarding your Dux medal?
I was Dux as well and have nothing to show
for it, so I sometimes think it is all in the
mind as I have no proof of It.
If I remember correctly a boy
named Eric McKean was Dux boy. It was either him or Alfred Douglas." |
Kathleen Crawford (née Matheson):
July 30, 2008 |
Recollections
6.
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
Thank you to Jim Currie, now living in Canada, who sent me the
following message: |
Basher Thomson
"The most recent message
from Kathleen Crawford
(4 above)
took me back a few years with comments
about the Barracks down Johnstone Terrace,
Grannie's Green and 'Basher
Thompson" the Bobby who kept us all on our toes.
I have him as a character in a wee book I'm
writing about my early days in Auld Reekie." |
"To Kathleen:
School Pupils
I remember
Alfie Douglas, but my sisters name was Betty,
not Margaret. She did have a close friend
called Margaret Aitken who lived on the top flat in
No.4 Upper Bow, where my Granny Fell and
Auntie Jean also lived in those days.
I also had two
cousins that went to our school, Ann Currie and
Elisabeth Gibb. they were about our age.
Thanks for the memories
PS.
I'm a diehard 'Hibee'
fan, ever since the 'Famous
Five' days." |
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: 3 January 2006 |
Recollections
6.
Reply
1.
Andy Wanstall
Swanston,
Edinburgh |
PC 'Basher Thomson' is mentioned in
Recollections 6 above, and also on the
Cowgate and
Vennel pages on the EdinPhoto web site.
Here, Andy Wanstall replies: |
'Basher Thomson'
"I
have been told that Basher Thomson's granddaughter resides in Musselburgh,
but so far, I've not been able to trace her"
Andy Wanstall, Swanston, Edinburgh:
February 13, 2014 |
Recollections
7.
Florence Broderick
(née McGhee)
Muriston, West Lothian,
Scotland |
Thank you to Florence Broderick who wrote: |
Milnes Court
"I lived at 1
Milnes Court, Lawnmarket from 1943
until
1968. Then the court was taken over by the University and we were
all re-housed." |
Family and Schools
"I had
4 sisters, Norma,
Violet, Mina and Dorothy, and two
brothers, Robert who was killed in the war in 1942, and Alistair.
Alistair,
went to Castle Hill School from 1947 until the
school closed, then he went to James Clark
School.
I went to South Bridge School, then to
Darnoch, up Gilmore Place." |
Friends
"I
remember
Alfie Douglas, Alex Anderson, Donald Reid,
Bobby and May Gibson, John Middlemass; also
Grace Mowat, who died aged only 5.
Her dad was a bookie. Her
uncle had the Eagle Bar with back windows facing onto Milnes Court." |
Return Visit
"I took my
grandchildren around the area on Monday. It has all been done up
with big wooden doors and windows in the stair.
Castle Hill School
is now a Whisky Heritage Centre.
Being
Festival time, the Royal Mile was very busy, with stalls and slide shows." |
Tattoo
"My family are taken
us to the Tattoo this Saturday. The tickets sell out quickly and are hard
to get.
We always used to go when we were kids.
My dad worked in the castle and was a piper with the Royal Scotts." |
Florence Broderick Muriston, West
Lothian, Scotland: August 14, 2008. |
Recollections
8.
Jim Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife,
Scotland |
Thank you to Jim Cairns for providing a
photograph of his Primary 1 class at Castle Hill school, taken in 1949.
Jim wrote: |
School Photo
"Here
is a photograph of my Primary 1 class at Castle Hill school in 1949.
I think my teacher was Miss Mowat. I was only
there a year when the school closed, and I then went to South Bridge
school.
©
Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge the photo and read
some of the names of the pupils. |
First Year
"I don't remember much about that first year.
I was dunted in the back going downstairs and was only saved by
rugby-tackling one of the female teachers. Very embarrassing!
We used slates to practice writing on, and
brown plasticine for art lessons.
We used to get a free bottle of milk every
morning. It was ok in the winter when it was cold, but not so nice in
summer. We used the foil tops with
marbles to make 'racing cars' which we
used on the sloping playground.
The classrooms were heated with coal fires,
and when it rained the coats were piled on the fireguard to dry. If
it was very wet, all of the pupils would march about in the rain at
playtime chanting:
'We want a halfie, we want a halfie!'
It usually didn't
work though." |
Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland:
September 21 + October 10, 2008 |
Recollections
9.
