Things I remember growing up in Letham in the 60's & 70's

[candalan]

How did double decker buses get up and down Tweedsmuir Road? Its so narrow when I see it now.

[candalan]

My Dad taking me for my "first" pint in the Welcome Inn and the barman says you having your usual! Happy days

[Coltrane]

Walking down the back path to Goodlyburn alongside Brahan Woods where there always seemed to be either swarms of wasps or wild dogs ready to pounce....

[SingaporeSaint]

Around the entrance to The Cemetry at Jeanfield Round became no mans land. Even the trip to upper Jeanfield Park was cross country through the Cemetry !

[babychunder]

Around the entrance to The Cemetry at Jeanfield Round became no mans land. Even the trip to upper Jeanfield Park was cross country through the Cemetry !

Used to take a short cut across it at night, after an cheap gallon in the auld Railway Club in the Feus Road. That big dyke at the edge o the Park wis hard to get ower than when we were kids..

[SingaporeSaint]

Walk home from Perth Academy late afternoon,

Through Perth Reservoir (think it has some pish name like Vielands Park) .....avoid thugs from High School.....Fat Man, wee jimmy law and et al were quite scary back then.

Through PRI Hospital Grounds.......chased by Hospital Gardeners. Give them the finger and some dog's abuse, never gonna catch a 15 year old..we could run fast for ever.

Down past The Maternity unit, safe ground now and public streets.

Across Jeanfield Road, over a fence and a wee cut in between the flats and straight on to Jeanfield Park football ground.

YLT were friendly so no bother there for the Doocot Boys (apart from wee fly's big brother who didnae like us). But he probably had detention anyway.

Up over upper Jeanfield Park and over the Cemetry Wall. Chased through the Cemetry by the grave diggers. They were even older and fatter than the hospital gardners so plenty verbal and more fingers.

Arrive at the Cemetry Wall at the Creamery.....who remembers the wee hut there ???? Over the wall and climbed down the milk bottle crates in to the Creamery.

Chased through the Creamery by the workers...some more verbal and a few fingers but a short distance to go.

And in to the safety of Church Street and Doocot Land

Going home from School every night used to be fun.

Edited August 30, 2011 by SingaporeSaint

[babychunder]

Walk home from Perth Academy late afternoon,

Through Perth Reservoir (think it has some pish name like Vielands Park) .....avoid thugs from High School.....Fat Man, wee jimmy law and et al were quite scary back then.

Through PRI Hospital Grounds.......chased by Hospital Gardeners. Give them the finger and some dog's abuse, never gonna catch a 15 year old..we could run fast for ever.

Down past The Maternity unit, safe ground now and public streets.

Across Jeanfield Road, over a fence and a wee cut in between the flats and straight on to Jeanfield Park football ground.

YLT were friendly so no bother there for the Doocot Boys (apart from wee fly's big brother who didnae like us). But he probably had detention anyway.

Up over upper Jeanfield Park and over the Cemetry Wall. Chased through the Cemetry by the grave diggers. They were even older and fatter than the hospital gardners so plenty verbal and more fingers.

Arrive at the Cemetry Wall at the Creamery.....who remembers the wee hut there ???? Over the wall and climbed down the milk bottle crates in to the Creamery.

Chased through the Creamery by the workers...some more verbal and a few fingers but a short distance to go.

And in to the safety of Church Street and Doocot Land

Going home from School every night used to be fun.

I used tae work at the Creamery, on the carton machine.

[SingaporeSaint]

We nearly got lifted for throwing milk bottles at the night shift one very early morning coming back from the dancing, never realised we had such a perfect aim from long distance. It was always them that started it, not us. Gobby chunts got what they deserved eventually.

[babychunder]

We nearly got lifted for throwing milk bottles at the night shift one very early morning coming back from the dancing, never realised we had such a perfect aim from long distance. It was always them that started it, not us. Gobby chunts got what they deserved eventually.

Probably my old man, who worked there too.

[ANDY5565]

theres a toon called Lethem in Guyana ex Brit frontier of Brazil. wiki

[SingaporeSaint]

I used tae work at the Creamery, on the carton machine.

Did you drink in the Railway Staff Club on Fues Road ?

[babychunder]

Did you drink in the Railway Staff Club on Fues Road ?

Ah did. One o' the cheapest pints in the toon. Used tae get a swift gallon there before headin tae the Strand / Gramps / Sally.

