SCHOOLBOY ADVENTURE - 1955 - PART 8 of 10

Continuing John Mathews' travel diary...........

 

THE DIARY - Glasgow to London

 

Friday, June 10th 1955

 

Glasgow

 

Jimmy woke me up about 7.40 and by 8.00 we had finished breakfast and were off to school.  Andrew felt strange because we were early, so he did not catch the same bus as us but decided to wait for the next one.  Jim and I eventually arrived at his school and we talked to some of the boys until Andrew arrived.  Soon after that the bell rang.  Jim took me up to ask the headmaster if he could show me round the school.  The headmaster took us into his office and we had quite a chat.

 

When we left his office we were met by Mr. Blytheman, who took us into the canteen.  Here he asked us (with about eight other boys of the Contingent) to sing our Australian "folk" songs.  We obliged him, and then we had morning tea.  The headmaster was there, and he gave permission for our hosts to go down the river with us.

 

So when we left they all came with us.  Jim tried to find Andrew but was unable to do so, and we had to leave without him.  On the way to the wharf near King George V Bridge where we were to catch the steamer I rushed into the post office to buy an aerogram, and then into an optician's to buy a film.

 

We had a bit of a wait in the wharf building before any of the teachers arrived, but when they did we asked if the hosts could come with us.  Luckily, when we went on board the steamer, Queen Mary II, they all came with us. 

 

About 11.00 a.m. the steamer left, and with gathering speed we started on our trip down the famous River Clyde.  I was writing in my diary for quite a while, but I still tried to keep a weather eye on the passing scenes.

 

Soon after we left our berth we passed trading vessels from many parts of Europe and abroad.  Then we gradually came upon the shipyards - the wealth of Glasgow.  Among rearing masses of steel, ships were taking shape - ships which may go to Hong Kong or Antarctica, Coney Island or Venezuela - for Clyde-built ships are world famous.

 

We saw the gleaming white hull of the Empress of Britain and knew that very shortly the Queen was going to launch it.  Along a bit the keel of a fat ship was laid.  It may have been a ferry or a mother ship for whalers - we couldn't really tell.  John Brown's shipyard, with its new Ivernia and the almost completed Stanvac Australia faded astern, and we had left the yards behind.

 

Queen Mary II knifed her way along the gradually widening River Clyde, and so the land on our quarters took on a more rural atmosphere.  Soon the huge rock of Dumbarton appeared on our starboard bow.  Jim told me that the old fortress on the rock was almost impregnable.  He said that in the old days, as the capital of Strathclyde, Dumbarton was on the border where the English and Gaelic tongues met.

 

Port Glasgow went by, and then Greenock.  At Greenock we pulled in and passengers were put ashore.  Then across the river to Dunoon where we stopped once more.  When we left there and were steaming towards the Isle of Bute, with Rothesay ahead of us, we saw a naval mother ship decked out in flags with three submarines about her.

 

After disembarking at Rothesay we went into a waiting hall where Mr. Hutchinson went over the arrangements for our free period bit by bit.  Jimmy waited for me and he had a very long wait indeed.  When at last I had my money we only had about half-an-hour left before we were due to embark aboard the ship once more.  We went along the shops and I saw some cheap Scottish jewellery, and I went in and bought a brooch for Mrs, Hunter.

 

Rothesay was just the place for the tourist and holiday-maker.  Round the hillside were dozens of hotels, while the shops were full of things to catch the eye.  But the commercial prospects of the place were only a bad second to its scenery.  A picturesque harbour of sparkling blue water, with the rolling Argyll Hills - oh for a camera which could do justice to that!

 

Jim and I wandered back to the wharf, and when the ship arrived we embarked once more.  On the journey back I wrote my second letter, and we spent the rest of the time wandering about, watching the land on either side and the seagulls soaring effortlessly along behind.

 

We were late arriving back, and as the weather looked threatening Jim and I hurried home.  I did quite a lot of writing and one report for the Young Sun, and of course I had another very late night.

 

Saturday, June 11th 1955

 

Glasgow

 

After a very god night's sleep I awoke and found that the time was 11.00 a.m.  By the time I was up and ready for breakfast Jim and Andrew had arrived after doing a whole morning's work on a nearby market garden.  As it turned out I didn't have any breakfast, but had some brunch with the boys.  Then we all tidied ourselves up to go out.

 

A bus took us to Clydebank, but we had to wait for four buses to Balloch before we could get on one.  The fare was a penny ha'penny, but I was a fool because I had the chance of a half fare and didn't take it. The bus went through Old Kilpatrick and then through Dumbarton.  We passed the large red brick building where Mr. Hunter works.

 

At last we arrived at Balloch, and after crossing a road we went into Loch Lomond Park.  Along a tree-shaded path we walked, and just before we reached the water we turned off the path.  In a small arm of the loch were dozens of small motor boats and a few house boats.  Most of them were in several stages of disrepair.  They all looked rather neglected.

 

We walked around the shore and I looked out upon what is the most famous loch in the world.  Across an expanse of silver water were lovely hills surrounded by a halo of mist.  A boat drifted quietly, its occupants intent on their fishing; and the lapping of the water on the shingles formed the background for the few incidental noises. Here and there we passed picnickers and people like us, just out for a stroll.

 

We all had a good old laugh at one seagull.  It had caught a small eel in shallow water and was trying to eat it.  Every time the bird threw back its head to swallow the eel wriggled out and the gull had to chase it again.  Several times the eel was halfway down the bird's gullet and it would wriggle out once more.  But at last the eel was caught for the last time and disappeared down the red lane. The bird took a couple of sips of water and then waded off.

 

After walking about the gardens we walked back along the shore past the wrecks of the boats, and by way of a wall with a hole in it we came to the road.  We bought ourselves a drink at a stall, and then walked up the street to the bus park.  Soon after hopping on to a Luss bus we were on our way to Arden round Loch Lomond's side.

 

It was delightful looking out of the bus to the loch far below, and when we saw four rowing crews they seemed to skim over the water like jet-propelled pencils.  At one of the bus stops quite a few young people alighted for the Youth Hostel, which was hidden back among the trees.

 

When we got off the bus at Arden P.O. I left a sixpenny stick of rock in the bus.  What a blunder!

 

The Glen Fruin road was for us, so we set out along it - at a pace which soon began to slacken.  Jim tried to sing The T Model Ford, and after about twenty minutes of that Andrew and myself told him to keep quiet.  The road was quite good for a back country one, and it wound pleasantly along beside a little town.  When we came to a crossroads we took the road to Helensburgh.  Soon afterwards it began to sprinkle rain and we stopped under a leafy tree to shelter and have a bite to eat.

 

On the road once more and Andrew picked up a hammer lying there, and after a brief discussion we put it on the stone wall and left it there.

 

A peculiar bird flying overhead attracted our attention and we wondered what type it was.  I thought it was a stork.  Andrew heard a cuckoo and of course we all stopped and listened to it for a moment.

 

By now we had left the wee burn far behind and the country had become more open, with the inevitable stone walls criss-crossing the hillsides.  We had another discussion about how far we still had to go for Helensburgh, but we were interrupted by a man pulling up and giving us a lift.  He took us near the entrance to the caravan where the twins' aunt and uncle lived.  He was a County Commissioner and said he had been to Melbourne once.  We thanked him very much for the lift, and then after a short walk we came to the caravan cum shack where we were welcomed by Jim's aunt and uncle.

 

The boys' uncle left for a walk down into town, and his wife set about making us some tea.  While we were eating, quite a few Ayrshire cows blundered up near the caravan; but a dog scared them away.

 

While we were listening to Scottish dance music we looked out the open doorway towards the "Tail of the Bank", where all really large ships turn around and go back.

 

About 7.30 p.m. we said good-bye to the boys' Auntie Lizzie and walked down to the seafront.  Although it was rather late a putting green attracted me, and I decided to have a go.  After nine holes we had to leave, and on the way to the bus stop we passed a monument to Henry Bell who pioneered the steamboat.  Helensburgh also produced John Logie Baird, the inventor of T.V.

 

The bus journey was quite thrilling because we were in a new bus, and the driver seemed more suited for Le Mans than Glasgow.  We almost got our 1/6 worth.

