The years from 1946 to 1950 seemed to last forever!  Glasgow between the wars has been described in detail in the book "No mean city" by Alexander McArthur, which describes the razor gangs and wars between the "Billy boys" and Catholics.  In that period in depression my father worked as the right hand man for the Glasgow bookmaker, Eddie Trainer, in days when bookmakers, horse racing and 'the dogs' didn't have the acceptable image that perhaps they might have now.  My mum didn't really like the environment in which my dad worked. 

Consequently after he was demobbed he obtained work as a clerk in the Polmadie Queens Park Works of the North British Locomotive Company where he worked until made redundant about 1957 caused by the decline in heavy engineering in Glasgow.  My dad was a great 3rd Lanark Football Club supporter and occasionally took me to see the 'Hi! Hi's!" play a match at Cathkin Park, and at half-time on a cold winter’s day enjoying a steaming cup of Bovril.  I can still remember some of the names such as Petrie the goalkeeper, and Jimmy Caskie, outside left, in days when football was much more innocent.  My father had married again in 1953 to a lady called Edith (cannot remember her surname) and on his redundancy they moved to Bridgeton, Glasgow, from there to Edinburgh and finally to Haddington.   My half-sister Alexandra was born of that marriage, and is pictured above.  My father who had been a heavy smoker all his life died of lung cancer in 1977 in Edinburgh.  There was no funeral as he had given his body for medical research, and following his death Edith, sadly, cut off all contact with my sister and myself. 

My mother had suffered from kidney problems for some time, and during and just after the war she spent some time in different hospitals with my Aunt Stella looking after us when necessary.  I particularly remember her being hospitalised in the Royal Samaritan Hospital for Women in Victoria Road as part of her treatment.  An early photograph is shown on the left.  The hospital closed in 1990.

Sadly, my mother's condition deteriorated and she succumbed to renal failure on Monday 23rd August, 1948, at the age of 39, and on the following Thursday 26th August was buried in Cathcart Cemetery, Glasgow, Plot 1562, (left).  Her death was a great loss to us all, and although we tried to continue to live as we had done when mum was alive things were never the same again.  The death of my mother was to have a profound effect upon my future, for thereafter my schoolwork suffered, resulting in me deciding to leave school at 14 years to take a job with the opticians J Lizars at their Sauchiehall Street branch.

Because of my interest in photography and my love of words, I wanted to be a photographic journalist.  I managed to worm my way in to see the editor of one of the big Glasgow newspapers, who advised me to learn photography, and because Lizars were (and still are) camera shops as well as opticians, I thought I could learn photography that way.  I should have gone to learn the craft.  Perhaps this is the nearest I'll get to photographic journalism!  Although I worked mainly in the Sauchiehall Street Branch, I was frequently in the Head Office, seen in this old picture of Buchanan Street (left where the large spectacles are).

I worked Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. for which I received the princely sum of 30/- a week (£1.50 in today's money) of which I gave £1.00 to my father for my keep and spent the other 10/- (50p) on bus and tram fares.  I had to continue to deliver milk for the Glasgow South Cooperative Society Dairy in Cathcart Road to earn another 10/- for my pocket.  Eventually, when I obtained a bicycle, I cycled across Glasgow hail, rain or shine to give me a bit extra.  This continued through until 1951 when I realised that there really wasn't much future and I would be employed only until I was called up for National Service, and rather than not have a choice, one lunch time I went round to the Royal Navy recruiting office in Bath Street, just round the corner from where I worked and joined the Navy.