John McCall
Murrayburn, Edinburgh |
Thank you to John McCall, who wrote: |
School Friends
"I lived at Riddles Court from 1940 until
1955 when we moved to Longstone. I went to Castlehill from 1945
until the school closed.
My mates were:
- Shugie Docherty and
- Tam Munro
I also remember:
- John Middlemas
- Alfie Reid
- Alex Anderson
- Donald Reid
- Allie
I then went to Jimmie's
until 1955.
I
did a lot of
travelling, and now I'm
back hame for good.
(Jimmy's = James Clark School, St
Leonard's) |
John McCall,
Murrayburn, Edinburgh:
February 20, 2009 |
Recollections
10.
Florence Broderick
(née McGhee)
Muriston, West Lothian,
Scotland |
Thank you to Florence Broderick who wrote: |
Florence wrote:
"I have found this photo.
It could be the one that Jim Currie was
looking for.
(See Recollections 1 above)"
Jim was 'Dux'
boy in his final year at the school, 1949-50.
© |
Florence Broderick Muriston, West
Lothian, Scotland: February 24+25, 2009. |
Recollections
11.
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
Thank you to Jim Currie, for writing again,
after having started discussion of Castle Hill School
(with his 'Recollections 1')
about three years ago.
Jim wrote: |
School Photos
"I've found lots of school
pics floating around in cyberspace, but alas still haven't found the one
of those who left Castle Hill Primary School at the end of 1952/53.
Also, does anyone have any
pics of
Carrickvale Secondary School?"
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada:
March 28, 2009 |
Recollections
12.
Jim
Cairns
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland |
Thank you to Jim Cairns, now living in Dunfermline,
who wrote: |
Question |
When did Castle Hill School
close?
"I was looking at Jim Currie's
recollections (11 above).
They
suggested that the school was still open in
1952/53. My memory is that
the school closed in 1950 or maybe 1951.
I was moved to South Bridge School,
and remember getting my Coronation mug and a packet of Duncan's
Merrols there in 1953.
I had already been there a couple of years,
I think.
Can anybody say for
sure when Castle Hill school closed?"
Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland:
April 23, 2009 |
If you know the answer to Jim's question,
please email me, then I'll forward your message to him.
Thank you. -
Peter Stubbs: April 23, 2009 |
Recollections
13.
Bryan Gourlay
Biggar,
Lanarkshire, Scotland |
Thank you to Bryan Gourlay for providing the
answer below.
Bryan wrote: |
Answer |
The School Closed in 1951
"It
looks like Jim Cairns is correct. The Edinburgh City Archives has
the school's log books from 1888 up until 1951."
Record Reference:
NRAS3563/50/1
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 38890
Edinburgh CL
Bryan Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire,
Scotland: April 23, 2009 |
I was surprised by the speed of Bryan's reply.
It arrived only an hour after I had asked the question on the web site. |
Recollections
14.
Ron McGrouther
Prudhoe, Northumberland, England |
Thank you to Ronnie McGrouther who wrote: |
1946-50
"My family lived in
Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh.
I had brothers Arthur,
Robert and Walter and sisters Margaret, Cathy and Mary. We went to
Castlehill School from about 1946 to 1950.
I'd like to find a
school photograph of myself from that time."
Ron McGrouther,
Prudhoe, Northumberland, England, May
18, 2009
|
Recollections
15.
Alf Douglas
Edinburgh |
Thank you to Alf Douglas who wrote: |
1942-49
"I
went to Castlehill School from about 1942 to 1949, then went to Darnoch
and left in July 1952.
I have many fond memories of
Castlehill school. In
fact, it was our year which got the school to
form a football team. Better not too talk
too much about that!!"
Pals
I can confirm that it
was my good pal Eric McKean who was Dux. I
remember a lot of the boys and girls. Here are just
a few names:
- Erin Anderson
- Ronnie Armstrong
- Bettie Currie
- George Downie
- Franny Duffy
-
Bobby Ewing
- Freddy Hawkswell
-
Charlie Holt
- Alex Lauder
-
Wallace McLerty
-
Kathleen Matheson
-
Alec Ramsay
- Lena Walker
- Willie
Waugh
Alf Douglas Edinburgh: December 8
+ 9 + 10 +11, 2009 |
Recollections
16.
