Drumclog memories

The Village of my Birthplace

I was born at no 24 Miller Street, Glassford in the year 1938 and lived there till 1948. I have very happy memories of my childhood there. Dad was a miner and was transferred to the east coast when I was 10 years old. I am the youngest in the family. I emigrated to New Zealand in 1958, got married and settled in Dunedin. I loved the freedom we had living in the countryside. I have been home on holiday four times and I always have a visit to 'the glessert' on my 'must do' list. Last time I was there we had a meal at Steayban eating place. That was in 2003.

Titled."Summers in Kirkmuirhill".....My Granny Brown lived there and as a wee boy I was sent from my home in Glasgow to stay with my Granny for the summer. I loved the time there and enjoyed the fequent walks with my Uncle Dan down by the river Nethan, where he would guddle for trout. There was a pub on the main road and a little shop was nest to it. On a Friday my uncle always said he was going to see a "man about a dog". Naturally he was going to the pub. I would walk along with him and waited on the wall beside the pub with a "jotter" and pencil in my hand which he gave me to copy down the registration of any cars and buses passing. Of course in those days hardly anyone had a car and the bus passed every hour. Needless to say I never logged too many numbers. I still have fond memories of those days and think of it often in Canada... Read more

Mrs Smith's Farm at Coalburn

I remember a stunning girlfriend, Rosemary Smith,  whose family farmed at Coalburn. We met while both working and studying in Manchester and I remember our visit to her mother's farm at Coalburn in 1968.  THere were fields of sheep, rain, sheep, trees, rain, lovely farmstead, rain, coal fire, rain, her old A40 Countryman estate car, rain etc!  A lovely place and a lovely girl. When we met I had no idea at all of either her farming or her Scottish background and I fell in love with it all. Around seven years later I moved to East Kilbride and worked in Glasgow and I recall that each time I drove up and down the old A74 between Glasgow and London I could see Mrs Smith's farm from my car. Happy memories!