 

When we arrived home we had a bit of supper, and just before I was going to bed the conversation turned to trout fishing.  It was midnight, and Mr. Hunter started to show me how to tie flies.  His fingers were surprisingly nimble for their size. I was very interested, but also glad to get to bed.

 

Sunday, June 12th 1955

 

Glasgow

 

When I was up and dressed Mrs. Hunter told me that I had beaten the boys to it.  The only time!  They were soon up, however, and about 11.00 a.m. we had a queer meal.  My stomach has not yet decided whether it was breakfast or dinner.

 

As we were off up the hills the boys and Mr. Hunter started to get ready.  Jimmy packed a large rucksack, and I put my diary into it with a faint hope of being able to write something while we were up in the hills.  Mrs. Hunter gave me an old pair of khaki trousers and a wind-proof jacket as she said I would need them to keep warm and dry. 

 

At last, with our various bundles and rods to carry, Jim, Andrew, and myself were on our way.  In the rather nippy air we tramped up Cochno Road. This was really enjoyable - being with such good companions, and having really no object but to spend a day having a good time.

 

We trudged through an estate which is used as a veterinary establishment by Glasgow University.  Mr. Hunter picked up a few lengths of rope, and after collecting a bundle of wood he slung it over his shoulder.  Jim said that there was no wood up there at all. Through several fields we went, climbing all the time.  Jim and Andrew made a few sarcastic comments about the farming of the University land.

 

Just before we came to the last fence Mr. Hunter gave me his bundle and sat down to wait for the approach of two men who had been following in our tracks.  He had no means of knowing whether they had permission to be there or not. At a tiny spring the three of us had a drink, and then we started to climb again.  With the last hill in front of us we saw a silvery waterfall, known as "The Grey Mare's Tail" come pluming down to the burn below.  At last, after climbing a steel fence by a style, we saw Loch Cochno right in front of us.  It was extensive but not enormous, and but for a man-made wall it would not be there.  We waited round a black hut until Mr. Hunter walked along with the two other men.

 

Mr. Hunter joined us and we started to walk around the loch.  The ground was tussocky and spongy in places, so we made a detour outside the fences. Across a few more hills and we at last stopped (cheers from Jimmy, who was carrying the rucksack).  Andrew and his father set up their rods, and I determined to watch them instead of going off hill climbing.  From the little I knew of trout fishing I thought it might have been a good day for fishing.  In the first few moments Mr. Hunter had a good rise but failed to sink his hook.

 

After that I had some time to look at my surroundings.  The loch was placid, a faint breeze set a shimmer of ripples across the water occasionally.  On an island, hundreds of gulls squawked raucously as they flew and fought.   I had a bit of a fish, and then after helping prepare a meal I went back with the two-handed rod.  Over the period of the whole day I managed to lose four flies.

 

Just before dinner a shout from Mr. Hunter had me flying along the shore of the loch, disregarding stones and bogs in my efforts to be there before the fish escaped, or something.  I arrived just as the fish - a brown trout almost a foot long - was dragged from the water.

 

We had a meal of soup, stew, and potatoes and tea - all warmed over our fire.  It was lovely to breathe a bit of fresh air and to see peaceful hills instead of rearing cranes and factories.

 

After that I fished quite a bit and, in between times, we had a walk around looking at the rocks and things. Andrew told me that all the ground was actually peat or petrified remains and roots of bygone grasses and plants, and that it is therefore not much use for agriculture.  Only a few sheep are grazed.  The loch itself supplies water for houses.  

 

During the War the country was wired up, so that in the event of a raid the lights could be turned on to make the Germans think it was Glasgow.  Even the surface of the water was wired to prevent seaplanes from landing.

 

I fished most of the afternoon and was unsuccessful, even in trying to get a rise.  Towards evening the wind dropped and the sun peeped through.  Mr. Hunter said it was no good fishing under those conditions, so we had some tea and then, just for the fun of it, we began to fish our way back down the loch before finding our way home.  I improved my casting, but could find neither hide nor hair of a fish.

 

At the other end of the loch, just before we packed up, I took a photo of Mr. Hunter.  I only wished I had had an orange filter for my lens to take a photo of the setting sun and its perfect mirror image in the now motionless water.

 

On the way home we had quite an interesting talk, and compared Britain with Australia - their good and bad qualities.  The boys showed me the market garden where they work on Saturday mornings.  They said that it once won a competition for the best market garden in Scotland.  

 

Back home we were very tired, but of course I was very glad to have had a satisfying day out in the open.  I said good-bye to Mr. Hunter before going to bed because he said he would be gone when I got up in the morning.

 

Monday, June 13th 1955

 

Glasgow 

 

After a leisurely breakfast Mrs. Hunter and myself went into Clydebank.  While she did a bit of shopping I went to a barber and had my hair cut, for only 1/3.  When we met afterwards we bought some postcards and a book of Scottish music.

 

After inquiring at her sister-in-law's shop, Mrs. Hunter took me around to the flat to meet Mrs. Pitbladder, the mother of Chris who works in Dad's office.  She left me there and went off.  I had a very nice talk with Mrs. Pitbladder and she showed me some photos. While she went out making a cup of coffee Mr. Pitbladder came in.  When I left to go home for lunch I was forced to accept a gift of 5/-.

 

Back home I had a trout salad lunch, and then did my packing.  By about 3.00 p.m. we were ready and left.  When we met the boys at Charing Cross I said good-bye to Mrs. Hunter.  At Overseas House I thanked the boys and they wished me good luck and left.

 

After a fine tea the coach for London left about 5.45 with 34 passengers and tons of luggage.  It was very crowded and I could not get much sleep. We stopped several times on the way.

 

Tuesday, June 14th 1955

 

Glasgow to London

 

At one roadhouse it cost us 1/5 for one sandwich.  Everybody was feeling pretty awful when we arrived at Victoria Coach Station about 7.30 a.m.  Bob Woodrow and myself did not wait after we had eaten a bite of breakfast, and left in a taxi for Churchill Gardens.  I arrived with Mrs. Harris just getting ready to leave for work.  She made me very welcome before going off.

 

When I had tidied up I went to Victoria by bus and walked along Victoria Street looking in all the bookshops. Then I had a turn about Westminster Abbey before going to Whitehall.

By way of Trafalgar Square I reached Overseas House to see if there was any mail.  As Mr. Hutchinson was said to still have it I set out with Dick Barton, Pip Burfield and Harvey Arnold to go to the Mount Royal Hotel in Marble Arch to find him.  We went along Piccadilly and Park Lane but could not find him at the hotel.  So I caught a train from Marble Arch to Victoria, and walked the half mile back to the flat.

 

After a bite to eat I wrote up my diary.  When Mrs. Harris came home she fed me again, and I was so tired that I went straight to bed.

 

Wednesday, June 15th 1955

 

24 Gilbert House, Churchill Gardens, Westminster SW1

 

Mrs. Harris woke me for breakfast just before she left, and I ate slowly; and after washing up I went out and caught a bus to Victoria.  

By Underground I went to Mansion House, and then I walked across the road to St. Paul's Cathedral for another look around.  What struck me, apart from the architecture of the building, was the number of statues and memorials.  Nineteenth century society seemed to have a mania for white marble statues.  I could not afford the galleries but I paid sixpence and went down into the crypt.

 

Among the hundreds of tombs and memorials were those of Beatty, Billy Hughes, and dozens of other statesmen and soldiers.  Those of Nelson and Wellington of course were the most imposing.

 

After that I was lost in the bombed out blocks near St. Paul's.  At last, by way of Smithfield meat market I reached the Old Bailey. Just for a lark I went into a courtroom and listened to a man being charged with eloping with 1,435 pounds.

 

Then I went down Fleet Street and The Strand, calling in at Australia House on the way to Trafalgar Square. Up Charing Cross Road I walked to Oxford Street and along to Bond Street.  Down Bond Street to Piccadilly and then into St. James's Street.  

When I arrived at Overseas House there were five letters for me.  Down to The Mall, and along to the Palace.  On my way to Victoria I called in at Overseas House (?) to thank Peter Cook for the tickets.

 

After tea I went to the Royal Tournament at Earl's Court.  It was very exciting and I went to the stables afterwards.

