A SIGN OF THE TIMES...

SATELLITE navigation in cars and mobile phones now makes it easy to find addresses.

The technology was not available back in 1969 when doctors, called out on urgent cases, reported finding it difficult finding patients in many Greenock streets.

It was down to vandals obliterating house numbers and sometimes even making off with street signs.

Although of less importance than finding the addresses of patients in need, the Telegraph had been contacted by a local trader who complained of ‘extreme difficulty’ tracing customers of a business he had just bought.

Dean of Guild John Beattie, convener of Greenock Corporation’s Streets Committee, told the Telegraph the obliteration of house numbers and the disappearance of street signs had recently been discussed by his committee.

He said: “We are allowed £500 every year to replace street signs and erect new ones, but we have to fight against constant vandalism. In a single night 17 street signs vanished.

“At our last meeting we considered a letter from local doctors and we are doing our best to meet such complaints.”

Because of constant vandalism, Mr Beattie said the committee had been trying to ensure street signs were placed high up, out of reach, but this was not always possible in some parts of the town.

The Telegraph advised readers that every private owner was obliged under the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act to show the number of their property. The penalty for not doing so was a £5 fine but that part of the Act was seldom evoked.

Our story was published just a couple of weeks before Christmas Day in 1969.

It noted that regular postal delivery workers soon got to know their rounds and seldom needed to worry about missing property numbers and street signs, but temporary employees engaged for the Christmas rush would just have to do their best.