Callander, Bracklinn Falls c.1880

Photo ref: C7306

I was a pupil at McLaren high from 1945 to 1955 and I have found memories of those years. The photo of the Hydropathic reminds me of my childhood spending many hours playing hide and seek in what was the known as the Palace Hotel now abandoned. The closure was brought about by the war when many troops were stationed there. Sadly it remained closed after the war as little money was available. Before ...see more

I was enrolled at McLaren High School at the age of four, during the war. I was put in a class for 6 year olds because I could already read. It was my first school. However, I was not there very long because we returned to Glasgow.

I well recall the day I set off for school, it was sunny as I left the house by Black`s garage. As I approached the school, I noticed a large crowd opposite the school gates. A spitfire had come down between two houses without touching either of them and someone was injured trying to rescue the pilot. I have no idea of the outcome of the incident, which happened the day after the raids on Clydebank .The previous night, ...see more

My grandfather, Norman Cockburn, worked on the estate of Invertrossachs for Sir James and Lady Wilson. Grandpa had three children, Mary, Jessie & Norman. They all attended McClaren High School. My grandmother Jane is buried in the "new cemetery" on the outskirts of town. I have so many childhood memories of Callander. I was brought up in Glasgow, but we always took Sunday drives to Callander. After ...see more