 

 

Thursday, June 16th 1955

 

London

 

After Mrs. Harris woke me she left for work, and I ate breakfast.  I tidied up and left by 10.00 a.m.

 

By a 24 bus I went to Oxford Street, and following Mr. Harris's advice I went to Selfridges.  I eventually reached the export department and, after a few inquiries, I went round the store.  When I went back to the export department I had a rough idea of what I wanted, so I obtained a card and went off to choose my things.  In the toy department I picked a guardsmen for Alan. I also got a Scottish doll for my sister.  At the jewellery department and the cosmetics I shopped for Mum, Nana, etc.  When I went back to the office I paid 5 pounds 18/6 for my goods, including 12/6 freight etc. down to the Otranto.

 

I had to get my passport, but when I went to the Mount Royal Hotel at Marble Arch Mr. Hutchinson could only give me the number.  I went back and gave the man the number to settle the business.  Down in the basement I bought a tea-set for Mr. and Mrs. Harris for 14/11.

 

I walked back to Charing Cross Road and caught a 24 bus home.  Then I walked down the street to telephone Mr. Thurman at Gilwell Park.

 

When I went home I decided to go to Battersea Park Athletic Ground; when I reached there I found that I was decidedly out of nick, and could only manage about 65 or 66 seconds for the 440.

 

Back home I had a leisurely time writing and reading.

 

Friday, June 17th 1955

 

London

 

I had intended to go to the Science Museum at South Kensington, but when I went to see Mr. Buchanan, the resident engineer of the Churchill Gardens housing estate, he asked me if I could come back about 2.00 p.m.   So after a trip to the P.O. to get aerogrammes I did all my washing and then wrote two letters home.  Then when I had done all the little jobs it was 2.00 p.m. so off I went once more.

 

Mr. Buchanan was quite courteous. He told me all I wanted to know about the estate and quite a lot more.  He suggested I should go to see Mr. Carter at the pump house.  When I arrived there Mr. Carter showed me all over the plant and the accumulator, and explained it all to me.  I could not understand some of it, but I nodded and said "yes" just the same.  Then he took me over to Dolphin Square where I saw their heating calorifiers and then the shopping centre.  By the swimming pool we stopped for a cup of coffee and had quite a chat.

 

I arrived home about 4.30, put on my scout uniform, and after a hurried visit to Overseas House I met Kerry Rogers and Bob Martin at Victoria Station.  We met Eric Spry and Harvey Arnold at the show Boy Scout.  It was very good, and warmed up as it went on, finishing up on a splendid note.

 

Saturday, June 18th 1955

 

London

 

After breakfast I sat down to wait for Harvey Arnold, who had said he would call for me at 10.30.  He never arrived, however.  I spent my time writing two reports for the Young Sun, and reading.  Mrs. Harris was home by about noon and she soon had a lovely dinner prepared.  I really enjoyed eating it.

 

I left by about 2.15 and caught a 24 bus to Trafalgar Square.  Then I walked along Pall Mall to St. James's Street, and then up to Overseas House. There was no mail for me but I left my reports for Mr. Hutchinson with the hall porter.

 

Back I went to Trafalgar Square.  Outside the National Gallery were several street artists.  One of them had chalked some scathing comments of the London businessman on the pavement.  In the art gallery I walked around for an hour or so.

 

When I left I walked about the cinemas, but those in Leicester Square were too expensive, so I ended up going to Victoria and seeing two really gangster films.  I was home soon after 9.00 p.m.

 

Sunday, June 19th 1955

 

London (Gilwell Park)

 

After breakfast I was into my scout uniform, and by 9.00 a.m. I had caught a bus at Victoria for Chingford. The journey was uneventful.  When I arrived at Chingford there was a one-and-a-half mile walk to Gilwell, but I had a lift part of the way.  The Scouts' Own was just finishing when I arrived.  I was nabbed by boys from an East Ham troop to swap badges, and they stripped me bare.

 

After a bit of walking about in the rain I found John Thurman and gave him the letter from my Uncle Will. We went into the providore and had a short conversation before I was turned over to Peter Groom.  He showed me round after it had stopped raining.  I was a bit disappointed with the size of the place.  It seemed very small.

 

I was very interested in "Eales", the caravan which was presented to B-P in 1929 with "Jam Roll" and a pair of braces.  We also saw the troop room and the training ground.

 

Over lunch in the refectory I met Michael Cooke and Mr. Clough, and after I had had my belt braided I went to the providore and talked to them for a while.  They suggested I go back to London with them, and we went up to Gilwellbury to collect their luggage.  The man there took us into Chingford Station and the train was already in.  

 

We put our luggage in the compartment and I left my camera on the seat.  While we were chatting on the station platform four "Teddy" boys came along, jumped into our carriage, and then went further up the train. After we got back into our carriage I found that my camera was missing.  Michael suspected the "Teddy" boys and we watched them at each station. At Clapton they alighted and started to run.  Michael caught two of them at the barrier and one eventually produced my camera from his pocket.

 

We called the police - two PCs arrived.  We all went off to Stoke-Newington Police Station.  Michael and I had our statements taken by two detectives of the C.I.B.  Everybody was very kind and courteous to us.

 

Then we caught a trolley bus to Liverpool Street Station where we met Mr. Clough.  In a cafe at Charing Cross we had a meal, and when I left for home I thanked Mr. Clough and said good-bye, because he was off to Yorkshire at 11.00 p.m.  Michael, who had contacted R.N. Barracks at Chatham, went to Rowland House for the night.

 

Monday, June 20th 1955

 

London

 

I was late for my rendezvous with Michael for 9.00 a.m. at Liverpool Street Station because my watch was slow.  After a dirty ride in a train I ran to Chingford Police Station to be there at 10.00 a.m.  Michael was there already.  At 10.15 a cheerful detective took us over to Waltham Abbey Juvenile Court.  Our two P.C. friends of the previous day were already there.

 

The trial was tame, really. I was called in - took the oath - and told my story over again.  The trial was adjourned until July 4th.  We were taken back to the police station and Michael was given a "doctored" chit by an obliging detective to say he had left at 12.30.  We were thus able to have a lunch when we arrived back in London. We went to Scout I.H.Q., and it cost me 3/-.  I said good-bye to Michael when he caught the 2.18 train for Chatham from Victoria.

 

I set off down Vauxhall Bridge Road, crossed the Thames, and after going along the Embankment I spent two hours in the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road.  A quick call at the Royal Festival Hall, up Southall and Southwark Streets to London Bridge, and then I crossed back.  Pausing to read an inscription on the Monument I found my way home again via the Embankment, Trafalgar Square and Victoria.

 

Tuesday, June 21st 1955

 

London

 

Soon after I had finished breakfast in walked Bill Moore, complete with cavalry sword by his side.  He was comparatively early - only 24 hours late.

 

I left about 10.30 and set off for the Science Museum at South Kensington.  On the way I passed Chelsea Barracks where a battalion of Coldstream Guards was stationed.  I came to the Museum by the subway from South Kensington Station.  

 

When I arrived I saw that a lecture on "heat" was advertised for 11.15.  I raced up to the gallery shown, and found that I was the only one who had turned up.  The lecturer took me about and told me a bit.  A lady arrived later.

 

The Museum was very interesting but so terribly vast one could not hope to see it all in detail.  There was a television display with the tennis at Wimbledon.  I particularly enjoyed all the working models, and the displays in their Children's Gallery were very good indeed.  I left about 6.00 p.m.

 

When I arrived home I found that Bill wanted to go to the pictures, so off we went to the Victoria Cinema.

 

Wednesday, June 22nd 1955

 

London

 

Bill stayed home and I left to go to Overseas House.  Here I picked up a parcel for Bill, and when I went to see Mr. Hutchinson about the four pounds trust money I had applied for I happened to mention my adventure with the Teddy Boys.  He said he thought it would make a good story, and took down the details of the incident.

 

When I arrived back at the flat no one was there.  Thinking Bill may have left the key with Mrs. Mackie I went to see, but he had not. Mrs. Mackie very kindly gave me a cup of coffee, and then I went off to do my shopping.

 

I went to Selfridges and bought a book on "Athletics", and then down to Bond Street where I bought a developing tank.   When I arrived home I had to sit on the doorstep until Mr. Harris arrived home.