[Lochwinnochsaintee]

Brings a lot back. I can add:

Playing cricket with chalked stumps on the Brahan terrace garages. Guaranteed arguments and fights about disputed lbws, run outs, did the ball rally hit the stumps etc. You also had to field when your team was batting; woe betide if you dropped a catch.

Going guising at halloween with no parental supervision and tiny turnip lanterns to strangers in other parts of the scheme and usually getting a warm welcome.

Sledging down the hill between brahan terrace and tweedsmuir road; we didn't have a sledge so we lay on our backs with legs in the air on metal trays; no worries about overshooting and hitting a bus.

Riding my bike at speed down the path from Struan Road to Brahan Terrace and slamming on the brakes so I would stop just at the top of the steps; worried the lady in the last house so much she blabbed to my mum.

Going messages for my mum to the Rannoch road co-op and quoting her divi number which I remember to this day.

Sneaking down to the Washington cafe and later the chippy to play pinball

Being sent by my dad to the cigarette machine outside the Washington with a half crown for 10.

At other times trying to get cigarettes with an old penny instead of a half crown and succeeding on one occasion; got change as well. I confessed and gave them to my dad; I've never smoked.

[babychunder]

Some good ones there LWS.

I lived in Rannoch Rd at the bottom o Mercer back in the day. Some of the things we got up to:

Making guiders wi auld pram wheels and planks o wood. Doon from the top o Mercer, across Tweedie and Kinloch, and finished halfway up the grass at Rannoch in a heap havin just missed a few cars and the phone box.

Mass fitba games, 20-30 a side, varied between Goodlyburn, Letham School (sun), and Jeanfield Park (sat).

Pinball at the bottom chippie. "Baseball", "Kings and Queens", "Trail Drive".

Someone stealin a gallon jar o pickles at the top chippy.

BBs and Sunday school at Letham Kirk. A wee lad rung the bell and got pulled aff his feet, just missed dinging his napper on the roof.

The paperman CatWeasel "Eveninnn Telegrafff".

Renato's ice cream van, threw a snowball right in his windie once.

The CoOp grocers van manned by Mr. Dewar. A tattie up the exhaust and a large explosion ootside Sammy McQueens hoose.

Throwing snowbaws in the back o they open platform buses.

Pishing in my bucket at the berries to cheat they Souters.

Losing all my money at 3-card brag at said berries.

Chucking empty lemonade bottles at minks on the Almond in the way back fae the tatties.

On the way to said tatties, all the women long faced one day (I'd been up aw night drinkin) What's up wi you lot says I? The king's deid says one. What fecking King I says. Elvis ya d*** says this bloke.

Scoring a 70 yard goal at Auchterarder against that giant goalie (Dibble?)

Gettin suspended from school for vandalising the bell tower / clock and diggin up the cricket pitch (the only things I was ever innocent of)

Raidin orchards. This geezer Frank Wilson chasin us in an auld VW Beetle.

Skatin at the reservoir wi our trainers. Somebody fell through the ice (Mr Peggie??)

Discovering the secret o life doon the inch wi an auld boot one night.

My first hole in one at the 17th North Inch.

Refusin tae join the masons.

Leavin home at 16 wi 23 quid in my pocket.

Bike rides in the sun tae Madderty. And also tae Horsemill for chestnuts.

Fishin the Almond (wi a gaff) at the Double Dykes.

Gettin drunk at my sister's wedding when I was 13. Comin home once tae find ma old folks had moved (tae Scone). Heftin 1m cartons into crates at the Creamery. My first kiss. My Dad's funeral.

[55saint]

Sledging down the grass at the side of Firbank road (no trees then) - felt like the Cresta run when you were about 10

Bogie races down Dunsinane Drive/Campsie Road

Happy days...................

[fazman1977]

Some good ones there LWS.

I lived in Rannoch Rd at the bottom o Mercer back in the day. Some of the things we got up to:

Making guiders wi auld pram wheels and planks o wood. Doon from the top o Mercer, across Tweedie and Kinloch, and finished halfway up the grass at Rannoch in a heap havin just missed a few cars and the phone box.

Mass fitba games, 20-30 a side, varied between Goodlyburn, Letham School (sun), and Jeanfield Park (sat).

Pinball at the bottom chippie. "Baseball", "Kings and Queens", "Trail Drive".

Someone stealin a gallon jar o pickles at the top chippy.

BBs and Sunday school at Letham Kirk. A wee lad rung the bell and got pulled aff his feet, just missed dinging his napper on the roof.

The paperman CatWeasel "Eveninnn Telegrafff".

