THE RIDDLE OF BOYS AND TOYS
Hunt for the toddler whose Christmas gifts were stolen in Whiteinch in 1961
A MAN is looking for help to trace another man who featured in the same newspaper article as him 60 years ago when they were boys.
Stephen Findlay, from Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, found photos of himself as a child gifting toys to a little boy named George Murray after his toys were stolen close to Christmas.
Now 64, Stephen is hoping to trace the other man, so that he can share the photos, stamped “Daily Record, November 1961”, with him too.
After contacting the Record and being sent a copy of the original article, Stephen was able to piece together how the story may have come about.
He explained: “I went through a big operation as a kid and it was pretty much a life or death decision my mum and dad had to make to go ahead with it. I remember being in hospital for quite a long time.”
The story then came to the attention of a popular STV show, The One o’clock Gang, which featured a section on his mum deciding to go ahead with this life-saving operation and how it ended up a success.
Stephen added: “And that’s where all of these toys started to come from, strangers wishing me well for the future.
“My cousin Len had seen the story about the wee fella’s family’s house being broken into and all his toys getting taken away. And I think that led to him contacting my parents to ask if I could share some of the ones I’d been given.”
Stephen, who now works at Marks and Spencer in Bishopbriggs, added: “I don’t even know if the wee fella is still alive.
“I would love to know what became of him and his family so that I can pass on copies of the pictures to his family members.”