 

After tea I developed three films. I was most surprised when the first one turned out.  Bill arrived home just as I was going to bed.  He had been to see his brother-in-law's brother.

 

Here is Tour Manager, Stan Hutchinson's, Sun report of John's encounter with the Teddy Boys.  Teddy Boys, incidentally, were the 1950s version of disaffected youth, distinguished - apart from their mildly delinquent behavior - by their black dress code, comprising long jackets, and stovepipe trousers usually short and exposing their socks.  They were spawned by the "rock and roll" music of the era. The name "Teddy" is a throwback to the similar angry youth of the Edwardian era. 

 

"Sun boy in brush with Teddy Boys

 

An Australian boy had a brush with a gang of Teddy Boys this week - and came out on top.

 

John Mathews of Heidelberg West, touring Britain with The Sun Youth Travel contingent, will return home with first-hand experience of one of Britain's current social problems.

 

Mathews was returning from Gilwell scout camp with an English friend, Michael Cooke, 19, a National Service naval trainee, whom he had met at Gilwell.

 

They left their baggage in the train to get a cup of tea.

 

On return, Mathews found his camera missing.

 

Mathews and Cooke suspected four Teddy Boys seen leaving the carriage.  All were 15 or 16.

 

Mathews and Cooke accosted the Teddies when they tried to leave Chingford station.

 

Two escaped, but Cooke slammed the station gate and held the two others.  Under his questioning one produced Mathews' camera.

 

Police arrested the Teddy Boys, and when Mathews gave evidence at Waltham Abbey Juvenile Court, the magistrate apologised for the incident having marred his stay in Britain.

 

The Teddy Boys were remanded until July 4.

 

The contingent has been dispersed while boys visit friends and relatives throughout Britain.

 

It reassembles at Kensington today for a final few days in London before sailing on the Otranto from Tilbury on June 28. 

 

Thursday, June 23rd 1955

 

London

 

I left about 9.15 a.m. with the object of getting a good spot for taking photographs of the Changing of the Guard at the Palace.  The Scots Guards were taking over from the Coldstreams.  Of course, most of the fellows who had movie cameras seemed to think that they had an indisputable right to shove their way to the front of the crowd and stay there. When we were able to move in to the railings I took quite a few nice shots of the Guards before it was all over. 

 

Then I went home.  Mrs. Harris had guests for dinner and I kept out of the way and did my packing.  Bill arrived home about 3.00 p.m. and I went off to get a taxi which would take us and all our junk to Kensington Town Hall.  We said a fond farewell to Mrs. Harris and waved as our taxi sped off.

 

After the usual speeches we were introduced to our hostesses.  I was with Bruce Dixon, and we went off with Mrs. Kitson to her lovely home in Redcliffe Road.  Later we met Mr. Kitson (Lt. Col.), and they told us that they had two children, George and Joanne, off at boarding school.

 

Friday, June 24th 1955

 

London - 33 Redcliffe Road, Chelsea SW10 

 

Bruce and myself went to Fulham Road after breakfast and caught a bus to South Kensington Station.  We were off on a photographing trip.

 

Our first stop was at the Monument. We climbed up the 300-odd steps to the top and had quite a view across London.  Then we walked down Cannon Street to St. Paul's Cathedral.  Once again I could not afford to climb up into the dome.

 

Up Cheapside we saw Bow Bells, then we went to Selfridges for Bruce to see what he was going to buy.  After a quick walk up to Marble Arch we went down Bond Street, Piccadilly to the Circus, then on to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.  Down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey we walked, and then on to Birdcage Walk to Buckingham Palace.

 

We were due at Overseas House at 3.45.  We all went to St. James's Palace and shook hands with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

 

When we reached home I developed films and played table tennis, but I could not beat Mr. Kitson.

 

Saturday, June 25th 1955

 

London

 

Bruce went off in the morning to Selfridges while I stayed home and developed a film for him.  He arrived home soon after 10.00 a.m., and at 11.30 we left with Mr. and Mrs. Kitson to go to Haileybury College where their son George was boarding.  We ran into crowds going to the cricket at Lord's and we were late getting out of the London traffic.

 

George met us at the School and we went off to have a picnic together.  We had a very jolly time, although George and his father went and hid under a tree because they said the sun was too hot.  Bruce and myself really enjoyed our serves of strawberry mousse.

 

Back at the College George showed us round the school.  Then we watched a cricket match for a bit before having our tea.  After we had looked at some squash racquets with George we said farewell and were on our way home.

 

Although I tried very hard I still could not beat Mr. Kitson at table tennis.  I read The Big Fisherman in bed.

 

Sunday, June 26th 1955

 

London

 

We were very late rising and there was only an hour or two between our breakfast and an early lunch.  We left in the MG Magnette, and after a pleasant drive we came to the Runnymede Memorial for airmen with no known graves. It was very beautiful, overlooking the River Thames.  Windsor Castle could be seen on our left and London Airport on our right.

 

When we left there, a short run in the car brought us to Windsor.  After a great deal of trouble to park the car, we went up to the famous old castle.  The Grenadiers were doing guard duty.  Unfortunately we could not go into either St. George's Chapel or the State Apartments. St. George's Chapel was a very good example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture.  I got a glimpse in through an open door and marvelled at the flat vaulting of the roof.

 

On the way home we drove through the Royal Military College at Sandhurst.  A little while later we had tea at a tiny tea shop.

 

I didn't at all feel like the supper we had after we reached home.  I typed two reports for the Young Sun.  I read until very late.

 

Monday, June 27th 1955

 

London

 

Before the time we were due to be at Overseas House - 12.15 p.m. - Bruce and myself caught the Underground to Holborn and had a look at the British Museum.  Unluckily, they were displaying the same part as I had seen on my previous visit.  We left with Robin Storer, and at a camera shop I bought developer and films.

 

At Overseas House it was a great waste of time.  All we really did was pick up our food parcels after having our farewell dinner. I decided that Mr. Hutchinson's speeches were definitely improving.

 

Bruce and I decided that the weather was too bad to go to Wimbledon for the tennis, so we went to the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square to see The Dam Busters.  It was a very good film, and it portrayed the tension very well.

 

When we arrived home we found that a man Bruce knew had phoned for us to meet him at Wimbledon, but we had missed the message.  I spent most of the evening packing my cases.

Illustrations:

#  John Mathews' drawing "Bonnie Scotland"

#  "A Quick Look Round Westminster Abbey" booklet

#  London Transport Diagram of Lines, and Station Index

#  London Transport Central Buses Map, and List of Routes

#  St. Paul's Cathedral

#  Australia House, in The Strand

#  The Strand

#  Trafalgar Square

#  The National Gallery, at Trafalgar Square

To be continued..........

SCHOOLBOY ADVENTURE - 1955 - PART 7 of 10

 

Continuing John Mathews' travel diary.........

 

THE DIARY - Edinburgh to Glasgow

 

Friday, June 3rd 1955

 

Edinburgh - 153 Dalkeith Road

 

Mr. Ker didn't wake us until just on 9.00 a.m., and after a leisurely breakfast I packed up my laundry to take with me.  About 10.20 we left with Mr. Ker for Overseas House.  We walked down East Mayfield into Minto Street where we caught a bus.

We alighted at Princes Street and walked down it for a little way, and after we had passed the Scottish Royal Academy we went down into Princes Park.  The magnificent Scott Monument towered above us, and Trevor and myself decided we must climb it. 

 

Soon afterwards we came to the beautiful floral clock, which is made up of about 20,000 tiny plants.  It has moving hands and every quarter hour a cuckoo jumps out of a box and does his stuff.  To our left was a simple war memorial, which reminded me of Stonehenge. We saw the open-air concert place, and workmen were busy putting in a new floor for the coming season of dancing.

 

Mr. Ker then showed us across the road and then left us.  We met the boys, and I took my laundry upstairs.  Then I wandered down the street and had a look at the shops.  A girl beckoned me in and said she was from Melbourne and asked me about the hometown.

 

Back at the Overseas House we all piled into three Corporation buses.  Kerry Rogers sorted the mail.  I received a letter from Nana and one from Mr. Nixon.  The buses took us first to Edinburgh Castle.  They parked, and then we went up into the castle itself through a gateway.

