Which street did you live on?
I was born in Oatlands Square, in my gran’s house. My mother had five children and we moved to a single end, in a tenement building on Matheson Street, not far from my gran’s house. Because he was the only boy in the family, my brother was evacuated to Aberfoyle during the war.
Describe your house: My dad was in the Royal Navy during the war and afterwards worked at Yarrows, a shipyard in Scotstoun. In 1945, my mother was offered a house in a new-build scheme in Yoker and she accepted it - and what a difference. It was a four apartment with a back AND front door. My mother had another three children, two boys and a girl and we all had a happy childhood.
Favourite local cinema? On Saturday afternoons, we’d cross on the Renfrew Ferry and go to the ‘tupenny buck’ cinema. I remember it cost us a penny on the ferry - a halfpenny there and back. If Rangers were playing that day, we’d wait for the fans to arrive and lift us over the fence, which saved us a halfpenny so we could buy a sweetie...
Where did you go dancing? I went to the Locarno. The lumber I met at the dancing was on leave from his national service in the army ...and we ended up getting married. Sadly, he died 10 years ago.
Best thing about growing up in Glasgow? I’m 83 and I remember a happy childhood.
Happiest childhood memory? We would walk to the top of our street, cross over the canal bridge and play in the bluebell woods - happy days. That’s where Drumchapel was eventually built. There were some farms about in those days and sometimes the farmers would let us pick turnips for Halloween. Sometimes we took the SMT red bus to Bowling, where we lit fires to roast our potatoes and when we got back on the bus, our faces would be black with smoke....
Share your memories by emailing ann.fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk
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