Baxter, Joseph
Joseph Stevenson Thomson Baxter was born at Ravel Row, a few hundred yards from Parkhead Cross, on 7th May 1919. His contemporary birth record on the Scotland’s People website says the address was 6 Ravel Row, but the 1920 Valuation Roll and 1921 Census show it must have been number 7 (there is/was no number…
Read MoreDavidson, Douglas
Douglas Davidson was born on 4th April 1922 on the Drums Estate, which is between Langbank and Bishopton in Renfrewshire. I think you can only appreciate the situation with the Google Earth view looking north over Drums House, however: From the House there are views of the River Clyde and of Ben Lomond. The red…
Read MoreMaxwell, Andrew
Andrew Maxwell was born on 2nd March 1914 at 50 Lauderdale Gardens, in Hyndland just off of Clarence Drive. His father, also Andrew, was a cashier and had married his mother, Christina Mary Bremner, in 1907. They already had a daughter, Dorothy, who was six years older By the 1921 Census the family lived at 3…
Read MoreMerchant seamen: Thomas Rennie, Eric McMurray, Harry Jamieson and Edward Hughes
There are 148 names on the Bearsden War Memorial. In terms of a single cemetery or memorial, the most frequent is New Kilpatrick with 14. First World War memorials to those with no known grave at Thiepval (eight) and Arras (six) are next, together with the memorial to Merchant Navy men with no known grave…
Read MoreHenderson, Barry
Barry Martin Smyth Henderson was born on 18th November 1919 at 28 Wilkie Street, Glasgow. Wilkie Street was in the east end of Glasgow, by what is now The Forge Shopping Centre: His father, who had the same name, was from County Antrim, and worked as a compositor for the Daily Record. He married Sadly, we…
Read MoreLindsay, Allan
Allan Lindsay was a trooper (equivalent to a private) in the 6th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment. In 1942 this unit was fighting in the Libyan and Egyptian desert against German and Italian forces. In June 1942 the British and their allies were being pushed back, having retreated after the Battle of Gazala and with the…
Read MoreGates, Edwin
Edwin William Gates was born on 11th December 1905 in Portsmouth. His father, William Francis, was an able seaman in the navy. His mother was Janet Rosa Parrott. Edwin followed his father into the navy and was a Leading Seaman at HMS Tamar, which was the name for the royal navy’s shore base in Hong…
Read MoreBilling, James Milne Munro
As I write it’s possible the Marks and Spencers shop facade on Sauchiehall Street will be demolished. Instantly recognisable it opened in 1935. Of the design, a campaigner for the Twentieth Century Society said, “It uses a modular façade system that formed the basis of over 40 Marks & Spencer stores around Britain. A distinguished…
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