Tractor to the rescue

Alison Simpson of Bonnybank also has memories of that winter. She says: “In 1947 I lived at Bannaty Farm, Burnside, and was a pupil at Bell Baxter, Cupar. When the storm came on we were evacuated home by school bus and it stuck in the snow on the road along the back of Strathmiglo.

“We did not take the driver’s advice to stay put, but started to walk towards Gateside. I remember my colleagues – Mary Winton, Wellfield, Margaret Pearson, Upper Pitlochie and Rachel Bernard, Gateside. We struggled through the snow and, as I had to go to Burnside on my own, I soon realised my mistake. However, help was at hand.

“My father came looking for me on the tractor and rescued me just in time as I was exhausted. I was off school for three weeks – snowbound with snow covering dykes and hedges.

“After 10 days or so, our neighbour’s daughter, Margaret McIntyre and I decided to walk to Strathmiglo for some provisions. We tied two suitcases to a sledge and walked to Jimmy Thomson who was the grocer at the time. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure, as we thought it, and as I remember we had chosen a nice sunny day which had no impact on the snow, totally covering hedges, dykes and the road.

“The provisions were shared out between the neighbours. We would not have starved anyway as each farm cottage always had a good supply of oatmeal and flour with plenty of milk as there was a cow herd on the farm and the hens were indoors, so there was no shortage of eggs.”