Recollections

St Ignatius

Primary School

Recollections

1.

Patricia Rand (née Tinney)

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Patricia Tinney wrote:

Schools

"I was born in 1942 and lived at 46 Lauriston Place.
I was a pupil of:

-  St Ignatius school, Glen Street

-  St Ignatius Annex, Lauriston Place

-  St Thomas of Aquin's, Chambers Street

I then moved

- to London

-  to Saskatchewan Canada in 1969
-  to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1984.

School Friends

"From St Ignatius school,  I remember:

-  Betty Cooney

-  Margaret Hah

-  Margaret Slattery

-  Veronica, who lost her budgie on exam day and burst into tears in the middle of a paper.

-  Mary Narrie, infamous for her exploits - great leadership that girl, especially into mischief - almost broke a leg jumping walls around the canal one day.

-  Michael, who came home from Kenya

-  Freddie, who was great at football

-  James.

Lauriston Place Annex

After we graduated from Glen Street, we moved to the annex on Lauriston Place and had a great time on winter's days sliding down the smooth back playground.   What a slope there was to that yard!

Friends and Neighbours

Patricia would like to hear from friends and neighbours who knew her when she lived at 46 Lauriston Place.

Extracts from email sent September 25, 2009 and messages posted in EdinPhoto guest book
 September 21+25, 2009 by Patricia Rand (née Tinney), Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Contacting Patricia Tinney

If you remember Patricia, and would like to contact her, please email me then I'll pass on her email address to you..

Thank you.    Peter Stubbs:  September 22, 2009

Recollections

2.

Ruby Fowler (née Divit)

Australia

Ruby Fowler wrote:

Schools

"I was born and brought up in Fountainbridge, then in  Broomhouse, Edinburgh.

I went to  St Ignatius school, then St Thomas of Aquin's.

I knew Patricia Tinney.  She would have known me as 'Ruby Divit', or as 'Tiny', as they used to call me.

Ruby Fowler (née Divit), Australia:  July 18, 2011 (two emails)

Ruby:  I have sent an email to Patricia Tinney to let her know about your message above, and to give her your email address.

I hope she is still using the same email address as she was using when she posted her message in the EdinPhoto guest book in 2009.

Peter Stubbs:  July 21, 2011

Recollections

3.

Margaret Williamson (née Hay)

Moline, Illinois, USA

Thank you to Margaret Williamson who wrote, listing more names of pupils that she remembers from St Ignatius' School.

Margaret wrote:

Schools

"Here is a list of friends that went to St Ignatius'School with me.  I remember their faces as well.  There was also a class picture of these people, but I lost mine a long time ago  Maybe someone out there has got a copy of it.

It would be great to get  in touch with any of them."

Margaret Williamson, Moline, Illinois, USA:  March 6, 2012

Reply to Margaret?

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

Thank you.    Peter Stubbs:  March 6, 2012

Recollections

4.

Margaret Williamson (née Hay)

Moline, Illinois, USA

Margaret Williamson added:

Peevers

"I wonder if any one remembers the block of chalk (tuppence a block) or the clay pipes grandad had.

If we didn't have any money, we could ask if he had an old pipe, then we could use it to draw our peevers (or hopscotch) design on the pavement.  Then, we would use an old shoe polish tin as well.  Boy, they were good days then!"

Crochet

"Also, say about 3 or 4 of us girls would sit on the stairs and with a three penny skein of wool and crochet hook.  We would help each other learn what to do.  The oldest, of course, knew more than we beginners did, but it was a lot of fun."

Margaret Williamson, Moline, Illinois, USA:  March 9, 2012

Recollections

5.

Margaret Williamson (née Hay)

Moline, Illinois, USA

Thank you to Margaret Williamson for writing again.

Margaret wrote:

Marbles

"I wonder if any of St. Ignatius' pupils remember playing marbles on the cobblestones in Glen Street, just outside the railings of the school.

We used tae scrape the dirt oot o' the stanes, and make wee pathways tae get oor marbles in, oot or over, to see who could collect the most."

Butcher

"A boy called Joseph Marengi used to play that with me.  He was really nice.  I saw him a few years back.  He he had a butcher's shop in Easter Road then.

I went in to see him, and chatted a while, then ordered my black pudding and sausage to bring back to US, but customs took it away.  That's because I was being honest, and told them what I had."

Margaret Williamson, Moline, Illinois, USA:  April 28. 2012

Margaret added:

Recollections

"I've spent a lot of time going through the recollections, and have a wee lump in ma throat.  It's really something to go over all these memories, and to know how much people cared about their neighbours, whether they were really poor or just above.

I felt there was an awful lot of love and caring back then.  I'm not saying that we didn't have our differences 'cos we did.  But come sickness or troubles, we did stand by one another.  That's what I remember.

So to all of them, they are special folks.  I'm Proud to have known some, and proud of those whose stories I've read.  God bless them all!"

Margaret Williamson, Moline, Illinois, USA:  April 29, 2012

Recollections

6.

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack)

Edinburgh

Thank you to Cathie Luppino (née Cormack) for posting a message in the EdinPhoto guestbook about her memories of  School and St Ignatius' School.

Cathie wrote:

School Class Photo

"I have a copy of the photo the first primary class from St. Ignatius, featuring:

-  Rosemary Paxton

-  Agnes McPartlin

-  Agnes Narrie

-  Margaret Barrett

-  Helen McManus

-  James O'Neill

-  Eric Burns

-  Robert Hay

   to name a few.  

