1950's

I happened across this site featuring the Hilltown by pure chance and just had to contribute. My parents lived at 62 Carnegie Street when I was born in 1943 at the DRI. Very shortly thereafter my parents separated and my sister Violet and I moved in with my Grandmother who lived opposite the blacksmith in Kirk Entry - just off the Wellgate. I must have been six or so when we moved to our first house (an attic) on the Hilltown, it was on the west side between Ann and Alexander Street. Time spans are hard to remember but I'd say a year or two later we moved a little farther up, it was a long narrow close next to (possibly) Wullie Cook's bar? It led to the back land of a complex where we once again had an attic. It was there on Xmas eve 1951 that I have my first memory of my family - we had one sister and three brothers much older than us. The reason for the reunion was because our father had just died. The next boy older than me was 16 or so and the image of him crying will stay with me forever (I couldn't understand what could make a boy cry). Read more......

It was December 1951. I had just been discharged from hospital where I had undergone an arthrodesis of my right knee which rendered it unable to bend; locking it in a straight position. I was sitting on a tram on the lower deck where there was a long seat on either side; the passengers facing one another. It was leading up to Christmas and a lady boarded the tram laden with parcels up to eye-level. She did not see my leg stretched across the alleyway and before I could move she had tripped over my leg, her parcels scattering everywhere. Read more......

I was brought up by my grannie Alice and No 41 in the 50s happy days at St Mary's Forebank. Stannergate with a bucket for wilks, plundering apples and pears, the wee pool at the sweeming, hired trunks, fishing for floonders at the docks, sky larks singing on the law, chicky nelly, doos eggs at the hoose o doos, climbing the three waas, Blaikies and the forest for birds eggs, the green hills sliding in the winter. The Plaza, Vic, Rex, minors of the ABC, kissy catchie, Jonny and the gun, kick the can.

One of my first memories as a child was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 2nd not the 1st, I'm not that old. I lived in a 'single end' in Bernard Street and we had a great street party. My cousin Francis Harvey was dressed up to be the young Prince Charles. I was only 3 at that time, but I still think of it with fondness. Later that year we moved to a new house in what I thought was the countryside because it seemed so far away and there was a farmer by the name of Sherrit who lived up the road. Read more......

I read with interest the reminiscence made by Derek M with regard to the old Dundee tram which was transported to the City Road allotments and was used as a greenhouse. There was not one but two trams on this site, the other was transported by my Father. I was there to assist in them being slid down from Pentland Avenue using batons and rollers. Derek's Grandfather was also our neighbour living in Kincardine Street at that time, and those trams were a great success and provided an extension to the gardening skills as the allotments were the means of providing much need vegetables during the war. Read more......

Does anybody remember the 'penny transfer'? I was at Harris Academy (Primary) at Blackness Avenue from 1954 - I used to catch the tram into town and then get the No. 17 bus to Ancrum Road / Sutherland Street - for that it cost the princely sum of 1d in old money.

In 1955, having just left school and starting a college course, I was employed as a temporary tram conductor during the summer of that year. It was one of the happiest summers I ever experience and I have many happy memories. Read more......

I remember living (squatting) at 13 Larch Street in the nine storey tenement and attending Blackness School prior to moving to Fintry in 1951, and moving to Linlathen Primary just over the Linlathen bridge. I'm sure it was a foundry opposite us on Larch Street, and a huge open midden around the corner on Urquhart Street. A penny dainty from the corner shop on the way to school was a treat to look forward to.

Way back in the 1950's, I was friendly with a girl who lived in the Downfield area of the city. When the last tram of the day was coming near the terminus at Downfield, the driver used to give quite a few rings on his bell to let everyone know, and you had to run like mad to get up to the terminus to catch it back to the city. Happy Days!