1950's

I was born at 40 Constitution Street in May 1933 where I stayed with my parents and two brothers until we moved to a new house in Kendal Avenue in 1946. I went to Rosebank School then to Rockwell High. When I started work it was in J.K. Mearns at the bottom of Victoria Road, it was a very happy place to work as we had a very good employer (William Mearns). I married George Millar in 1953, we have 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

On the Maryfield line, just before the Arbroath Road on Albert Street a fellow had parked his horse and cart. The tram driver decided that there was not enough room to pass, he decided to go into nearby shops to look for the carter but the tram's air brake leaked and the tram, full of passengers ran right down Princes Street and King Street to the Gaumont Cinema. Mr Charles Broadley, Superintendent, took charge of the situation, fortunately no one was hurt.

Six trams went up in convoy to Den's Park with the football fans on board. Unloading and parking on Provost Road. Tram drivers got into the match for free and this day the driver of the last tram in the convoy, in a special hurry to get into the match, omitted to put on the tram brake. The tram, sitting on a brae, started to run down Provost Road. A policeman spotted the runaway tram and stopped all the traffic coming down Moncur Crescent, to let the tram run past, it came to a stop at Isla Street because of the gradient there. No one was hurt.

I started off as a tram Conductor for two years, most of us always started here and then learned tram driving. An Inspector trained me. I began as a spare driver and was then given a steady line on the Blackie to Downfield line. I started in 1947, after leaving the army and worked until 1956 when the trams were taken out of service, any driver under the age of 50 could train as a bus driver.

I was born in 1954 in my Granny's house in Kirkton. We lived in William Street but went to Granny's all the time to play in her garden and get a bath. My mum was one of five sisters, three of whom were nurses in Maryfield Hospital and it was one of my aunties, Annie Dodds, a midwife, who delivered me and most of my cousins, at home. I remember walking down Victoria Road with Mum to the butcher who always gave us a slice of roast beef straight from the machine and salt to put on it.

Someone mentioned the butcher shop selling horseflesh at the bottom of the Wellgate. I worked there as a laddie after school and on Saturdays, earning £1 a week. And yes, we sold only horsemeat. If I remember correctly beef was rationed at the time (1950) and the queues outside the shop were quite long on most days. We used to get a big parcel of meat home with us on a Saturday night, steaks, joints, sausages etc. Read more......