‘Our homes made way for the new motorway’
OUR recent school photo of a class at Holmlea Primary, provided by regular Times Past reader Margaret Nicol, prompted several of her fellow pupils to get in touch with their memories of the place.
David Wilson in Toronto told us how he had reconnected with several former classmates as a result.
“Much to my delight, I saw my article in the Glasgow Evening Times last Friday,” he wrote.
“Bringing back memories from 57 years ago was special. I’ve had some responses, which was nice.”
Now more readers are sending us their old class photographs to see if Glasgow Times readers might recognise themselves from the pictures. This week, it is the turn of John Hain, who grew up around the Townhead area, and now lives in Garrowhill.
Do you recognise yourself from the picture? What are your schoolday memories? Email ann. fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk with a recent photo and a photo of your schooldays if you would like to be featured.
Here, John, a woodworking machinist to trade, now 77, shares his memories.
MY SCHOOL: I went to Milton Street School, on the corner of Milton Street and Port Dundas Road. It was a clean and friendly place. I was there from the age of five until I turned 12 and after that, I went to City Public Senior Secondary on St James’ Road in Townhead.
FAVOURITE SUBJECT:
I liked spelling and writing – I could do it off the top of my head – and I enjoyed doing compositions.
LEAST FAVOURITE SUBJECT: I really could not get my head around maths.
FAVOURITE TEACHER: At Milton Street, I liked Miss Allan (who later married a policeman and became Mrs McNee) and the headmaster
Mr Liddle, who was a very nice gentleman.
SCHOOL DINNERS, PACKED LUNCH OR HOME? I never had school dinners – I always went home to my gran’s.
BEST FRIEND AT SCHOOL: I don’t remember any one particular best friend, there was a big group of us. We found it easy to make friends as most of us lived in Port Dundas or Cowcaddens. I found a photograph of me and my two friends, also called John (their surnames were Dillon and Rough) taken on Harlaw
Street where we all lived. It is no longer there, it was pulled down to make way for the M8 motorway. The whole area where I used to live was knocked down to make way for the new motorway, all the old tenements demolished and the residents rehoused in some of the new estates like Drumchapel and Easterhouse, Barlanark and Barmulloch.
IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT MY SCHOOLDAYS…I would not spend the whole time just wanting to grow up and leave school...