Work / Working Life
Smell of Jute
I lived in Shepherds Loan in the early fifties in a tenement right next to Thomson and Shepherds, at the end of the day the bummer would sound and men and women would stream up the road on their way home, the jute fibres filled the air and the smell of jute hung heavy all around us. I loved Lizzie Smiths shop at the top of the road and would spend all of my one and sixpence pocket money there.
Memories of Dundee - Part Ten
In some ways, the war had an immediate impact on our lives. The Blackout, which I mentioned previously, was imposed by law on every house, street and premises nationwide. All vehicle lights were curtailed, with black paper stuck on them, allowing only a half-crown sized circle of light to show. Torches became almost a necessity, but even they were restricted to a small circle of light showing. As a result, torch batteries, owing to demand, became somewhat scarce and if work got round that a certain shop had some there was a rush of customers at these premises, eager to buy. Read more......
Memories of Dundee - Part Eight
Street vendors were commonplace in my childhood - there were so many different ones. One of the first who comes to mind is the milk man who had a small two-wheeled cart pulled by a pony. On the cart was a huge metal churn with a tap from which the milk was drawn to fill the customer's pitchers and jugs. Being two-wheeled the cart sloped and I could never understand why the churn didn't fall off and spill the milk. Then there was the banana salesman who came round carrying a basket of bananas shouting "ripe bananas sixpence a dozen" he left his basket on the street one day to go round the doors with a few bunches and when he returned to where he left his basket, someone had pinched a lot of the bananas from it. I felt sorry for him. Read more......
The Hilltown Area
I was born there, went to school there, delivered papers and milk there, started my first job as apprentice barber there, and finished the last 21 years of my working life, in my barber shop at the 'Tap O' the Hull'. Read more......
Loads of Entertainment
I was born in Peddie Street in 1938. I went to St. Joseph's then on to St. John's in Park Place. I worked in Johnston's Stores in Allan Street. After that I had a job in Thomson Shepherd's in Taylor's Lane.
From there I went into the Royal Engineers for three years. I spent some time in Germany then a year on Christmas Island before being demobbed in Ripon. Read more......
Horse Meat
A butcher at the bottom of the Wellgate sold nothing but horse meat. In the pendy opposite, the blacksmith shod the town's cart horses. We nicked the horseshoe nails and nipped up round the back and crossed Charles Street. Running up narrow stairways, through dilapidated tenements we came out onto Victoria Road next to the fish shop selling whale meat. We dropped our horseshoe nails into the tram lines and waited until a tram came rattling down. Then we'd jump forward and pick out the hot nails. They were transformed into fiery little silver swords. Read more......
A Conductor's Tale
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......
Working Hard
My first job was in (?) in Ward Road. Then I went into the Calender in the sewing department. I worked in the Jamaica Works and then I worked in Victoria Road Works, then East Port, then several other works. When I got married I went part-time. Later I worked in Keiller's in the chocolate dipping and then in Maryfield in the bakery. Later I worked in Woolworths for a few years and then I landed up in the newsagents in Douglas.
Never Stay Off School Again
I was born on 27th January 1936 and lived at 45 Cotton Road, Dundee. I went to St Mary's Forebank School and then to St John's Secondary School in Tay Street. Read more......
Maureen's Life
I was born in 1946 in Lochee. Unfortunately my father died at 21 and my mother became a widow at 18. We then moved in with my grandparents in the new housing scheme called "Beechwood". This was a lovely friendly place to grow up in. Read more......