Alex Guild
Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA |
Thank you to Alex Guild who wrote: |
Home and School
"I lived at 209 Jackson’s Close on the
High Street, and went to Castle Hill School
as did my siblings:
- Violet
-
Marion
-
Ina
-
Janet
(Nettie)
- Jimmy
-
Maisie (Mary
Jane)
-
Billy.
I graduated the same year as Jim Currie.
(See
recollections 1, 3, 6, 11 above.) I think it was in 1950."
|
Teachers
"Teachers I recall were:
- Ms Mowett
- Ms Barton
- Mr Lowe
I also remember getting the strap for talking,
chewing, running, and insubordination."
|
Pupils
"Some
of my classroom students were:
- Frank Wilson
- Neil MacCann
- Rita Hartley
- Jimmie Currie
- Annie Currie
- Mary Elden
***
- Elizabeth Elden
- Janet MacFarlane
- Colin Calendar
- June Weir
- Jim Small
- George Guthrie
- John MacLaren"
***
Update
Mary Elden, twin sister of Elizabeth, sent an email
to me on September 23, 2014, hoping to get in touch with Alex Guild.
I've passed on Alex's email address of 2010 to Mary.
I hope that Alex is still using the same email address now and that Mary
will be able to get in touch with him.
Peter Stubbs: October 4, 2014
|
|
Games
"I remember playing rounders, which was
similar to baseball. The boys used to think it was a girls'
game. The only reason the boys would play
was to meet the girls."
|
Religion
"I remember going to the Hallelujah Hall on the
High Street on Sunday mornings. It was run by Mr and Mrs
Elliott. This was a precursor to joining
St Giles Church.
Then there was Charlie Battle's, another
religious group - and finally Carrubber's Close on a Sunday night where you got
Perkins and hot cocoa."
|
The Pictures
I remember the pictures (movies) like:
- Blue Halls
- New Palace, on High Street
- Playhouse
- Salon, on Leith Street
- Regent, down by Easter Road
- Pools, at the back of the Castle
- New Vick
- Las Cala.
|
Move to USA
"After Castle Hill School:
-
I went to James Clark High School for a
short time
- Then,
I then emigrated to America in 1951, and settled
in Hartford Connecticut.
|
Return Visit to Edinburgh
"The last time I was
in Scotland was in 1997. I went to
Register House to see if I could locate any of
the people mentioned above, but had no luck.
I am now 71 years old and live live in
Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
If any of the people mentioned above see
this I would like to hear from them."
"Go Hibs."
|
Alex Guild, Rocky Hill, Connecticut,
USA: May 25, 2010 |
Reply to Alex Guild
If you'd like to send a reply
to Alex Guild,
please email me, then I'll pass
your message on to him. Thank you.
Unfortunately, Alex Guild appears to have changed
his email address.
Peter Stubbs, May 29, 2010 |
Recollections 16
Update 1
Message for
Alex Guild
Hi Alex:
I received
a message yesterday from Anna Burns (née Duffy) who used to live in
Fleshmarket Close, Edinburgh, and now lives in Adelaide, South
Australia.
I passed on
your email address to Anna, but she tells me that you appear to be no
longer using that address. Can you
email me to let me know which email address you are using now, then
I'll pass on details to Anna?
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: May 18,
2014 |
Recollections 16
Update
2
Message for
Alex Guild
Hello again Alex:
I've now
received another message from somebody who would like to contact you.
It comes from Mary Moriarty (née Elden) twin sister of
Elizabeth.
Please
email me to let me know your current email address,
then I'll pass it on to Mary and she should be able
to get in touch with you..
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: May 18,
2014 |
Recollections 16
Update 3
Another Message for
Alex Guild
Hello again Alex:
If you read
this, please
email me to let me know your current email address,
then I'll pass it on to the people who would like to
get in touch with you.
These now include Jim Currie, living in
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada,
who wrote:
"Alex Guild was in my class at Castlehill
School and was a very good friend,
as I recall at the time.
I'd love to hear from him as we always
wondered how he had made out in US
He left
Edinburgh, as a young man, to go to
what we thought at that time in our lives was
fantastic! Wow! going to America!
Hopefully
everything worked out for Alex and his family. I
believe they ended up back in Scotland,
eventually. Anyhoo,
could you pass my e-mail on to him, then maybe
we can get caught up on the years in between."
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada:
September 1, 2015 |
Recollections 16
Update 4
Message for
Alex Guild
Thank you to Alex Macauley
for responding to the message from from
Anna Burns (née Duffy) mentioned in Recollections
16, Update 1 above.
