Edinburgh History - Leith - Searching for People

Leith Searching for People
Questions I've received several e-mails and messages in the Guestbook from people searching for information about others who used to live in Edinburgh. Here are some recent Leith requests. If you'd like to contact the persons who made the requests, please e-mail me and I'll pass on your message to them. - Peter Stubbs: February 26, 2007
Message from ...		Looking for information about ...
1.	Jane Jones (née Richardson) Cambridgeshire, England	Alan Richardson (Ricky) Does anybody remember him?
2.	Elizabeth Lanzon (née Boal)	Alice Boal Alice died some time ago. Her daughter, Elizabeth, would like to hear from anybody who remembers her
3.	Meg Reilly London	Jimmy Strachan Meg is looking for Jimmy Strachan who worked with her at McLagan & Cumming Ltd., printers.
4.	Sandra Cooper Kelso. Scottish Borders	Lorna Macey Lorna Macey from Fife lived in the same stair as Sandra Cooper, for 12 years. Update Thank you Lorna for contacting me. I've now passed on your contact details to Sandra Cooper.
5.	Lorraine Bruce (née Dutton) Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland	Evelyn Lamont
6.	Tam McLuskey Shannon Lake Westbank, British Columbia, Canada	Melvyn Cowe and Helen Douglas
7.	Wilma McLuskey British Columbia, Canada	Helen Douglas

Message

Jane Jones (née Richardson)

Cambridgeshire, England

Jane Jones wrote:

Allan Richardson (Ricky)

"My father Allan Richardson (Ricky) who lived at No 7 Union St, Leith, was born in 1933.

My father never really spoke about his childhood and, to be truthful, I never asked. He has now passed and I would love to know more about his younger days.

All I really know is that:

- he was a long distance lorry driver

- he worked at the same coal yard as Sean Connery for a while

- he played the drums in a couple of groups in the early-1960s, before joining the RAF in the mid-1960s and moving to England.

I don't even know which schools he went too.

Does anyone remember him? Any info, no matter how small, would be wonderful."

Jane Jones, Cambridgeshire, England: September 6, 2009

Message

Elizabeth Lanzon (née Boal)

Cambridgeshire, England

Elizabeth wrote:

Who am I?

"I truly wish there was someone who would remember my Mom.

Does anyone remember her, Alice Boal, born August 17,1910 in Leith? She had a child, me, Elizabeth Boal, born January 15, 1933.

There is a part of me that needs to know who my father was, and maybe out there, there is a person who might have an idea of who I might me connected to."

Elizabeth Lanzon (née Boal): November 18, 2009

Reply?

If you would like to send a message to Elizabeth, please email me, then I will pass your message on to her. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: November 18, 2009

Message

Meg Reilly

London

Meg wrote:

Jimmy Strachan

"I was born at 41 Niddrie Mains Drive in 1939. I went to St Francis RC school.

I'm looking for a chap named Jimmy Strachan. I worked with him in McLagan & Cumming Ltd, Printers. He lived in Balfour Street in Leith."

Meg Reilly, London: Message posted in EdinPhoto guest book: November 20, 2009

Reply?

If you would like to send a message to Meg, please email me, then I will pass your message on to her. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: November 20, 2009

Message

Sandra Cooper

Kelso, Borders, Scotland

Sandra wrote:

Lorna Macey

"I was born at 8 Ferrier Street, Leith on 6th February 1958.

I'd like to speak to Lorna Macey from Fife who lived in the same stair as me for 12 years. I wondered if her or any of her family knew or remembered my family.

Sandra Cooper: Message and email address posted in EdinPhoto web site, March 14, 2010

Reply?

If you would like to send a message to Sandra, please email me, then I will pass your message on to her. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: November 20, 2009

Update

Thank you Lorna for contacting me. I've now passed on your contact details to Sandra Cooper.

Peter Stubbs: October 17,, 2009

Message

Lorraine Bruce (née Dutton)

Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland

Lorraine Bruce wrote:

Evelyn Lamont

Prince Regent Street

"I have often wanted to try to trace my friend Evelyn Lamont Lamont whose mother was very kind to me when we all lived in Prince Regent Street, Leith.

