Down Memory Lane

Dec 24 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

POST Office staff were praised after they managed to get a strangely-addressed letter to the rightful place. The card had no address but on the writing side there was ‘Wednesday to Mr James Dow of the Blan – some sticks for firewood’. The card was posted in Glasgow and postal authorities there had sent it on to Blantyre, writing ‘try Dow, timber merchant, Blantyre’. It so happened that it was intended for Mr James Dow of the Blantyre Saw Mills, who intended to have the bit of paper framed and saved as the nucleus for a Blantyre museum.

AT a meeting of the Educational Institute – Hamilton Branch, regret was recorded by Mr Neil McKechnie, Dundyvan, presiding, over the deaths of three members – David Dunlop, FEIS, Blantyre; Mr Archibald, Mossend, and James C. Carlisle, Airdrie.

A FEATURE on Christmas in the Advertiser, dated December 22, 1934, told of a time when celebrating the festive season was actually ILLEGAL. After the Reformation, an effort was made to sweep all ecclesiastical festivals from the country, due to their connection with the Roman Church. In 1583 the Glasgow Kirk Session put five people to public penance for observing it. After the Restoration, Christmas came back into popularity.

A 46-YEAR-OLD man spent Christmas behind bars after causing a disturbance outside a shop in Townhead Street, Hamilton. He had been selling ex-servicemen’s poems from shop to shop and, when refused a sale, began shouting and swearing, and was arrested. He was sentenced to 21 days.

THE ‘one-for-the-road’ custom was causing accidents across the county, with the Lanarkshire Road Safety Joint Committee advising people not to encourage visitors to drink if they were driving, not to give drink to postmen or those delivering goods to their home. The stark message was: Don’t drink if you’re driving.

INSULT was added to injury for a 24-year-old would-be safebreaker. When trying to evade capture the man fell out of an office window at the works of Archibald Baird and Son in Peacock Cross, Hamilton. He appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court with his neck swathed in bandages and admitted breaking into the offices and trying to force two safes, and breaking into another shop at Low Patrick Street. His ‘heist’ was described by an agent as “amateurish”, and the Hamilton man was given five months’ jail.

LANARKSHIRE’S first Christmas Day baby was born 30 seconds after midnight, and was the first of three boys at Motherwell Maternity. Although 13 babies were born in the early hours of Christmas morning – nine boys and four girls – Beckford Lodge, Hamilton, and Lanark’s William Smellie Memorial had no early births. Motherwell Maternity’s first mother was Marion Waldron of Fife Drive.

Lanarkshire’s second baby, James Watson, arrived at 12.40am to Mrs Quintina Watson from Bellshill.

A MAN who was officially declared dead celebrated his golden wedding – becoming the fourth member of his family to do so. John McBain, of Hillhouse, Hamilton, was taken by the Germans after a trench action in World War One, and wasn’t discovered by the British until after Armistice Day. He was the sole survivor of his unit.

LITTLE Brian Michael Ryder was the Upper Ward’s first Christmas baby, making his appearance at the William Smellie Memorial Hospital, Lanark, at 7.35am on Christmas Day. Parents Jacqueline and Michael, of Kirkmuirhill, were delighted with their 7lbs 7oz gift.

AN earth tremor shook Lanarkshire for 10 seconds on Boxing Day and recorded mark 2 on the Richter Scale. The tremor occurred at about 4am and the centre of it was believed to be the Solway Firth.

HAMILTON shopkeepers enjoyed record-breaking Christmas sales, despite a slow start.

HAMILTON cinema-goers were to be treated to a three-screen Odeon complex by Easter, the management announced.

NETHERTON youngster Natalie Devine had more reasons than most to be cheerful. Nine-month-old Natalie had two pairs of grandparents and four great-grandmothers.

Natalie was the daughter of Terri and George Devine, and the grand-daughter of Motherwell District Councillor Jim Foley.

She also boasted great-grandmothers Mary Smith, New Stevenston; Rose Devine, Newmains; Jessie White, Pather, and Julia Foley from Craigneuk. Councillor Foley said the new arrival was “threatening to become the most spoiled child in the United Kingdom,” due to the extended family.

MOTHERWELL couple Amanda Barr and Darren Cornelius were set to become the first British newlyweds of the 21st century. At the stroke of midnight on Saturday, January 1, the couple were to exchange vows at the Old Mill Hotel, Motherwell.

They had originally planned to jet off to a sunshine island to tie the knot, but were instead persuaded to make history by friend Stuart Barrie, owner of the Old Mill.

While Amanda and Darren planned on becoming ‘Mr and Mrs Millennium’, Larkhall university student Mark Malone was to celebrate his 21st birthday.

Mark, of Carlisle Road, was to mark the milestone at midnight with a party at the St Thomas Lodge Hall, Larkhall, with fiancee KarenAnn Denham (19), family and friends.