Alex wrote:
"Anna:
Your
ma used to bang on the ceiling, sending me Morse code
messages to complain that I had my tape recorder
music on too loud .
My memory says that you had a
younger sister, Madeline and brothers.
I
left Old Reekie in the
1990s, when the Pollock's (next door) broke into
my house and threatened to carve me up.
I used to have a
soft spot for you. But a girl from Leith got her hooks into me.
If you'd like a yarn
for all times' sake,
go for it. I'm now 77 years old
and in good health!
- Edward"
Edward Macauley: 15+16 August 2015 |
Recollections 16
Update
5
Message for Elizabeth Elden
Thank you
to Alex Macauley for the message below to Elizabeth Elden, one of the
Castlehill Primary School pupils mentioned by Alex Guild in his
Recollections 16 above, and twin sister of
Mary Moriarty who replied with her Recollections
16, Update 2 above.
Alex wrote:
"Elizabeth:
I always and had a
fancy for you! You were in my house a few
times in the 1950s. I'm
still sing!e! I'm still
'motor bike daft'!.
If you want to spend
the rest of your remaining years with a 77-year-old
hooligan, sign up now!"
- Edward"
Edward Macauley: 16 August 2015 |
Recollections
17.
Marion Marshall
(née McLaren) |
Thank you to Marion Marshall who wrote: |
School Closed
"I'm sure Castle Hill
school closed in 1951.
I started i March 1949,
just before I was five years old. I was there for about ten to
twelve months, then moved to South Bridge School.
"
|
Jim Cairns
"I've actually been in touch with Jim Cairns
(Recollections 8 above) quite a number of times during the past few years." |
Marion Marshall (née McLaren):
August 11, 2010 |
Recollections
18.
Lorraine Beach
(née
McGrouther)
Cheshunt,
Hertfordshire, England |
Lorraine Beach wrote: |
Searching for a photo of
My Dad
Walter McGrouther
"I'm trying to find
a photo of my Dad, Walter McGrouther, as a
child. He was born in 1931 and
went to Castle Hill Primary School then to James Clarks** Secondary School,
both in Edinburgh.
I've seen
class photos from
both schools that include my Dad's brothers,
Ronnie and Rab
McGrouther, but I've not yet found any photos
of my Dad's class. Do you know where I might be able to find one?"
Lorraine Beach, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire,
England: April 25 + May 16, 2012
**
UPDATE
Lorraine wrote again on June 26, 2013 to tell me
that her dad had sadly passed on. She also mentioned that the
primary school that he went to was not Castle Hill, but Sciennes.
That would have been from around 1935 to 1937.
So I have now added
a request for photos of classes of
Sciennes pupils from around that period, or any memories of Walter to this
Sciennes page.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: July 15,
2013 |
|
Reply to Lorraine Beach?
If you remember Walter McGrouther, or know of any
photos of him as a child, or of classes at Sciennes taken around 1935-37, and would like to contact Lorraine,
please email
me, then I'll pass on your message to her.
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: July 5,
2013 |
Recollections
19.
Marlene Deans
Edinburgh |
Marlene Deans for telephoned me, asking if any of
the EdinPhoto viewers remembered her husband, George Deans. |
Marlene told me:
My Husband
George Deans
"My husband, George
Deans attended Castlehill School from age 5 (in 1927) until he was 12 years
old.
George died in 2012 at the
age of 89.
Does anyone remember him?"
Marlene Deans, Edinburgh:
Telephone calls, 10+12+18 September 2013 |
Reply to Marlene Deans?
If you remember George Deans and would like to
contact Marlene,
please email me, then I'll pass on her telephone number and email
address to you.
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: September
12, 2013 |
Recollections
20
Charlie Wookey
Bristol, Avon, England |
Thank you to
Charlie Wookey for posting a message in the
EdinPhoto guestbook.
Charlie wrote: |
Home
"I was born in Edinburgh on 12
January 1942. We lived above
the baker's shop on the corner of Fowler
Terrace and Bryson Road until 1949 when we moved to
England. My mum's
name was Anne Edgar Brown"
Daughters of Nanny Brown
"I
had a friend, Nanny Brown who lived in a tenement
in Grassmarket. She had at least two daughters who
went to Castle Hill School on Johnston Terrace. I would be
interested to hear from them if they are still alive."