Her father had a boat at Crammond called the 'Coleva'.

Her brother was Colin.

She was a window dresser for some years. I know that she married.

Lorraine Bruce (née Dutton), Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland: October 3, 2010

Reply?

If you would like to send a message to Lorraine, please email me, then I will pass your message on to her. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: October 3, 2010

Update

July 2011

Lorraine also posted a message in the EdinPhoto guest book on July 16, 2011, hoping to make contact with Evelyn. To date, there has been one reply to the message that she left in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Peter Stubbs: July 19, 2011

Message

Thomas James (Tam) McLuskey

Shannon Lake, Westbank, British Columbia, Canada

Tom McLuskey wrote:

Melvyn Cowe

and

Helen Douglas

"My wife and I got married it was at the registry office beside the swimming baths off Great Junction Street, back in 1967

- My Best Man was Melvyn Cowe who used to live in Albion Terrace. His dad, at that time, owned the City Fruit Supply shops.

- Our Best Maid was Helen Douglas who used to live beside the school on Great Junction Street. She was a good friend of my wife who went to school with her.

Sadly, we have lost track of both Melvyn and Helenover the years. if they are out there we would love to hear from them.

We are coming over to Edinburgh in September 2011 and would love to meet and get together with all our old friends.

Tam McLuskey, Shannon Lake Westbank, British Columbia, Canada: March 25+26, 2011

Reply to Tam McLuskey?

If you'd like to send a message to Tam, please email me, then I will pass your message on to him. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs: March 26, 2011

Message

Wilma McLuskey

Shannon Lake, Westbank, British Columbia, Canada

Tom McLuskey's wife Wilma has now posted a message in the EdinPhoto guestbook saying that she is still searching for info on Helen Douglas.

Please see Tam's Message 6 above, sent about 18 months ago, for a little background info about the search for Helen.

Wilma McLuskey, Shannon Lake Westbank, British Columbia, Canada: October 22, 2012

Message

Jane Norrey

Another Request

Unfortunately, I've had very little response to the 'Searching for People' requests that I've added over the past few years to the EdinPhoto web site, for Leith, Central Edinburgh, Dumbiedykes and other areas of the city, so I stopped adding these requests to the site about 4 years ago.

However, when Jane Norrey wrote to me last week, I realized how keen she was to contact Elizabeth McGregor, so I've added her request below.

Jane wrote:

Elizabeth McGregor

"I'm looking for Elizabeth McGregor. (That's the name on her birth certificate.) She was born on 20 July 1938 and her usual residence was 38 Seafield Road, Leith, Edinburgh.

Her mother was Margaret (Meg/Maggie) who returned to Aberdeen after the war without Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth adopted/placed in care? Did she attend a school in Edinburgh?

Margaret was married to James McGregor, (a rubber planter in Sumatra) in 1935 but it seems he was not Elizabeth's father.

Elizabeth is my father's sister. He is now 85 years of age and would love to know what happened to her, before it is too late!

We've been trying to locate Elizabeth since 2008 and have no real leads or clues yet. We believe she must have had her name changed and perhaps knows nothing about her brother.

Please, please if anyone has any information or could help then please contact me. Many thanks."

Jane Norrey, 30 September 2016

Reply to Elizabeth McGregor?

If you'd like to send a reply to Elizabeth, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on her email address to you.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 6 October 2016

Update

No Further Requests to be added to the web site

I don't plan to add any more 'Searching for People' requests to the EdinPhoto site if I get no response to this request or to other similar requests that I've already posted for Leith, Central Edinburgh, Dumbiedykes and other areas of Edinburgh over the past few years.

I'm sorry to disappoint people by not adding their requests, but experience has taught me not to expect a response. I hope you will appreciate my reason for taking this line.

However, I'm happy to continue to add people's recollections and photos of growing up in Edinburgh. When I add these to the site, they seem far more likely to jog people's memories and result in a response.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 6 October 2016