Grangemouth
A Memory of Grangemouth.
My father Charles Randalls was born to Margaret and Charles Randalls on 18 April 1917 and grew up in Grangemouth. His father Charles worked in the soap works and his grandfather , also Charles, was a pilot on the canal. Charles went to Edinburgh Universty at 16 at was in WW11 serving in France,Italy and Ireland. He was a psychologist for the "War Office Selection Board". He had diptheria after uni and while he was an Inspector with National Insurance (before the war) and went to Camelin hospital where he met my mother Betty Scott who nursed him back to health. he had a very successful career in DHSS ending in Newcastle as Head of Uk Pensions with 1400 staff. He talked of Spring Heel Jake in the Close. He swam a lot and played football. I think he lived in Lumley Street. He had a brother called Matthew (now deceased ) and a sister called Pat who still lives in Grangemouth. He had two daughters and he sadly died in 1984 well before his time.....a truly great man.
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I was born in Grangemouth in Oct 1939. My parents were Mary Barr and Archie Barr. We lived in 35 Union Place right on the railway tracks. My Dad worked on the Railway all his life and came to Australia when he retired. Life in Grangemouth in the 1940-1960 was hard but wonderful, kids were free to be kids, We got a good basic education and were taught to be independent from a very young age.
I have just been looking through Dad's payslips and his weekly earnings as a leading porter at Grangemouth was 46/- per week. Gosh I how did they survive. I guess we were lucky my grandparents lived at Backrow Farm at Bothkennar and we got fresh milk and eggs every week. I feel blessed to have had such wonderful people, as part of the journey.
My grandparents went back to Ireland I'm not sure of the exact date but it would have been late 40 early 50. My uncle Robbie McKay took over the farm and lived there until he died.. None of them set the world on fire but they were the salt of the earth.