 

Our first port of call was the Argyll Tower and the dungeon from whence the portcullis used to be lowered. Then up the top, where all the boys were soon scrambling upon the cannon, and bombarding Edinburgh with imaginary shots.

In one room there were some interesting paintings, one of which was attributed to van Dyck.  In a small room adjoining it Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England.

 

Then we went in to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, which are the oldest complete surviving set in Europe. They were saved from the Cromwellian armies and lost in a chest during the period of the Jacobite rebellions. Now they are protected by a steel cage, and the room they are in is sealed up by two enormous Chubb doors with about three combination locks on them.

 

Now we saw a room full of souvenirs and medals.  There was one huge case full of awards won by one man in a lifetime of competition shooting. Over the courtyard we went to a museum full of uniforms and weapons of all the Scots regiments.  There was so much to see that we really didn't know where to start.

 

Then we went into the National War Memorial, which was opened in 1927.  It was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.  Inside we saw the colours of all the regiments in their sanctuaries. Each regiment had a book for both wars, and its fields of battle were lettered in gold around the walls.  It was all very fitting and solemn.  In one part the original rock upon which the castle was built sticks up above the floor level.  Outside once more, and we were on our way from the castle.

 

The buses took us down the Royal Mile to St. Giles' Cathedral.  This old church was originally built in 1120, but it was destroyed by English conquerors, and only the four main piers which support the steeple are original.  It was rebuilt in the fifteenth century, and in the eighteenth century it was finished as it is now.  

 

Inside we saw several beautiful chapels, and on a glass-covered board we saw portion of the original National Covenant.  Many of the signatures were in blood.  We saw the chapel of the Knights of the Thistle and admired the beautiful carved woodwork there.  When we left there we ran around the back to see a plaque in the road which marks the grave of John Knox.  A car was parked over the top of it.

 

Down the Royal Mile we stopped to look at the house where John Knox lived.  This is said to be the oldest in Edinburgh.  After passing over the brass marks in the road, which mark the old city gate's position, we saw the city museums.

 

Then we came to Holyrood Palace over the three S's in the roadway.  The Palace was done up by James II to make it match.  We were not allowed to go in because it was being prepared for a visit by the Queen.

 

Our buses then took us half way up Arthur's Seat, where we ate our picnic lunches on the grassy hillside. After our meal some of us climbed right up to the top, which was 822 feet 9 inches above sea level.  When we left there we went down the other side of the hill in the buses, and we saw Duddingston Loch which is a bird sanctuary. Next to it was Prestonfield House which is surrounded by trees in the shape of the Ace of Clubs.  Then we saw the Nelson mansion, with the cottage on top. In the distance we saw the dome of McEwan Hall.

 

About 3.45 we arrived at the City Chambers in the Royal Mile to have tea with the Lord Provost.  The Provost was away, however, so we were the guests of the Bailie, Bruce Russell.  Around the walls were paintings connected with the history of Edinburgh, done by William Hole.

 

After tea we all went back to Overseas House.  Here there was a trust pay and a distribution of food parcels for our hostesses.  Mr. Hutchinson told us that the free weekend would start from Glasgow and be a "free 10 days" instead.  This presented me with a problem, and when I left with Trevor we went to find out about the buses to London.

 

On our way home at last we got on a bus which was not going as far as we wanted, but eventually we got one that was.  The conductor only charged us half fare.  When we reached home we started to write.  Except for a break for supper I kept going until almost 11.00 p.m.  We were glad to get to bed at last.

 

Saturday, June 4th 1955

 

Edinburgh 

 

Trevor and I were up by about 8.30, and after breakfast we set out for the city to do a bit of shopping.  We got off the bus at the top of Princes Street and after crossing over we began to look in the shop windows as we walked along. I went into the SMT bus company to see about my trip at the start of the free ten days, but it was crowded so I didn't wait.

 

As we walked along we saw some of the boys sporting glengarries.  We looked at a few windows but did not buy anything at the time.  The Tartan Gift Shop looked attractive, but we just had a walk around it and didn't buy. A bit further down we came to a bookstore, and after a preliminary ramble I bought a short guide book to Edinburgh.

 

When we went back to the Tartan Shop we found that many of the boys were buying scarves, glengarries, berets and ties.  Of course I wanted to be in the fashion, but I decided not to stretch the purse too far.  So I bought Mum a scarf of Erracht Cameron tartan for 7/11.

 

When we left there I went back to the bus company, and after a wait of over half-an-hour I found that there was not much chance of me going to anywhere except London very economically.

 

Then I walked across the road to the Scott Monument, and after paying my threepence I climbed the 287 steps to the very top gallery.  The spiral stairway was very narrow and after the first part there was no hand-rail. Anyone with a few pounds surplus to carry about would have great difficulty moving along at all.  At the top there was a fine view over most of Edinburgh.  Far below the traffic crawled along, and tiny specks of people jostled about the pavement. Unfortunately it was very hazy and I could not see out over the Firth of Forth.  When I descended I paid a further sixpence for a certificate to say I had climbed to the top.

 

Then I walked along and out the gate at the end of the park.  In front of me was the Scottish Royal Academy, and to my left the National Gallery of Scotland.  Both were built in the Greek styles, the Academy with Doric columns and the Gallery with Ionic columns.

 

I walked up and went into the National Gallery.  I made for the French Impressionist School, and on the way I saw two of El Greco's works - The Saviour of the World and Saint Jerome.  They kept me absorbed until it was time for me to go to Overseas House for my lunch.  After lunch I went back for almost an hour and found some excellent works - Hals, Rubens, Tintoretto, Vermeer, van Dyck, van Gogh, Monet to mention just a few of the famous artists represented there.  I took quite a few notes and, after having a quick glimpse at the Scottish section, I went back to Overseas House.

 

John Reid, Don Rice and Kingsley Purdie were waiting for their host to take them to his old school's athletic sports.  They said I could go too.

 

I was introduced to their host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs. Kerr, and off we went to the ground.  We picked up Trevor Shiell on the way.  By way of a bumpy old double-decker tram we arrived at the new Goldenacre Sports Ground, and after buying a programme we were just in time to see the last one-and-a-half laps of the open mile.

 

The school, George Heriot's, has boys from the age of 5 right up until 18; there are 1600 of them.  I was very intrigued by the tiny ones, who ran in all their races as if their lives depended on it.  They had races of 80 and 150 yards, and it was very amusing to see a budding Bannister of about six puff through the tape.  Quite a few of the races were handicapped events.

 

Other races for older boys were of odd distances too, for instance the 300 yards handicap.  We had missed a few of the exciting events, but we had a very good time of it.  I met Bill Moore and Bob Martin and we watched a cricket match which was going on nearby.

 

The 120 yards hurdles final was not bad, but the only boy who was hurdling correctly came third.  The most amusing events were the obstacle races. Climbing over fences, diving under tarpaulins, over barriers, through barrels, and up ladders and down again. By the time the boys had finished their little jaunts they were very tired out.  When it was all over we stayed for a little while to hear some of the prize-giving.  All placegetters received something.

 

Then we all left with Mr. Kerr and caught a number 18 bus to his place for tea.  I rang up Miss Ker and she said it would be all right to stop. We had a very happy time.  The boys borrowed the Kerr kilts and we all had our photographs taken in them in turn.

 

At tea there were five boys, Mrs. Kerr, and her daughter Rosemary.  After tea we went out into the back yard, and after spending ten minutes rigging up the contraption, we had an uproarious time with "a tennis practice set".  The ball came back from all directions and several times disappeared over the fence.

 

We had a bit of supper, then Mrs. Kerr rang Miss Ker and told her about me staying on.  By about 10.30 I left and caught a bus the short distance back home after one of the most enjoyable evenings I had spent for a long time.

 

Sunday, June 5th 1955

 

Edinburgh

 

Trevor and myself decided at breakfast that we would attend the church service at St. Giles' Cathedral before going to lunch.  So at about five to ten we said adieu to our hosts and hurried off to catch our bus.  We arrived at the rendezvous at the Overseas League just before the appointed time of 10.30.  A lady came and took the ten of us who had shown up, to the church.

