March 1939

Modernising Grove Academy

The acquisition of Seafield and ground by Dundee Education Committee will enable improved facilities and additional accommodation for Grove Academy.

Seafield was formerly a private school. It is proposed to provide a modern outfit for all the practical subject, including science laboratories, rooms for woodwork, and technical drawing, cookery, laundry and needlework and for art and craft work. Provision is also made for a gymnasium.

The new accommodation at Seafield will set free rooms in Grove Academy for ordinary class purposes. Some of these rooms are not ideally suited for modern methods, and it is proposed to convert three small classrooms into tow and to replace obsolete partitions by new ones.

The structural alterations will provide the existing building with a maximum of 20 classrooms and meet the needs of approximately 600 secondary pupils. The number of post-primary pupils on the role at present is 442.

Additions for the administrative side of the school work are also provided for. Most of the recommendations of the director of Education, Mr John R. Cameron, were accepted by the Education Committee, but his concluding suggestion was not.

In his report he remarked:-
“One other consideration it is desired to submit. In view of the fact that the schools of Broughty Ferry do not have facilities for swimming similar in safety and comfort to those available to children in Dundee it is suggested that steps be taken to explore the possibility of utilising some of the ground at Seafield for the erection of a school swimming baths. These would form an increasingly valuable adjunct to other facilities for physical training provided in the new buildings and could readily be made available for pupils of other schools in Broughty Ferry.”

The committee however, considered that the provision of swimming baths was a matter of Corporation policy, and it, therefore, did not consider it competent to interfere in this matter.

It is suggested that a cheaper method of providing swimming facilities for Grove pupils would be to come to an arrangement with the Transport Department to convey them to the Central Baths.

City Boxer’s Success

A notable sporting success has been attained by a young Dundee man abroad. He is 18 year-old John Gallacher, 46, Hilltown, a well-known amateur boxer in the city, who is at present serving with the R.N.V.R. on the spring fleet manoeuvres in the Mediterranean.

Gallacher, in the boxing championships held at Gibraltar and open to the whole fleet, reached the final of the bantam-weight event.

Narrowly defeated in the last bout, he is, nevertheless, the proud possessor of a silver cup presented to him by the Admiral of the Fleet.

Employed at Hilltown Works, Gallacher has been prominent in amateur boxing circles in Dundee for some time. Only a few months ago he reached the final of the Midlands amateur championship as a fly-weight.

He has also “boxed” successfully on numerous occasions aboard the Unicorn and further afield.

A former pupil of St John’s Central School, Gallacher started boxing when still quite young. His early training he received from his Father, who was also a prominent local boxer in his day.

By his success in the fleet championship Gallacher has considerably enhanced his chances of realising his life’s ambition – to fight in the R.N.V.R. British championships in London next month.

He expects to be back in the city in about a fortnight’s time.

The Kings

All week, The Dundee Operatic Society present, Monday, Wednesday and Friday “Prince Charming”, also on Saturday (matinee) at 2.15 p.m.; and on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.30 p.m. “Mercenary Mary”. Booking Office open daily 10.30 a.m. till 9 p.m.

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All Ready for Big Black-Out

Plans for the big black out which takes place over eastern counties of Scotland on Monday and includes Dundee are complete.

An outline of the arrangements was given by Major Barclay Brown, Regional A.R.P. Officer, in Edinburgh yesterday.

Major Barclay Brown explained that the black-out is by far the largest attempt in Britain and between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight, in the cities of Edinburgh and Dundee and the counties of Fife, Stirling, and Clackmannan, the Lothians, Peebles, Selkirk, Roxburgh and Berwick there would be no street lighting except where necessary for safety purposes.

Weather permitting, over 40 planes will fly over the area, and altogether 20,000 volunteers will be engaged during the black-out.

Three “bombing attacks” will be carried out on certain places not disclosed.

There will be searchlights working at Edinburgh, Dundee and Lochgelly.

Major Barclay Brown stated that the Tay Bridge would not be blackened owing to the difficulty involved.

Motorists are asked to use only sidelight and treat the black-out as fog. Motor cyclists are asked to paste two thicknesses of thin paper over their headlights.

During the black-out the theatre and cinemas and places of entertainment will be disgorging their patrons, and these people are asked to make their way home.

Gas Masks on Issue Tomorrow

A third of Dundee’s population, from the age of five upwards, will be issued with gas masks tomorrow.

The distribution will be made from the polling stations at which householders normally vote at election time.

Wardens have been busily engaged during the past week fitting respirators and delivering to householders cards on which are marked the measurements of the masks.

These cards must be brought by the holders to the polling station tomorrow.

Only those people who have received cards need attend tomorrow’s distribution. Two more Sundays have been allocated for the issue of the remaining two-thirds of the population. They will all be visited in turn.

The unassembled respirators have been transported to the different distribution centres.

Today and tomorrow members of the teaching staffs of the different schools, who volunteered for work, will be engaged in assembling the respirators.

Convener Drummond said they expected to be able to deal with a third of the population on each of the three Sundays. He was highly pleased with the enthusiastic manner in which the wardens and other volunteers had carried out their duties.

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Angus Women Will Flock to Dundee

Some thousands of women from Angus will make a descent upon Dundee next weekend. The magnet that will draw them is the annual exhibition of the county Federation of W.R.I.’s which is being held in the Marryat Hall. Over 2300 entries will be on view.

Much of the material on view will have been knitted or sewn in country cottages by the light of an oil lamp, or cooked upon an oil stove. Yet the needlework will be something to marvel at.

The ladies from the county are not only exhibiting their handiwork but are going to show how they do it. On both days of the exhibition half-hourly demonstrations of baking are to be given and hourly demonstrations of art and craft work.

As most of the cooking in the rural districts are done on oil stoves, the federation asked leave to bring an oil stove into the hall for the cookery demonstrations. They were not permitted to do so, because it was feared the stove would smoke.

This is the first time the exhibition has been held in Dundee, and the ladies have marked the occasion by contributing a record entry. It will be far and away the largest show held by any county federation in Scotland.

The opening ceremony on Friday afternoon is to be performed by a lady who has been a leader in women’s movements in Scotland – Miss Eunice Murray, Cardross.

Cleaning Polish

This home-made polish can be used for almost anything – cleans and polishes all woodwork, furniture and paint. Miss E.C. Stocks, Auchtermuchty, recommended this polish.

Shake bottle well before using. Apply a little to a soft cloth and rub gently on the article to be cleaned. Allow to dry a little and then polish with a dry, soft cloth. A lovely polish will be the result.

Quantities:- 2 cupfuls vinegar, I cupful paraffin, 1 cupful linseed oil (raw) and 2 spoonfuls of methylated spirit.