Recollections

2.

Margaret Williamson (née Hay)

Moline, Illinois, USA

Thank you to Margaret Williamson (née Hay) who replied:

Home Street

"Hello June:  I remember the man and his ingins across the bar o his bike.  I never got any frae him, but saw him a few times comin' up Home Street"

Margaret Williamson (née Hay), Moline, Illinois, USA
Reply posted in EdinPhoto guestbook,:  March 24, 2012

Recollections

3.

Trisha McDonald

Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland

Thank you to Trisha McDonald who replied

Joppa

"I was born in Joppa, Portobello.  I lived there until I was ten years old.  I remember Ingin Johnny riding about on his bike."

Trisha McDonald, Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland
Reply posted in EdinPhoto guestbook,:  March 24, 2012

Recollections

4.

Yvonne Cain

Australia

Thank you to Trisha McDonald who replied

Boswall

"I can remember Ingin Johnny around Boswall Terrace.  He must have been about 55 years old."

Yvonne Cain, Australia:  Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook,:  March 25, 2012

Recollections

5.

Bryan Gourlay

Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay who replied

Around Edinburgh

"You've had a number of mentions of Ingin Johnnies on the EdinPhoto web site, in the past. **

"I seem to remember they turned up about October every year. My mother used to wait for them coming and bought a few long string of onions which she hung in the garden hut for use over a period of months.

They were very popular visitors and went all over the city and further afield pushing their large, black bikes loaded up with ingins. People in Biggar tell me they made the 30 mile journey out there."

**  Yes:  'Ingin Johnnies' have already been mentioned in the Bingham, Granton and Portobello recollections pages of the Edinphoto web site.

From Brittany

"As I understand it, the men came from Brittany.  They were always very polite and well turned out in a blue and white striped woollen shirt with their traditional French blue beret atop their head.

When you answered their knock at the door you would be met with a beaming smile and chap holding some strings of onions with another couple round his neck.

It was said they shipped their onions in bulk and rented a big shed in Leith Docks to store them and string them ready to drape over their sturdy bikes.

I think they were still around in the 1960s, but they were probably put out of business by the supermarkets.

I'm sure some of your followers must have a photo or two of these very welcome visitors."

Bryan Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland:  March 25, 2012

Recollections

6.

Lynda Maine

Colinton Mains, Edinburgh

Thank you to Lynda Maine for posting this message in the EdinPhoto guestbook:

Princes Street

"I can remember the Onion Johnnies.  I vaguely remember them selling the onions in Princes Street. and he also came around Colinton Mains"

Lynda Maine, Colinton Mains, Edinburgh
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, March 26, 2012

Recollections

7.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Allan Dodds wrote:

Princes Street

"Ingin Johnny used to cycle along Howard Street in the 1950s."

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  March 30, 2012

Recollections

8.

Simon Capaldi

Sheriffhall, Midlothian, Scotland

Simon Capaldi wrote:

Craigleith

"Onion Jonnies were still delivering to my grandmother's house in Craigleith in the mid-1970s.

The same man would visit every year and would say how much he liked visiting as he always had a small coffee with home made shortbread that she would provide.

They were brilliant onions."

Simon Capaldi, Sheriffhall, March 31, 2012

Recollections

9.

Dave Ferguson

Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland

Dave Ferguson wrote:

Leith

"When I was a boy, we went to Leith a lot.  It was so full of life. The Ingin Johnnies, as we called them, stored thier onions in a warehouse in Baltic Street, Leith, two doors along from the old Corn Exchange pub.

My mother always maintained that they were Spanish and came over here to receive the cargo when it arrived at Leith docks.

They stored the onions in Baltic Street then sold them all over Edinburgh.  Anyone who lived in the old tenements in Baltic St. may remember them.

I can remember the Ingin Johnniesm in the Granton area in the late-1940s."

Dave Ferguson, Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland:  April 8, 2012

Recollections

10.

Dave Ferguson

Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland

Thank you to Dave Ferguson who wrote again following up his comments in Recollections 9 above.

Dave wrote:

Weekly News

"I saw a clip in the 'Weekly News' regarding Onion Johnnies.  It seems my mum got it wrong about their country of origin.  Still, she was close."

Dave Ferguson, Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland:  May 2, 2012

The article that Dave refers to reported:

A once-common sight, pedalling their wares!

"Were there really French onion sellers wearing striped shirts cycling around Britain, or was it only in the cartoons and comedy films?

Yes, and they're still coming over.  These days, however, they sell more conventionally, from vans.

Weekly News:  date not known

This  article went on to report:

-  Onion Johnnies were most common in Britain before World War II, when there were 1,000 French onion sellers here, selling 10,000 tons of onions each year.

-  They came from Brittany and were most common around UK ports that had sailing contacts with France.  Some wore striped shirts; all wore the beret, a fashion in Brittany.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  May 2, 2012

Recollections

11.

GM Rigg

New Zealand

Thank you to GM Rigg for posting this message in the EdinPhoto guestbook:

Local Lads?

"I was led to beleive that the Onion Johnnies (or Ingin Johnnies in the colloquial) were local lads who all wore a 'uniform' of sorts, ie black trousers, striped top, hankie scarf around their necks and berets on their heads.

It was supposed to be some sort of entrepreneurial way of selling onions that started after WW2, in the days before 'branding' and it was a bit of fun too. a sort of job creation scheme, and the onions looked good hanging in the kitchen with the onion tops woven into the 'rope'."

Onions and Garlic

"We also used to see garlic sold this way in Valvona & Crolla, but garlic was not something commonly used in the 1950s."

GM Rigg, New Zealand:  message posted in EdinPhoto guest book,  May 1, 2012

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