 

We were shown to our pews, which were very near the pulpit.  Then at 10.46 the visitors who had been waiting moved forward to take up the empty pews.  The service was quite good, although I thought the preacher could have done without reading the sermon.  The collection was taken up in little bags by the elders who wore tails.

 

Soon after the striking of 12 noon above our heads the sermon was over, and a few moments later we were once more out in the sunshine.

 

Back to the Overseas League we went for lunch.  Trevor and I were the first two in for lunch because I was in a bit of a hurry to be off. After our meal I told Trevor I would meet him and our hosts near the Forth Bridge about 4.30, and then I set off on my tramp about the city.

 

First I set off up Princes Street and, continuing on past Bridge into Waterloo Place, I climbed the rough steps up to Calton Hill.  The first thing I saw was a circular monument bearing the name Dugald Stewart.  Then there was the City Observatory, with its domes. Up a bit from that was a monument (tower) to Nelson built by the citizens of Edinburgh -

                                                                        

   "Not to express their unavailing sorrow for his death

    Nor yet to celebrate the matchless glories of his life,

    But by his noble example to teach their sons

    To emulate what they admire,

    And like him, when duty requires it,

    To die for their country."

 

Right on top of the hill was a structure marked on my map as a National Monument.  It consisted of eight Doric columns with three going back from each end on a series of raised steps.  It struck me as being very similar to a part of the Parthenon.  It looked disused, and when I went round the back it looked uncompleted.  Miss Ker told me later that it is known as Edinburgh's disgrace.  It was originally meant to be a second Parthenon, but funds ran out before it was anything like finished.

 

I climbed down the side of the hill, ignoring the steps, and went across the road to St. Andrew's House, an imposing building with both vertical and horizontal lines - vertical predominating. Miss Ker told me that it is the Scottish equivalent of Whitehall.

 

Then I climbed down a long stairway to a lane which brought me out into Canongate.  I walked down a little way, and just at the front of Holyrood House Palace I went into an Ancient Monuments Exhibition.  There were displays to illustrate the position of all the famous old buildings and ruins in Scotland.

 

Leaving that, I went for a walk about Holyrood House again, and then out again into Canongate.  Then I set out up the Royal Mile.  Of course this historic old road has been exploited, and there are gift shops and antique shops in many places.  I passed the City Museum. Huntly House, and it was shut.  I had another glance at the place where John Knox used to live and then turned down North Bridge with its shops.

 

When I came to the University building I turned down beside it into Chambers Street.  I went into the Royal Scottish Museum, but in the short time available I had no time to get anything more than a glimpse at anything.  The building itself was old but the cases and the arrangement of the exhibits were very well done.  Whole cases and rooms were devoted to really instructive subjects. Coal mining, metallurgy, engines. What knowledge you could get from a week's stay there would probably fill a stack of books two miles high!

 

When I left there I walked down the street and then past the statue of Greyfriars Bobby and into the Greyfriars Churchyard.  It was here that the National Covenant was signed in 1638.  After a walk around the church I left there and walked around another street.  I passed the Scottish Scout shop and had a bit of a look in.  I turned into Lauriston Place.  On my left was the Royal Infirmary and on my right, set well back amidst lawns, was George Heriot's famous school.

 

Then, after going down a lane, I came into the Grassmarket, and then I eventually came out near St. Giles'. Then down the Mound.  At the Forum were two gents spouting about something to a vaguely interested and unappreciative audience.  

 

I paid 1/6 after much cogitation and went into the Royal Academy.  Soon I wished I had saved my money.  The paintings were all contemporary and well done, but not worth 1/6. One room was full of drawings and specifications for buildings which are going to be built.  There were two models also.  

 

The tendency in design seems to be upwards in most cases, but schools and hospitals stayed near the ground. One hotel was designed with its main part circular.  I noticed that most of the buildings would be painted in bright colours if the plans were followed.  The display of sculpture was not too bad and it interested me until I had to leave and go and catch my bus in St. Andrew Square.

 

I just missed one bus for Queensferry, but the second one I caught.  I bought an eleven pence single fare to the Forth Bridge.  It was all I could afford.  When I arrived there I soon found Trevor and Mr. and Miss Ker. After I had photographed the massive bridge, which stretched away into the distance in three massive sweeps, I went and had some tea.

 

Then with Mr. Ker I went for a stroll into the town of Queensferry.  The main street was very narrow but it could not be widened because of old buildings in the way.  I came to an old church - the Priory Church of St. Mary of Mount  Carmel - Episcopal, and took my last photo on the film of it.

 

Then we all hopped on to a bus for the city.  On the way we passed Fettes College and Daniel Stewart's College.  When we reached home I started my writing.  I did two reports for the Young Sun, had some supper, and then did two days' diary.  After a bath I was quite ready for bed.

 

Monday, June 6th 1955

 

Edinburgh

 

As we had to be at Overseas House by 9.00 a.m. it meant Trevor and myself had to get up comparatively early. After breakfast we were off, and by the time we reached our destination it was almost 9.00.  Before nicking off to buy a film I put my blazer in to be dry-cleaned.

 

There was a distribution of mail and I received one from Mum and one from Graeme Willcox.  Graeme's was topical and, as usual, very amusing.  

 

By about 9.30 our buses had arrived and we all got on.  I was luckily in the first bus.  We left Edinburgh by a road leading south-east, and passed through Lauder and saw Thirlestane Castle to our left.  At Earlston there was a brief stop, but no time to walk about.  Soon after that the driver slowed down as we were going up a long hill, and the good view down the Leider Valley was partly spoiled by a light mist.

 

A bit further on we all got out of the coaches to take photos of what is known as Sir Walter Scott's best view, looking down across the River Tweed to the triple Eildon Hills.  Behind a camouflage of green trees, which we passed a bit later, our driver told us was the home of the Haig family.  Now part of it is a small museum.

 

Then we arrived at Dryburgh Abbey. After we had all crunched along a pebble-covered path we walked among the ruins of the Abbey church.  We had colossal fun walking about the ruins and climbing upon the foundations, and going down into the crypt.  In the transept we saw the tombs of Earl Haig and Sir Walter Scott, who both belonged to families which have the hereditary right of burial there.  As we left I bought myself a guide-book for 1/6.

When we left the Abbey we crossed the River Tweed and eventually arrived at the little village of St. Boswell's. Here we all went into the village green and ate a picnic lunch.  Murray Williamson had the portable wireless which he had bought, and although we thought him a bit daft we all listened to it of course.

 

After we left there we retraced our path a bit, and then soon after getting onto the Melrose road we stopped for a moment beside a monument which marks the place of a Roman fort called Trimontium.  Passing through the village of Newstead we saw some very old houses, about 18th century.

Then on to Melrose, and the buses pulled up beside the old Cistercian Abbey.  In contrast with Dryburgh this one was built around by the township.  We had a guide to show us around the place, and he was very interesting.  I managed to find time to nick out among the tombstones and take a photograph of the church.

 

When we left Melrose Abbey, after about a ten minutes run we arrived at the home of Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford.  The home was very large, almost a castle, and when we went inside we were told that Scott's descendants still live in part of the house.

 

What struck me most about the things we saw was that Scott was a great collector.  Dozens of different articles were hung on the walls, and in glass cases.  We saw his entrance hall, his study, his library, his summer drawing-room, and the armoury.  We were some of the first people to be shown into the dining room, which until recently was used by the family of Maxwell Scott.

 

When we left there we went along by the Tweed, and then crossed it and went back along the other side to Galashiels.  The valley was very lovely, and we saw a man out in the stream fishing.  After a short stop in Galashiels we were off once more, and via Clovenfords and Walkerburn we were on our way to Peebles.  The driver told us that a small ruin on the hill was the remains of Lochiel Castle.

 

We passed Glentress Forestry School and then, after passing through Peebles and Eddleston, we went through the gates of the Black Barony Hotel.  Just at the start of the drive we all hopped out of the buses to take photographs of some shaggy looking Highland cattle standing there.

 

The hotel was beautifully situated among the trees, with a long expanse of lawn out the front.  When we alighted from the buses we all went into the dining room and had a high tea.   When we went outside once more I said I would race Bob Martin on the grass, and it ended up with about a dozen of us pounding along.  That turned the conversation to athletics in general, and it continued like that until, via Pennycuick once more, we arrived back at Edinburgh.

