Childhood

My sister Wilma was crowned queen of Bernard Street in 1953. My mum and dad both worked at Cairds Jute Mill and I went to Hawkhill School. We left Dundee and came to live in Torquay, Devon. I can still smell the jute on my mums hair when she came home and trying to get it out of her hair. We lived in Peddie Street right next to the West End Bar. Needless to say my dad spent a lot of time in there.

Tattie howkin’ in bygone days
Reminiscin’ auld ways
Up i’ the mornin’ wi’ the dawn
Scarcely e’er the cock had crawn
On tractor bogie tae fertile fields
Harvestin’ precious yields

Smell o’ diesel – strictly measured drill
Wicker sculls – strewn tae fill
Muscles achin’ – backs bent
Scatterer scatterin’ wi’ intent
Up ae drill – doon ainither
In a’ different kinds o’ weather Read more......

Born in February 1942 in Brook Street I came from a family of 10. We moved to Polepark Road and attended Mitchell Street primary school in 1946 until going to Logie High (Penitentiary). Later we moved to Grey Street, Lochee. Many happy times of going down to the penny buster stall in the Overgate and of Greenhills the chemist where our late dad would buy us a saspirrila to clean out the insides. I also remember being pulled out of school and sent to the tattie howkin. We were paid the great sum of 10 shillings. Read more......

What about this lady who was a bible singer from the old Overgate. She had a hall above the 60 minute cleaners and was blind. She used to sing in City Square on a Sunday and we used to call her organ over from her hall. In these days we used to go with her to public houses for a donation, and she got quite a bit of money in them days. In her hall we used to sing all bible songs and she had acute hearing and knew by your walking who was doing anything wrong. Her hall was freezing at times as we used to stand on chairs to get warm etc. Read more......

Wha remembers the City Arcade
Underneath Caird Hall
Buyin' onythin' frae a half-loaf
Tae a bouncing rubber ball Read more......

I was school boy at the old Mains School on Claverhouse Road situated at the bottom of the old Mains Loan. I started attending Mains School in 1947 and left in 1954 to go to Stobswell Boys Secondary. Read more......

I've just came across this site by accident and its wonderful to read old  stories and look at old photos of Dundee. I was born at the foot of the  Hulltoon (as it was known) in Sheperd's Pend (46 Hilltown), when I was 4 we swapped houses with my Grannie to 20 Hulltoon. They called it Meekie Land I went to St Mary's Forebank and St John's schools growing up 1944 to 1959. They were great days.
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Many fond memories come back when I think being brought up in Fintry. I suppose I was lucky as I was born in our house in the late fifties, my mum would tell us of hardships she had trying to start a family in a single end in Little John Street, now gone. We spent most of our seven weekies picking berries, that was us saving up for a new school uniform .... which was only once per year, unless our shoes went done.! Our auntie had a single end in Foundry lane in town ... what a dump, but thinking back it was someones home .... maybe we were just posh living in Fintry ha! ha! Read more......

I have read that Blackness Library is celebrating its centenary this year and that members and former members are being invited to offer special memories associated with the library. I have one incident with which I was directly linked and which caused something of a surprise at the library in the 1940s. Whether anyone else still linked to the area remembers it I am not sure, but I believe it was the talk of the Sinderins at the time. Read more......

I was born in Paton's Lane in 1936. We used to play down the Magdalen Green and the bandstand.

I remember the Kings and all the other cinemas. My dad used to play bowls down the green, and dominoes in the Tay Bridge Bar at the top of Paton's Lane.