Down Memory Lane

Feb 18 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

Down Memory Lane

COMPLAINTS were made regarding the prevalence of the playing of street organs in Hamilton. However, it was pointed out that under law any householder – personally or by his servant, or by a police constable – could tell them to move away. Anybody who continued to play an instrument in the street or sing in the street after being asked to depart was liable for a fine of up to 20s. Unless a complaint was made by a householder that a street musician or singer refuses to desist, the authorities were powerless.

A LEGAL fight was underway over the occupation of a certain pew in the area of Bothwell Parish Church. Rival arguments took place in Hamilton Sheriff Court and it was reported that what was interesting was “the profundity of the law” that had a bearing on “the trifling thing of having a right to a seat in a parish kirk”.

ONE of the most colourful films shown in Hamilton for some time was ‘Treasure Island’, and its tale of piracy had a particular charm, especially among boys. Every afternoon, the Hippodrome was thronged by school pupils whose headmasters – on the invitation of Mr Gardner, the manager – allowed pupils off to see the Wallace Beery-Jackie Cooper gem. By Saturday afternoon it was reported that 5000 children would have seen the film.

A STRANGE lethargy among male members of the chorus was causing confusion for the Rector of Hamilton Academy during rehearsals for ‘HMS Pinafore’ and ‘Trial by Jury’. Hitting on an idea, he said Accies were leading 4-1 at half-time in their Scottish Cup replay against Clyde. The boys instantly burst into life and Accies won the game 6-3, having been held 3-3 the previous Saturday.

CALDERPARK Zoo’s best-kept secret was let out of the bag when director-secretary Sidney Benson revealed they had once lost a star ELEPHANT. Mr Benson explained: “The keeper came rushing in and told me Sari was lost. At first I couldn’t believe it but then I saw he was serious. We searched the whole park with no luck but at last we found her – in the hay shed next to her house. She was having the feed of her life!”

THREE Hamilton shopkeepers who were told they would lose their premises when the police station was demolished and rebuilt, appealed under the Shops Tenancy Act at Hamilton Sheriff Court. The Quarry Street shopkeepers were given notices ordering them to quit their premises near the New Cross, without alternative accommodation.

BUNGLING would-be thieves who raided a petrol station left before “the bomb went up”. Police think they fled because they were disturbed or bungled the fuse for explosives to blow the safe. There was enough gelignite to blow the Clyde Valley filling station “sky-high” according to police, but there was a very short fuse.

Owners arrived at the premises, on the A74 between Larkhall and Hamilton, to find the office safe packed with sticks of gelignite – enough to blow the safe, filling station and thieves to pieces. The gelignite was packed into the lock of the large safe with mud, and appeared to be the work of amateurs. The safe contained £40.

ATTITUDES were hardening and tempers fraying in the steel dispute, with 30 picket line arrests in Wishaw and Bellshill. Over 500 striking steelmen – joined by their wives – were now picketing at Steel Stockholders (Birmingham) in Wishaw and Bellshill in a show of solidarity against stockholders moving steel. Seven of the pickets appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court where six were fined. Another 16 were still to appear. Steelmen were getting tough with lorry drivers moving in and out of the steelyards, resulting in angry clashes with police.

Five policemen were injured at Bellshill when scuffles broke out. Nearly 1000 men were on the books at strike HQ in Motherwell, with Steel Stockholders the main area of picket activity in Lanarkshire.

HAMILTON District Council’s plan for plush new £4.5m HQ was set to put £21 on the poll tax bill of everyone living in the district. That warning was contained in a report to councillors on how the massive extension to Hamilton Town House was to be paid.

Council finance director Spence Gray recommended that the council sell off buildings that would become redundant after the new extension on Lower Auchingramont Road and Muir Street was completed, to avoid what could be a politically disastrous move for the ruling Labour administration.

The council recently agreed that a huge extension at the rear of the Town House in Cadzow Street was needed to house various departments currently based around Hamilton town centre.

BRITISH Telecom bizarrely blamed vandals for a mix-up that saw the numbers ‘6’ and ‘9’ wrongly placed on a phone in a telephone kiosk in Hamilton Town Square. Anyone phoning an emergency number would have to dial ‘666’. Despite there being no signs of damage or marking to the telephone casing, a BT spokesman said: “Somebody has obviously switched the buttons.

“It looks like an act of vandalism to us because we had an engineer checking them just last week and they were fine.”

ABOUT 70 mums and their children staged a lively demo outside South Lanarkshire Council’s HQ in Almada Street, Hamilton, in protest at plans to cut staff at Whitehill’s Youth Project and Family Centre.