 

At Overseas House our blazers were ready after their dry cleaning, and I picked up my laundry.  Then Trevor and myself caught a bus.  We found that Mr. Ker and Miss Ker were out, and after we had been waiting a while Mr. Ker turned up and said that they had been waiting at Overseas House.  Then we all caught an 18 bus, which took us through the Meadows.  We saw games of cricket going on there.

 

We got off at Tollcross and walked to the King's Theatre, where Mr. Ker left us with his daughter to see the show 5 Past Eight.  We bought Miss Ker a box of chocolates, and then at 8.05 exactly the show began.  It was very good.

 

After a cold trip home we had supper with Mr. Ker and then went to bed.

 

Tuesday, June 7th 1955

 

Edinburgh - Glasgow

 

Mr. Ker called us before eight, and after we got up I started to pack all my junk.  Then we went off for our breakfast.  We said "good-bye" to Miss Ker and thanked her very much for everything she had done for us.  After breakfast I finished my packing, and by 9.30 I was ready.

 

Promptly at 9.30 our taxi arrived and I jumped down the stairs with my case.  We arrived at Overseas House on time, and with Mr. Ker we went into the lecture room.  A few moments later there were speeches, and Mr. Hutchinson finished a fine double by once again referring to our hosts as the people of "Glasgow". Anyway we were out soon, and loaded our cases.  Then Trevor and myself said good-bye to Mr. Ker, and he seemed very sorry to see us go; and he said I should "come back to Edinburgh to take my degree." I felt sorry also to have to leave our fine hosts.  I had a hurried farewell with Mrs. Ker and Rosemary, who was wagging school to see their boys off.

 

Then we were on our way from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  We left the city and headed along the Queensferry Road, and once again I saw the famous Forth Bridge.  Through South Queensferry and then we were on our way to Linlithgow, passing through farming country most of the time.  As we went through Linlithgow we caught a few glimpses of the Castle which was once the home of Mary Queen of Scots.

 

Then on once more to the town of Falkirk, which to me seemed to have a bigger shopping centre than Edinburgh. There seemed to be a large industrial area to starboard as we went through.  Past Larder and then Plean we saw an occasional coal mine with their attendant hills of waste and slag.

 

Then Bannockburn, where we saw a monument affair on a hill, but whether it had anything to do with the battle or not I do not know.  With Stirling ahead of us we saw the Castle perched upon a hill in the distance, and when we passed through we saw what a strong position it must have been.

 

After crossing the Teith River we stopped at Callander where, in a bitterly cold wind, we had a picnic lunch on the side of a hill.

 

When we left there we were in the Trossachs, and soon we saw our first loch.  It was windy, and there were quite a few white horses on the water. After that we passed Brig o' Turk before coming upon another loch.  The scenery was good, with rugged mountains and tree-covered hills down to the water's edge.

 

Then we turned up a road and came to Loch Katrine, where we eventually stopped for half an hour. Here some of us climbed up a very steep hill from which we had an excellent vantage point for taking photographs. When I descended I walked along the road again before climbing up once more for a photo.  On the way back to the buses I bought three postcards from the tearooms there.

 

When we left Loch Katrine the country was hilly and rather desolate with tufty grasses about.  In one part there was a Crown forest.  When we passed through Aberfoyle and Strathblane we came once more into more pastoral country, with cattle grazing about.

 

By about 4.00 p.m. we had reached our destination in Claremont Terrace, Glasgow, and after alighting from our buses we took our cases into the billiard room.

 

After a good tea, and a long wait until 6.00 p.m. we were introduced to our hosts.  I was met by Jennie and Andrew Hunter, and after a walk to Charing Cross we caught a tram to near Waterloo Street Bus Station where we caught a Hardgate bus.  

 

The bus journey lasted a little over half-an-hour and we passed through Clydebank, the great shipbuilding area in Scotland.  I had the famous shipyard of John Brown's pointed out to me, and Jennie told me that her mother was once a tracer there.

 

The residential part was strange. It "copped it" very badly in two nights of the blitz, when almost everything except a large picture house was flattened.  We got off the bus at Hardgate and walked up the street to the house - which I was told was built by Andrew's grandfather.

 

I met Mrs. Hunter and Andrew's twin brother, James or Jimmie.  They made me feel very much at home, and I knew I was going to enjoy my stay with them. I told them how the trip was organised and how lucky I was to get it.

 

Then I went out, well wrapped up of course, for a walk with the boys.  It was awfully cold.  They showed me an old bombed out mill, and a burn which used to turn the water wheel. Since the blitz the pools of the burn have been very dangerous, and several people have been drowned there.

 

I saw a bridge which was built to replace a Roman one destroyed in the blitz, and was told that the grave of a Roman centurion was once nearby.  Then I was shown their church, again a post-blitz model, and a section of a wall of a Roman fort which had been unearthed.

 

On the way home I explained our game of Australian Rules football to the boys, and they said it sounded very interesting.

 

After a good supper and a feeble attempt at diary writing I was only too ready for bed.

 

Wednesday, June 8th 1955

 

Glasgow - "Dalrigg", Cochno Road, Hardgate, Clydebank

 

Jim woke me up about 7.15 and I was soon out and eating breakfast.  I had some Scots porridge and it was pretty good.  By about 8.00 Andrew, Jim and myself left the house and, after running down the hill in the nippy morning air. we caught the Glasgow bus at the Hardgate terminal.

 

We all left the bus in the main street and I walked up to Charing Cross and then turned into Claremont Terrace. When I arrived at Overseas House some of the boys were playing billiards, but I went into the lecture hall to wait.

 

Mr. Hutchinson told us a few things, and then about 10.00 a.m. the buses arrived which were to take us to the Stevens Dockyard.  We crossed the Clyde by the King George V Dock, and saw quite a few ships berthed just a little way downstream.

 

About 10.35 we arrived at the dockyard and, upon splitting up into A, B and C groups, we started on our tour of the yard.  Our first visit was to the boiler and funnel shop. A tremendous din greeted us as we stepped inside, and speech was almost impossible.  Overhead, large mobile cranes slid up and down the whole length of the shed. Here and there a welding torch flashed, and the hissing of their flames was lost among the clangings of the sledgehammers on the boilers.

 

We were all very interested in a machine known as a "knife".  It consisted of an oxy-acetylene blowtorch mounted on an arm which moved slowly over the steel plates set below it, and cut easily through them and made them into the required pattern.

 

When we left there we passed the steel stock.  It was lying out in the open in rusty stacks.

 

Then into the plate shop, which was just as noisy as the boiler shop.  Great machines were everywhere, and there seemed to be one for all the multifarious tasks the men do.  Massive planers slid along the edges of plates of steel, trimming the edges so that the joints could be welded easily.  Large guillotines crashed down, severing thick slabs of steel; and punches which made the required holes for riveting.

 

Just before we left we passed the colossal bender, which would force the plates into the required shapes for riveting or welding onto the hull of the ship.

 

Outside once more, and then we passed into the welding bin where we saw the plates being prepared for their positions on the ship.  We saw some light wooden shapes which are used as templates when cutting the plates to shape.

 

When we actually went out to where the ships were being built our guide told us that most of the work is prefabricated in all modern shipbuilding and as little external work is done as possible.

 

The keels of three ships were down, and they were in a half-completed stage.  Of course they looked very rusty.  Just down a bit was a merchant vessel already in the water, the Castilian.  It was fitting out; and after a walk down the wharf we went aboard her.  She was ugly on her upper works with red lead paint, and her decks were a crazy tangle of hoses carrying gas for the welding.  The ship was a hive of activity, and when we walked down to the stern we had to watch our step as they were pitching in the deck planks.

 

Just astern of the Castilian was F185, an Admiralty ship being built by Stevens.  One of the workmen pointed out to us the second Empress of Britain, up the river.

 

When we left there we passed great stacks of timber.  Most of it was dressed and looked as if it was for decking.  Then into the blacksmith's shop where we saw part of the ships' frames being bent into shape with pins in a frame.

 

We arrived back at the main gate at about 11.45, and then we went back to Overseas House for our lunch.  I was "diddled" by Mr. Butler.  I was one of the 33 who wished to go to the University, but he said that as I did art as a subject I should go to the Art Gallery instead.  So I went to the Art Gallery.