Charlie Wookey,
Bristol, Avon, England: message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook
on 3 October 2013 |
Reply to Charlie Wookey
If you'd like to
reply to the message that Charlie Wookey,
please:
- post
your in the EdinPhoto guestbook below the message that he left there on 3
October 2013, and/or
- click on the email link below the message
that he left in the guestbook, and send an email to him.
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: January 7, 2014 |
Update
I received
an email from Douglas Brown yesterday. Douglas
has news in response to the subject that
Charlie refers to above. I've now passed
on Charlie's email address to Douglas, so I hope
they will be able to make contact with each other soon.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: January 13, 2014 |
Recollections
21
Patrick Carlin |
Thank you to
Patrick Carlin who wrote: |
1947
Edinburgh Castle Esplanade
"I went to
Castlehill School in 1947. Edinburgh
Castle Esplanade was our playground.
My best pal was Robert Dobson, better
known as 'Robby Dobbie'.
We
used to play a game of:
"Who can reach
the furthest over the
Esplanade wall?"
I won. I fell
over and burst me face on the dyke at the bottom of
the hill! I still have the marks of the stitches."
Patrick Carlin: January31, 20141 |
Recollections
22
Jemma James |
Thank you to
Jemma Jones for sending the message below about her
great uncle, PC 'Basher' Thomson.
'Basher' has been remembered by a few people who
have sent memories of growing up in Edinburgh Old Town to the EdinPhoto
Web Site:
- Castlehill School
Recollections 6
-
Castlehill School
Recollections 6, Reply 1
- Cowgate
Recollections 2
- Vennel
and Brown's Place
Recollections 1
Jemma wrote- |
Willie 'Basher' Thomson
"I grew up hearing the many tales
about my great uncle Willie 'Basher'
Thomson. My mother Margaret's mother
and Basher were brother and sister. Sadly my mother passed away
February 2011.
A Book about 'Basher'?
"Not long before
my mother's death,
someone was looking for information about
Uncle Willie as he was writing a book about him. Unfortunately
I didn’t find out who the person was.
Should a book about Basher be in
existence, I would truly desire to have a copy.
I have bits and pieces of family
information about Basher ut if anyone has more information I would
love to hear it."
Jemma James: October 4, 2014 |
Reply to Jemma?
If you'd like to send a message to Jemma, please
email me to let me know, then I'll pass on her email address to you.
Thank you.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October
4, 2014 |
Recollections
23
Jemma James |
Thank you to
Jemma Jones for writing again about her her great
uncle, PC 'Basher' Thomson.
Jemma wrote- |
Willie 'Basher' Thomson
The Grassmarket
"My great uncle Willie passed away
when I was a young child and my memory of him is vague. I only know of
him from the family stories.
It was said he was very kind. He was the
only police officer required to police the Grassmarket
as he had a good way with the residents there and was respected."
'He Died with his Boots on!
"He came home from
work one day and went for a lie down still with his boots on,
but when his wife called him for dinner,
he didn’t reply so she went to wake him to
found that he had passed away. He died with his
boots on.
He was a good boxer and earned the name
'Basher Thomson'. He
was a big strapping man and quite handsome with his dark skin and thick
black hair."
Jemma James: October 6, 2014 |
Recollections
24.
Jim Currie
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
Thank you to Jim Currie, for writing again, hoping
to get in touch with Alex Guild who was in his class at Castlehill School,
and also telling me about his book.
Alex wrote: |
Jim Currie's Book
"Balkymor"
'The Talipes Effect'
"I'ld like to
mention that I had a book published by
FriesenPress Bookstore out of Vancouver which may be of interest to you
and some of your readers. The book is
called "Balkymor"
'The Talipes Effect'.
The book
is
available on Amazon as well as FriesenPress Bookstore on line.
Go to Google and follow links with the book name or the Author
name.
The story starts in
Bo'ness, following a young boy with a Cub foot
who spends his young life in the Lawnmarket
Edinburgh near the Sick Children's Hospital
during WW2.
He
describes his adventures at Castlehill School,
his multiple operations on the club foot,
some involvement in sports, moving to
Broomhouse, getting married,
going to Canada and then on to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War,
in the Petrochemical business.
The book has about 350 pages and might be of
interest to people from that time"
Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada:
Married to Doreen, 3 kids, 4 grandkids:
1 September 2015 |
|