Wartime drama

Our photograph of Dundee’s Rosefield Street, which appeared on Friday, has a bit of history behind it.

As several readers called to point out, the two lighter buildings on the righthand side of the street, were later additions – built to replace two tenements which were hit by a bomb during the Second World War.

A German raider dropped a stick of four high-explosive bombs on Dundee on the night of November 5 1940 — killing two people and demolishing a chunk of the buildings. The Rosefield Street bomb plunged to the ground floor, instantly killing one lady — Mrs Mary Lain — who was thrown right out of the building.

She had five sons, Arthur, Harry, John, Albert and Tom, who were apparently all fighting in the war when the bombing occurred, and a daughter, Rita.

A man’s body was found in the rubble the next day.

It is thought that around 20 people lived in the block, so the casualties were mercifully light. Shocked residents congregated on Blackness Road as fire and rescue services searched the wrecked tenement. The Rosefield bomb-site was cleared but not rebuilt until many years later. The replacement buildings are still standing today. Arthur Melville between Kirkmichael and Blairgowrie,” says a regular reader, “I thought this photograph (below left) of its predecessor would be of interest.

“It was a 1913 Halley which Arthur Melville’s father Peter acquired in 1919 and was the first mechanically driven bus to run in Strathardle.

It rejoiced in the name of “Highland Mary” which was sign written above the windscreen.

“The Melville family also owned the Aldchlappie Hotel in Kirkmichael from early 1900s until the 1960s and Arthur ran the one man bus service to Blairgowrie until he retired in 1958 latterly using a wartime utility Bedford OWB.

“This photograph is from the publicly accessible Mount Blair Community Archive which has many fascinating pictures of old Strathardle.” to the poet. Although he lauded the opening of University College in 1883, he seems to have ignored the opening of Harris Academy in Park Place two years later, though he must have passed the building as he went from Paton’s Lane to the city centre.

A warm welcome is extended to all those who would like to join Harris FPs on this occasion. Tickets, which are priced £22 may be obtained from the Association Treasurer, Freida Soutar, 31 Station Road, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5AP.

Requests for tickets should be accompanied by a cheque made payable to the Harris FP Association and a stamped self addressed envelope. after a certain time. Illegally dumped household or industrial waste is also removed by the authorities.

“Why are abandoned cars different? Why does the owner have to be sought before action can be taken?

“If the owner cannot or will not remove the vehicle, then surely the local authority should treat the abandoned car like any other public nuisance and deal with it quickly and effectively. In the case of a vehicle, this would involve taking it to a scrapyard.”

Members of the Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club are pictured in 1980 with members of a Swiss Vintage Vehicle Club from Bern. The Strathmore Club members played host to the Swiss folk until the Glamis Extravaganza was over. The photograph was taken at...