Life in Ladybank

“Regarding the recent Traces Through Time on Ladybank,” says John Harrow, “I found it very interesting as my mother stayed in Ladybank before getting married and moving to Dunshalt where my father, who had served his apprenticeship as a blacksmith, rented a house on Plains Farm, Dunshalt. I was born there on November 12 1928. We moved back to Ladybank when I was 18 months old.

“I was educated at Ladybank Primary School and left when I was 13½ years old (we were allowed to leave at this age at the end of the potato gathering).

“I carried on working at J.E England & Sons, potato agents, who occupied part of the malt barns owned by Bonthrone Maltsters who also had premises at Pitlessie and Newton of Falkland.

“I worked in Opdahl’s bakery for six months and then moved to the local sawmill owned by Smith Brothers from Thornton, but I found it too cold and left to get a job as a junior relayer with LNER which I enjoyed until I was called up to do my National Service with KOSB at Berwick-on-Tweed in the winter of 1947.

“I went on to Catterick camp to the Royal Signals for training on telephone installation etc for six months before sailing out to Egypt on the Empire trooper and being stationed at Fayed on the Suez Canal until I came back to Southampton for demob in March 1949.

“I returned home to Ladybank and worked with LNER, but, as I had obtained a driving licence in Egypt, I decided on a job as a lorry driver with local haulage firm Thomson’s.

“Health problems meant I returned to work with LNER, then Scotrail, until I retired in 1993.

“I have been a resident in Ladybank for 87½ years and have noticed all the changes to the village over the years as the population has almost doubled with all the new houses that have been built.”

Don’t mind the money

“Reading the recent piece about ‘spending a penny’,” writes Mary Sutherland of Bridgend, “I have to say that I don’t think 30p is too much to pay to use public toilets.

“After all, we have clean toilets and hand basins and are supplied with all the necessary items.

“I use the public toilets down from Tesco in Perth’s South Street and am satisfied with what we are offered for 30p. Staff have to be paid for the upkeep of these toilets – thumbs up to them!”

Too old for this drill

“We had a fire drill at our bridge club the other day – not easy for some of us oldies,” writes a Craigie regular.

“We had to descend a long flight of stairs before reaching the street, then we had to climb all the way back up again. It’s a wonder we did not lose one or two in the process to heart attacks or strokes.

“Are fire drills really necessary in buildings where everybody knows the way out and would naturally head for the door the moment the fire alarm went?

“One member in her nineties fell and badly injured herself just descending the stairs to go home after a normal bridge session. Why expose oldies to such a risk more than is absolutely necessary?

“At the end of the fire drill evening, I was groaning my way slowly down the stairs, when a lady member behind me said: ‘You’re even slower than I am, George.’

“There’s no respect these days.”

The college in Perth Road, Dundee, now the University, long before the Tower Block was built,” says Jim Howie of Broughty Ferry. “There is an army field gun in the garden on the left of the picture. The Queen’s Hotel can also be seen in the background.”

“A couple of years ago there didn’t seem to be any magpies in the area, but now they are moving in,” says Paul Easton of Dundee who sent in this picture. “Remember to lock up your shiny valuables!”