New Member, quick intro

[frankyoung]

Hi Anthony, I've finally made it, with a great deal of help from my son. My name is Frank Young I came from Lawmoor Street, I went to St Luke's and Holyrood. We moved to Castlemilk in 1960, but have always have had Gorbals connections. I am known to a lot of people as 'Pammy', a nick name I've had since I was 3. I'm looking forward to hearing from old friends. It has taken me an age to figure out how to get on to this site, an age thing I think.

[margaretmcgettigan]

HI FRANK, WELCOME TO THE SITE...IT IS GOOD TO GET SOME NEW MEMBERS ON HERE...HOPE YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE AND LEARN FROM SOME OF THE POSTINGS THAT ARE ON ALREADY. I CAME FROM SANDYFAULDS STREET 1937 TO 1956/57 THEN WE MOVED TO GOVANHILL...WENT TO ST. FRANCIS AND THEN HOLYROOD, TOO.
MARGARET
GBYA

[frankyoung]

Thank you Margaret, I was a regular contributor on the old site, which I found easier to find my way around, but it's probably an age thing as my 8 year old granddaughter has no trouble whatsoever. I remember Sandyfaulds Street quite well, with the Pend that took you through to Oregon Street and Pine Street. The Gorbals I grew up in no longer exists and I can count on the fingers of one hand the buildings that are still there. But as has been said before it was the people that made the Sooside special. Look forward to hearing from anyone who remembers me and also from people like yourself Margaret who don't know me from Adam. Cheers

[TheGorbalsAdmin]

Hi Anthony, I've finally made it,

Great Frank. A big sigh of relief here anyway!
All the best and enjoy

Anthony

[DannyGill]

Hya Frank,
Welcome back to the Gorbals Anecdotes and I know what you mean about "trying to figure it out" , I was the same at first but it's like anything you do get used to it. I was on the "old site" too and loved the comments although sadly a lot of the people who posted on the "old site" seemed to have dropped out. I was born in Fauldhouse st [where big Bonnies and the Steamie once stood] which was more or less where Oatlands ended and the Gorbals started, so I had the best of "both Worlds" playing with my pals in both Oatlands/Gorbals. You mentioned the Pend leading into Sandyfaulds st from Moffat st , well I remember it well and there was a horse stable there [Jacksons coal ? ], I loved walking along Cumberland st and it's many shops, the Paragon picture hoose, St Francis's, Lawmoor st Polis station etc and there was always a buzz about the place it those days Frank. I used to love going to the Gorbals swimming baths then over to the hot Peanut man or a walk to Greasy Peters fish n chip shop. I went to wee Bonnis the big Bonnies [for a year] then my last years at Holyrood. The back of oor Tenement collapsed in 1960/1 when I was twelve and a half years old and we got moved out to south Nitshill and I didn't like it that much as I loved the soo-side with all the shops, Barbers , Chip shops , Picture Houses and I would always go back there. When I grew older and started to use the Pubs I would go to the Cleland bar for the live music on a Friday night with my girlfriend Rena it was a great pub, visited a few of the others too Frank ha ha. I served my apprenticeship as a bricklayer then when I was 20 years old left Glasgow to build bricks halfway round the World and never went back to Glasgow to live , I always went back every year to visit Ma and Da but that was out in Nitshill, I hadn't seen the soo-side for 45 years then when I was writing the 2nd last chapter of my autobiography I went back to visit the soo-side and believe it or not Frank I was still thinking/imagining that the Tenements that I grew up in would still be there. Oh what a shock after 45 years it had all completly changed and I felt like greetin but I suppose time marches on . For the last few years I visit Glasgow for a week or ten days holiday and its great to meet up with old school mates [found them on face book ] and have met a lot of new friends too, anyway mate that's enough of me ha ha . Speak to you later Frank take care and God Bless.

Regards.
Danny

[frankyoung]

Hi Danny, talk of greasy Peter's reminded me of the shop just along from him. That shop was "dirty Maggie's" she sold books and comics, she had that many they were coming out of the bottom of her counter. I also remember the "shand shop" which sold the previous day's baking from the Co-op in McNeil Street. My ma used to send me along for sixpence worth of "teabreid" and if you timed it right, near closing time you could be given a whole bag full. As you said when you came back after being away for years, in your mind you imagined that nothing would be different, but the old Gorbals was, in parts, an affront to human dignity and had to go, other parts, and I'm thinking of some of the excellent buildings in Crown St and Cumberland St should have been renovated and saved, these would have provided a link with the past and encouraged community spirit. However, it was always the people that made the Sooside not bricks and mortar,Cheers

[amelia]

Hi Frank I remember you from the old site as everyone says lots of them have never came back glad to have a new "face" on the site. I was born in Salisbury St. then got married moved to single-end at the top of Lawmoor St then onto a room and kitchen in Moffat St. then up here to Castlemilk 53 years maybe I've walked by you at the shopping centre
I went to St Johns infant school then on to Tradeston "St Johns" where it was an all girls school then up to Holyrood I think everyone got fly to waiting to nearly shutting time at the shand shop because sometimes when you went everything was sold out.
Glad your back and don't leave it too long before you com back on.
Amelia

[DannyGill]

Hi Frank, Amelia+gang,
Yes Frank talking about Dirty Maggies I remember her shop well with all those comics lol, Also you're right about some of the buildings they were in a terrible condition and had to come down but there was a lot of other buildings that could have been refurbished as you say and some of those buildings were magnificent but the planners wanted to "clear the lot" in their wisdom [or lack of it]. The "shand" yes and the broken biscuits, my Ma used to send me there too, yes the people of the soo-side made it what it was and I was glad to have been brought up there with it's great community spirit and even though our Ma's and Da's might not have had much money they installed in us a respect for other people [especially our elders] and to be hard working. Even to this day living in London I always say good morning to the bus driver and thank him/her when I alight , some people look at me as if I'm mad but I never lost what my Parents installed into me all those years ago and it has stayed with me in all the different country's that I lived , worked and traveled in. Will speak later Frank, take cars and God Bless m8.

Regards.
Danny

[Don]

Hello there Frank and welcome. I'm Don Paton and, like others, I too remember you from the old site. I also went to St Luke's in Ballater Street. I see that you lived in Lawmoor Street. My mothers family lived at 218 Lawmoor Street, which was situated between Rutherglen Road and Cumberland Street about 3 or 4 closes before the Polis Office. The present site here is a wee bit more circuitous than the old one but no doubt you'll get used to it. I very much agree with your summary comments on the development of the Old Gorbals and that to some extent the baby was thrown out with the bath water. Good luck and regards.

[DannyGill]

Hi Don +gang,
I well remember the Polis station in Lawmoor st and that air-raid siren on top of it's roof, it always amazed me as a wean walking past it and wondering would I ever hear it but at that time in the mid to late 1950's it would mean that the 3rd World war had started [that's what we were told in those days !!!] so I was glad that I never heard it being sounded. To me Rutherglen rd was as it sounded but after being away from the soo-side for almost 45 years on my first trip back I heard people calling it "Old Rutherglen Rd" . The Oatlands/Gorbals area where I played as a wean is well and truly gone now [sadly] but I'm glad that there are a few landmarks left like , McNeil st Library building, Hutchy bowling green club,Southern Necropolis, some buildings in Eglinton st on the way up to Eglinton Toll, Laurieston has still a few of the old buildings standing too which is great, I got completly lost cutting through Cumberland st until I saw St Francis'd Chapel and then I could get my bearings. Ah well Don at least we have great memories to think back on. Speak to you later.

Regards.
Danny