1949-1952

(Re-published because, for some strange reason, it only showed as a draft, unpublished, on the blog)

Welcome to my new blog - my 8th in all. It's going to be a retrospective of memories and will start off in chronological order, but there may be a few backtracks on the way as I recall events.

I was born in Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow in 1949 - of course, I don't remember a thing, but that's what I've always been told and my birth certificate seems to confirm this. So far, so good.

We lived in a red sandstone tenement flat on Dumbarton Road, Whiteinch - I forget the number now and I'm not sure which floor we were on, but I suspect it was the middle one. I have memories of my Dad telling me about Mrs White - who lived either immediately above or below us - banging her broom on the floor/ceiling every time I cried as a baby.

I do remember my little wooden bath in which I was bathed at the sink:

I was cute, wasn't I?

Much the same as now - not much hair and not many teeth!

Not so happy in this one, but you can see my pram and our tenement:

I think this next photo of Dad holding me was taken out the back yard in Dumbarton Road:

I think that's what became the coal shed in the background - these were usually bomb shelters converted after the 1039 - 1945 war.

The next two photos are of slightly dubious age - they may have been before we moved out of Glasgow, or perhaps just after. What age do you think I look in this photo at the beach somewhere?:

It's dry and sunny - perhaps it wasn't the West of Scotland after all!

I remember the next one was taken in Whiteinch Park (as we used to call it) - it's real name was Victoria Park and I remember spending a lot of time there, both when I came back to Glasgow on holiday and also later when we stayed in Knightswood:

Do you think I'm more than three here? I remember the kilt well - and note this is the first shot of me with a ball - but why am I handling it? Was this an early leaning towards rugby (a game I've never played)?

So that's about all I can remember about those very early years, The next Chronicle will feature our time in Corby from 1952 to 1959.