Bonnybridge

Dad sent a link to Undiscovered Scotlands webpage on Bonny bridge and added related information to his and his family's life there.

Images are from Undiscovered Scotland

 From https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/bonnybridge/index.html

OPEN ABOVE FOR PHOTOS OF BONNYBRIDGE

BONNYBRIDGE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEW AND INFO OF MY BIRTHPLACE

[SEE- PHOTO 'HIGH STREET, LOOKING WEST]
I WAS BORN IN A TWO ROOMED FLAT IN HIGH ST AT THE TOP, ON YOUR RIGHT IS THE WHITE PAINTED ‘ROYAL’ HOTEL.
JUST FURTHER UP FROM THIS IS HARDIE’S PUB.
ANOTHER 20 METRES UP, IS WULL SMITH’S THE BUTCHERS.
OLDER BROTHER BILLY AND ME AND THEN OOR JOCK WERE ALL BORN IN THE FLAT[NOT IN HOSPITAL] NEXT TO ‘WULL SMITH’ THE BUTCHER SHOP.
MAW ‘HARRASSED’ THE LOCAL COUNCILLOR BY WALKING ALMOST THREE MILES, THERE AND BACK, EVERY WEEK TIL SHE GOT OOR NEW HOOSE AT 15 GATESIDE AVENUE

WHEN MAW GOT GATESIDE AVENUE, THERE WAS ONLY SOME 12 BLOCKS BUILT OUT OF THE TOTAL SCHEME.
LINDA, BORN IN STIRLING MATERNITY HOSPITAL, BECAUSE OF MAW’S AGE, WAS THEN ALSO BROUGHT UP IN GATESIDE.
IT WAS THE BACK OF THE BONNY RIVER AND A FORREST ACROSS THE RIVER, WHICH WE KIDS CROSSED BY SLIDING[AND IF CONFIDENT, WALKED] ACROSS THE SEWAGE PIPE BRIDGING THE BONNY.
GETTING A DOOKIN[WET] WHEN YOU FELL OFF THE PIPE WAS ALWAYS A HAZARD. BUT LUCKY WE ELLIS LADDIES NEVER DID FALL THE 12 OR SO FEET INTO THE VERY SHALLOW WATERS.

SEE PHOTO, ‘THE CENTRE OF BONNYBRIDGE’
THIS PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE ROYAL HOTEL END OF THE VILLAGE, GOING TOWARDS WHERE WE STAYED, A MILE AND A HALF AWAY, SHOWS A PART OF THE COWDEN HILL.
AND, AT THE BOTTOM LHS UNDERNEATH THE 3 STORY BUILDING AT THE TOLL, WAS WATTIE GRAY’S NEWSAGENCY, WHERE I DELIVERED PAPERS FROM.
I DID THE EVENING PAPERS AS A WEE 10-13 YR AULD LADDIE STANDING AT THE MITCHELL AND RUSSELL FOUNDRY
[WHERE I LATER SERVED MY 5 YR APPRENTICESHIP, AS A METAL FABRICATOR/WELDER FROM AGE 15 TO AGE 20]
AS THE WORKERS STREAMED OUT THE FOUNDRY TO BOARD THEIR BUSES OR CYCLE OR WALK HOME, I WOULD THEN GO BACK TO THE PAPER SHOP AND TALLY UP MY MONEY AND GET PAID
THEN HOME TO 15 GATESIDE AVE.
AT AGE 13-14 I GRADUATED TO SUNDAY PAPER DELIVERIES,BY GOING DOWN TO GRAYS SHOP AND SPLIT THE PAPERS INTO LOTS FOR THE SOME 4-5 LADDIES DOING THE VARIOUS RUNS.
BETWEEN TIPS, WORKING EARLY IN THE SHOP AND DOING SOMETIMES TWO RUNS BECAUSE A LADDIE DIDNAE TURN UP, I WAS ABLE TO EAERN MUCH MORE THAN WHAT I GOT AS AN APPRENTICE.
I DID THE PAPERS TIL ABOUT 19YR OLD, BY WHICH TIME I WAS GETTING A BIT BETTER OFF.
US LADDIES ALWAYS HANDED OOR EARNINGS TA MAW AND MAW ALWAYS SAW US RIGHT FOR MONEY FOR THE DANCIN ET AL

THEN, AT WHITBURN DANCIN, AT THE HEIGHT OH THE ROCK’N’ROLL ERA, I MET THIS GORGEOUS REDHEAD [THO I HAD GONE OUT WITH OTHER REDHEADS] , WHO DECIDE TAE REFORM ME.
SO ELEANOR POLLAND CAME INTO MY LIFE. AND SHE WAS AND STILL IS A STUNNER
I WAS AT WHITBURN THIS FRI? NIGHT, AFTER REDHEADED MABEL MONTGOMERY GAVE ME AWAY, WHICH DEVASTATED ME. BUT, AS MAW WAS WONT TAE SAY, ‘GUID COMES FRAE BAD’
THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCE FLOOR WAE AW THESE LASSIES WIZ THIS GORGEOUS REDHEADED BEAUTY.
I THOUGHT, \SHE\LL NO DANCE WAE A ROUGH NUT LIKE ME. SO I BOLDLY WAITED TIL THE MUSIC STARTED AND I STRODE ACROSS THE FLAIR, WAE FLAIR, AND THIS BRAW LASSIE ALLOWED ME TAE
DANCE WAE HE. LATER I REALIZED, BUT DIDN’T CARE, THAT I HAD ASKED HER UP AT ‘LADIES CHOICE’. IT WIZ MAGIC

AT AGE 20 I MARRIED MUM-OR SHE MARRIED ME! AND THEN WE SAILED TO SYDNEY WHERE YOU LOT WERE ALL BORN. LUCKY YOU??

ALL BECAUSE OF MY LOVE OF REDHEIDS!

ENJOY

LUVS MA GIRLS

DAD