Good memories!"

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack), Edinburgh:  Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, April 26, 2012

Guestbook Correspondence

Correspondence in the guestbook continued in the guestbook between Cathie Luppino (née Cormack) and Margaret Williamson (née Hay) after Cathie posted her initial comment above in the guestbook on April 26, 2012.

Cathie Luppino also posted her memories of St Thomas of Aquin's school.

Recollections

7.

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack)

Pennsylvania, USA

Thank you to Cathie Luppino (née Cormack) for posting another message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Cathie wrote:

Casey's Sweetie Shop

"I have another silly memory.   Who remembers going to Casey's sweetie shop on Lauriston Place from St. Ignatius for what we called 'crumbs'.

They were penny sweeties scraped from the bottom of the huge sweetie jars.  I brought a couple of the sweetie jars back with me to USA, and now use them for storing spaghetti!"

Murray's Baker's Shop

"How about Murray's the Baker's (Tollcross).  We went there for our cream cookies or for a buttery roll for our play piece."

Hello, Again!

"Aye, those were the days, eh?

Hello to Stewart and Lorna Connolly in Fort William."

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack), Pennsylvania, USA:
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, July 8, 2012

Recollections

8.

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack)

Pennsylvania, USA

Thank you to Cathie Luppino (née Cormack) for posting anther message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Cathie wrote:

Message for Liz Burnett

"I've just read your Grassmarket Recollections 16 with my sister who was here in the USA on holiday. I was showing her this website and came across your posting. I wrote Grassmarket Recollections 15, just ahead of you on the list.

Between the two of us we remember most of your relatives!  I believe your sister Eleanor was in my class at St. Ignatius.  All the names you mentioned were familiar to us.

We lived in No.25 (the Pend) just between Charlie Porter's and Gerry's Ice Cream shop.  Gerry used to park his ice cream van in our pend. He would give us cheap ice cream cones and sliders when he got back from his rounds in Edinburgh and Portobello etc.

Lean times, but good memories! My sisters are Jean (Cormack) Kay and Tessie (Cormack) McCallum."

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack), Pennsylvania, USA:
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, August , 2012

Recollections

9.

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack)

Pennsylvania, USA

Thank you to Cathie Luppino (née Cormack) for posting anther message in the EdinPhoto guestbook.

Cathie wrote:

Sacred Heart Church Hall

"Does anyone remember going to the school concerts and the dances at the Sacred Heart Church Hall, Lauriston Street, in the 1950s?"

Cathie Luppino (née Cormack), Pennsylvania, USA:
Message posted in EdinPhoto guestbook, June 19, 2013

Recollections

10.

Margaret Williamson (née Hay)

Moline, Illinois, USA

Thank you to Margaret Williamson (née Hay) for posting a reply in the EdinPhoto guestbook to the comments from Cathy Luppino  (née Cormack) in  'Recollections 9' above.

Margaret wrote

Dances and Concerts

"Hi again Cathie:

I remember the St Ignatius' Dances and Concerts.  I had to sing in one of them;  "Rock a Bye Baby' and 'Golden Slumbers'.

I was given a wee basket, with a doll in it, and had to pick up the doll and rock it in my arms while ai sang.  It must have been 1957 or close to it.

Our class had to learn 'The Gay Gordons'.  They would line up about five or six boys facing the girls, and then wait for the teacher to give instructions on what to do.  It was fun at times with the boys trying to keep their hands on their waists, and trying to do a 'paddy bar' or a 'skip'

But we still had oor laughs, when done.  We sometimes practised in the room next to where we had oor dinner.  Do you remember that?"

Margaret Williamson (née Hay), Moline, Illinois, USA:  December 16, 2012

Recollections

11.

Kate Lamb (née Kathleen Wright)

St Catharine's, Ontario, Canada

After reading the comments in Recollections 1 from Pat Tinney above,  Kate Lamb wrote:

Lauriston Place

"I also lived in Lauriston Place, at No.158.  . Nessie Watson lived on the other side of the street and we both went to St Ignatius.  I think we started there in 1945 or 1946,

Teachers

"If I recall:

-  the second class teacher was a Miss Watson.

-  there was a miss Campbell then the two O'hara sisters."

My Class

"Rosemary Paxton, Rosemary Turnbill and Ann Moore were in my class . The all lived in Lauriston Street.  I'd love to be in touch with them again."

Kate Lamb (née Kathleen Wright), St Catharine's, Ontario, Canada:  February 26, 2014

Reply to Kathleen?

If you remember Kathleen Wright and would like to send a reply to her, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on her email address to you. 

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  December 29, 2014

Recollections

12.

Heater Collins

Edinburgh

Heather Collins wrote:

David Gibson

"My father, David Gibson, was born 1954 and would of attended St. Ignatius school from around 1959 and during the 1960s

I'm looking for photographs taken at the school during that period, or for anyone who remembers him.

He was born and lived in Clermiston with his sister Rosemary and his two brothers, Dominic and Paul. "

Heather Collins, Edinburgh: March 16, 2015

Reply to Heather Collins

If you have any photos that you think might be of interest to Heather, or if you remember her father, David Gibson, and would like to send a message to Heather, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on Heather's email address to you.

Thank you.

Pete Stubbs, Edinburgh: March 16, 2015

Edinburgh Recollections