Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Gartshore told dad he killed Moira
Suspect in notorious case told father who said nothing to protect his wife
The man believed to have murdered Moira Anderson is said to have told his own father that he killed the Coatbridge schoolgirl.
Alexander Gartshore admitted the murder to his dad Sanny, according to Gartshore’s cousin Jim Clark.
Mr Clark claims Sanny took the secret to his grave to protect his wife Jenny from the heartache of having a son revealed as a child killer.
The shocking revelation emerged in the week that saw the 64th anniversary of tragic Moira’s disappearance.
Mr Clark, 73, said: “I felt it wasn’t my secret to share for many years.
“But as you get older and start to think of your own mortality, I thought I should share what I knew.
“I want her [Moira] to be found so that she can be laid to rest.”
The man widely believed to have murdered missing Coatbridge schoolgirl Moira Anderson confessed to his own family that he was the killer.
Bus driver Alexander Gartshore admitted the murder to his father Sanny, according to Gartshore’s cousin Jim Clark.
Jim has told how Sanny kept the secret and took it to his grave to protect his wife Jenny from the heartache of having a son revealed as a child killer.
The revelation emerged in the week that saw the 64th anniversary of Moira’s disappearance.
She vanished in Coatbridge on February 23, 1957, weeks before she turned 12.
Moira was the last passenger on a bus driven by convicted child rapist Gartshore, then 36, on a freezing day in blizzard conditions.
Gartshore died, aged 85, in a Leeds hospital in April 2006 never having been charged in relation to Moira but the Crown Office has since said he should have been prosecuted for her murder.
Jim, 73, from Glasgow, told the Advertiser’s sister paper the Daily Record: “It must be nearly 50 years since my own father told me, in confidence, that
his brother-in-law, Sanny Gartshore, had told him his son was responsible for Moira.
“He hadn’t dragged his son to the police station because of what it would have done to his wife, and nothing could have brought Moira back.
“I felt it wasn’t my secret to share for many years, and I don’t know where her body was hidden, so to some extent I didn’t feel I could do much to help.
“But as you get older and start to think of your own mortality, I thought I should share what I knew.
“He was a few years older than me. I called him ‘uncle,’ even though we were cousins.
“My dad would never
have shared this if it wasn’t true.
“I’ve told police what I know. I want her to be found so that she can be laid to rest.”
Police in 1957 failed to question Gartshore even though he had just been charged with raping his family’s 13-year-old babysitter. He was convicted weeks later and jailed.
Years later his daughter, Moira Anderson Foundation founder Sandra Brown, linked Gartshore to Moira in a book, Where There is Evil.
Just before her father died, she showed him a photo of Moira. Although he stopped short of confessing, he said Moira had been ‘“too bonny for her own good”.
Sandra said: “It was a bit of a shock to learn this and I’ve spoken to Jim a few times now.
“I knew my grandfather suspected my father and challenged him when no one else had but I never knew he got a confession from him.
“I’m sad that he didn’t use that information to make sure Moira and her family got justice.”
The search for Moira remains live, and in the past year four people have come forward with information for the first time.
Moira’s sister, Janet Hart, 76, who lives in Sydney, Australia, said: “After 64 years, it is still the feeling of not knowing that causes so much pain.
“My mother and father were never the same after we lost Moira. If someone had brought her home and we had been able to give her a Christian burial, it would not have been quite as hard.
“I’m grateful that Sandra set up the Moira Anderson Foundation so that her name will live on and be associated with good work.”
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Pat Campbell said: “This continues as a live investigation and I appeal to the public for information. No matter how insignificant this information may seem, it could be vital in our inquiries.
“Any information given will be investigated thoroughly.”
A bright spark from Coatbridge who refused to give up on his dream of becoming an electrical engineer is preparing to begin the second year of his apprenticeship.
Faced with the unprecedented challenges and surprises of the past year, Dylan Andrew, 23, has turned negatives into positives and progressed with his development.
However, Dylan, who is undertaking a fouryear apprenticeship with Mears, didn’t take the conventional route to his apprenticeship.
Whereas many of his peers embarked on an apprenticeship soon after leaving school, Dylan went onto college to study electrical engineering.
He said: “It might an unusual way to get your foot onto the career ladder but I have no regrets.
“I knew I wanted to learn a trade when I finished school and going onto college helped me understand that becoming an electrician was the right path for me.
“And, although, it added a couple of years onto my journey, they certainly haven’t been wasted. I knew I was taking the right path and it was my path.”
As his studies at college drew to a close and the daunting prospect of finding a job loomed, Dylan wasted no time.
He pounded the pavement, knocked on the doors and handed out as many CVS as he could.
Dylan said: “I guess handing out CVS and knocking on the doors of companies asking for an opportunity isn’t seen as the typical way to get a job nowadays but I wanted to stand out amongst the crowd.
“When I saw that Mears was taking on apprentices, I became persistent in trying to get my foot in the door.
“Thankfully, my pestering was rewarded when I got a phone call inviting me to an interview. I knew about Mears and the work they do across North Lanarkshire but when I was face-to-face in the interview, and learning more about what the apprenticeship would offer, I knew it was for me.”
Apprenticeships are an “integral part” of Mears’ philosophy and many senior figures within the business today started as apprentices themselves.
As Dylan’s interviewers learned more about him, his aspirations and enhanced education, there was no doubt he was the right fit for the company.
From day one, Dylan got his hands stuck in and went to work. Everything was going well – and then the pandemic hit.
Work changed almost overnight, but Dylan and Mears adapted rapidly to the new reality.
He said: “Work was great. I was learning how to do electrical testing to ensure houses were safe; it was a deep-dive into how electrical systems worked.
“When Covid-19 came about, it all changed suddenly. The nature of our work was flipped upside down but the company took steps to ensure we continued to be paid and were supported.
“Understandably, the pandemic has impacted the traditional way we learn practical skills on-the-job but we’ve adapted and are all continuing to learn. I’ve been able to pass all my tests so far, which I’m proud of given the circumstances.
“Despite the obstacles, I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship. At the end of the day, it’s how we overcome our challenges and Covid-19 is something that is affecting us all.
“It’s great to know I have a future with Mears. In these times, having a sense of job security and a path to success shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“For anyone looking to start an apprenticeship, I would tell them to get out there, find the opportunities and do what I did; knock on doors and hand out CVS. I’m proof that you don’t always have to go straight from school into an apprenticeship, you can continue learning and go to college.
“An apprenticeship is a journey and it doesn’t matter how or when you get started, we all get to the same goal in the end.”