Renato's ice cream van, threw a snowball right in his windie once.

The CoOp grocers van manned by Mr. Dewar. A tattie up the exhaust and a large explosion ootside Sammy McQueens hoose.

Throwing snowbaws in the back o they open platform buses.

Pishing in my bucket at the berries to cheat they Souters.

Losing all my money at 3-card brag at said berries.

Chucking empty lemonade bottles at minks on the Almond in the way back fae the tatties.

On the way to said tatties, all the women long faced one day (I'd been up aw night drinkin) What's up wi you lot says I? The king's deid says one. What fecking King I says. Elvis ya d*** says this bloke.

Scoring a 70 yard goal at Auchterarder against that giant goalie (Dibble?)

Gettin suspended from school for vandalising the bell tower / clock and diggin up the cricket pitch (the only things I was ever innocent of)

Raidin orchards. This geezer Frank Wilson chasin us in an auld VW Beetle.

Skatin at the reservoir wi our trainers. Somebody fell through the ice (Mr Peggie??)

Discovering the secret o life doon the inch wi an auld boot one night.

My first hole in one at the 17th North Inch.

Refusin tae join the masons.

Leavin home at 16 wi 23 quid in my pocket.

Bike rides in the sun tae Madderty. And also tae Horsemill for chestnuts.

Fishin the Almond (wi a gaff) at the Double Dykes.

Gettin drunk at my sister's wedding when I was 13. Comin home once tae find ma old folks had moved (tae Scone). Heftin 1m cartons into crates at the Creamery. My first kiss. My Dad's funeral.

You guys will probably know my old man - Stewart Fairlie - used to live on Kenmore Terrace.

[babychunder]

I mind him fine.

[Carron]

At New Year we went visiting up in Letham. I won't forget having to go through Hunters, cross Crieff Road, up Unity, then Rannoch Road, every time it got me. The first bit of Rannoch Road, thinking, we were well up, then as we turned the gentle bend, saw the road stretching away into the distance.

When the visit was done, we headed home, basically to get ready to go and visit someone in North Muirton. Once it was done, what remained of the day was ours.

One year, there was a film on the television we wanted to see. No video. Domestic video recorders were very rare. So we left home early, to get to Letham early, left there and walked to North Muirton, and left there to get home.

AND, the film was pish.

[saint in the city]

You guys will probably know my old man - Stewart Fairlie - used to live on Kenmore Terrace.

Stayed 2 doors up from your dad, I remember the time we were down the South Inch at the crazy golf and your dad challenged me to see how far I could hit the ball , took an almighty swing but unfortunately your uncle mike was right behind me , split his head wide open ,blood everywhere.Was crapping myself at what your Granny was going to say or do to me, but she was ok as far as i can remember

.

[ArchietheHibee]

Having just moved to Letham in the last year this thread is very entertaining

[Eric Openshaw]

Having just moved to Letham in the last year this thread is very entertaining

now what did you go and do this for, the place is a shithole

[slf]

now what did you go and do this for, the place is a shithole

irrelevant and off topic.its about growing up in letham in the 60's and 70's.

[Eric Openshaw]

irrelevant and off topic.its about growing up in letham in the 60's and 70's.

If thats the case, so was the post that I quoted, :roll:and by the way I'm not believing that slf actually made that post, its too long for a start and it has no spelling mistakes

[fazman1977]

Stayed 2 doors up from your dad, I remember the time we were down the South Inch at the crazy golf and your dad challenged me to see how far I could hit the ball , took an almighty swing but unfortunately your uncle mike was right behind me , split his head wide open ,blood everywhere.Was crapping myself at what your Granny was going to say or do to me, but she was ok as far as i can remember

.

I must quiz Mike about that and wonder if he'll remember.

Might have knocked some sense into him. We were all together over the weekend there as my younger brother got married.

I grew up at the bottom of Rannoch Road from the age of nine (was in town prior to that), so have many a happy memory of growing up in Letham in the 80's and 90's.

[JonDewar]

I grew up in Linton terrace but my gran and grandads was 1a Marlee Road. I would spend my weekends and holidays in letham in the 70s and early 80s. I remember playing at the swings opposite the house if someone hadn't swung them over the top bar. I remember going to Christine's with a note from my gran for 20 Berkeley at about 6 year old and being sold them no questions asked. I also remember being quite scared of some of the local kids including a small chap named "wee jiy". I still loved it there and have many fond memories of that house and the people I the street.

Good times!!