When we arrived there a lady guide took us upstairs to show us around.  We went first to the Italian School.  She showed us one from the school of Botticelli.  It was tempura and painted on wood.  Next, one by Francesco Guardi in oils of an Italian scene.  The next one was quite different.  It was portion of a plaster wall, an angel's head by Correggio.

 

Then into another room.  A picture which has been called St. Victor and a Donor was from the Flemish or French Schools.  The texture of the fur and armour in it were really superb.  Our next visit was to one of the most famous in the Gallery, a Rembrandt called A Man in Armour.  Technically it was almost perfect, with delicate composition used to colour and highlight the armour.

 

In a small room, almost alone, but dominating the group anyhow, was a painting by Salvador Dali called Christ of St. John of the Cross.  The painting defied most of the known laws of perspective, but its inspired technique made up for that.  Light came from two sources, one natural, and one perhaps Divine.

 

We went downstairs, and then the lady who was guiding us about took me upstairs to see some of Daumier's paintings there.

 

When I returned downstairs one of the Museum chaps was telling the boys about the armour and weapons.  It was quite interesting.  He said that at short range a crossbow could go right through a suit of armour.  

 

Then we were free to wander about by ourselves.  I walked about with Grant Lindley, and although there were a lot of interesting exhibits we could not really examine them properly in the time.

 

By about 4.30 we left and, after walking through the gardens to Overseas House to collect my coat, I went to Charing Cross and caught a tram to Waterloo Bus Station.  Then by bus to Hardgate, and a brisk walk up Cochno Road to my hosts' home.

 

Mrs. Hunter told me that she had managed to get tickets for Andrew and myself to go over a new ship in John Brown's shipyard.  Soon after some supper I left with Andrew, and after a bus ride we arrived at the yard and obtained our tickets from the office.

 

Inside the yard it was much more clean and tidy than at Stevens'.  We saw two ships being built, and then came to the one we were to go over - R.M.S. Ivernia.  From a board we wrote down the following details about the ship - length 608 feet, breadth 80 feet, gross tonnage 22,000 tons, height of mast 166 feet, height of funnel 137 feet.  There were nine decks.  Passenger accommodation was - First Class 110, Tourist Class 833, Children 110, with 456 Crew.

 

We went on board, and in the first part were greeted by a smell of new paint and varnish.  Everything was gleaming, and much better than on Oronsay.  Lifts in the Tourist Class seemed to set the standard of excellence.  The walls were covered with a special type of washable  material.

 

Andrew and myself tried to find someone who would tell us about the engines.  We spoke to many men without overmuch success.

 

Finding ourselves in a long queue we filed through the Tourist Dining Room, a beautifully furnished place with a capacity of 450.  Then through the kitchen, loaded with refrigerators and gleaming with stainless steel, we went.  But when we saw the First Class Dining Room we almost fainted.  Gleaming glass blocks had been used in conjunction with a scarlet panelling in the walls and pillars about the place.

 

At last we came to the cabin accommodation - quite luxurious really.  In the theatre we found a man who obliged us with quite a few details about the engines, etc.  Two Parsons engines of three turbines each, with each shaft developing 23,000 h.p. The shafts turn at 170 r.p.m. and are 70 feet long.  Four generators develop 750 horsepower.   Four boilers with a steam pressure of 650 lbs/sq. inch.  15 to 20 tons of crude oil burned per day.  Furnace temperature of 2000 degrees C.

 

The stabilizers fitted can keep the roll to two degrees in almost any sea.  The compressors for cooling develop 350 h.p.  Steering is hydraulic, and gyroscopically controlled from the bridge. Radar and radio are of course fitted, and are made by Beattie.  The funnel is specially designed to throw soot well clear of the decks.  The ship is fitted with its own distillation plant and so it can be independent as far as water is concerned.

 

Our friend told us it was designed to do about 23 knots but I think it could do more.  He would not tell us the engine revs.

 

The rest of the ship was most interesting, and we had a chat with some other men before leaving the ship. They told us that the ship was built for the Canadian run, and in summer could go up as far as Montreal.  In winter it will go to New York.

 

Andrew and myself arrived home, had a bit to eat, and then I went to bed to write some diary.

 

Thursday, June 9th 1955

 

Glasgow

 

Mrs. Hunter did not wake me until about 8.30, and after breakfast together we walked down to the end of the road to catch our bus into town.  We left the bus at the Waterloo Street Bus Station and set off to look for some souvenirs for me to buy.

 

In an arcade off Buchanan Street we found two very nice shops.  At the first one I bought a brass ashtray, and after looking at their costume jewellery I decided to look a bit further.  So at the second shop I bought a very nice little sword in Celtic silver with a cairngorm stone on top.

 

Then Mrs. Hunter took me up to the City Chambers, where she left me with the rest of the boys.  Soon after we were taken into the Cloakroom, and then we went into the Reception Room.  Then the Lord Provost, Mr. Hood, came in and made a speech of welcome to us, and Mr. Hutchinson replied.

 

After our morning tea one of the employees came and started to take us on a tour of the building.  The room we were in was the Satinwood Room.  The next big room we went into was the Mahogany Room, and it had murals and leadlight windows.  Then we walked into the Council Chambers, and the guide told us about the members and the city Coat of Arms, with -

      "the fish that never swam.

       the tree that never grew,

       the bell that never rang, and

       the bird that never flew."

As we were in a hurry our guide could only tell us a little bit about the beautiful staircase and its marble and alabaster columns.

 

Via two buses we went to Overseas House for our lunch.  Before our meal the mail was given out.  I received five letters - one from Scout HQ with tickets for Boy Scout on the 17th June, as well as four from home. After that we has a bit of a wait before the buses arrived to take us on our trip to the Massey-Harris factory at Kilmarnock.

 

On the way quite a bit of the country we passed through was rather barren.  It was known as the Fenwick Moor and was composed of tufty grass. Kilmarnock was a pretty large town, with pleasant houses which were a bit out of the rut of ordinary houses in Scotland.  

 

The factory happened to be on the other side of town and it was a very large spread out place.  When we arrived we were met by officials of the Massey-Harris-Ferguson Association, and after we had been split up into groups of nine we started on a tour of the factory.

 

After passing through the office we were in the machine shop.  Drills, lathes, and dozens of other types of machines were all over the place.  Large steel bins were full of parts which were or were due to be finished there.  Our guide told us that all the workers "knocked off" early on a Friday afternoon so that a maintenance squad could service the machines.

 

We were very surprised when our guide said that most of the parts were made by other firms on sub-contract, and were only finished in the machine shop.  While we were there the workers stopped for a ten minute afternoon-tea break. They work a 48-hour week.

 

Then we saw the forge and press place where there were huge presses which came down with a weight of up to 400 tons.  Not far away were furnaces with great lumps of iron, red-hot, waiting to be stamped into shape.  As time was pressing we set off for the assembly line, and on the way I saw an office where white-coated men bent importantly over various parts with instruments such as screw-gauges.

 

In the main bay we saw the assembly lines stretching away from us.  On our way towards them we saw great rows of engines and gearboxes.  The engines at present being used by the firm are Ferguson, Armstrong Siddeley, and Perkins.  We were very intrigued by a man doing spot welding with an instrument like a large pair of tongs, and sending sparks cascading over the factory. Ordinary welders had large screens erected about them to protect the eyes of the workers.

 

Then we "waffled" along to the baler assembly line, and as we walked along the machines seemed to grow magically before our eyes.  We then saw the self-propelled combined line.  Round about 30 or 40 machines are produced every day.  At the paint dip for the various parts we saw the steel baskets used.  They were simply covered in long painty tentacles.  The tractor line was not working, but we walked along it and saw them all in the various stages of completion.

 

There were two types being made. One had a special hydraulic arrangement for towing, while the other had not.  When they were rolled off the lines the tractors went into a spray-painting house where they were given a final coat by a heavily clothed figure.

 

You could have knocked us all over with a feather when we saw them taking all the lovely tractors to bits and wrapping them up in paper before boxing them up.

 

On our way to the side steps where our photo was to be taken we passed quite a few machines which were to be just taken locally [i.e. not exported].  After quite a bit of mucking about our photo was taken.  Quite near they had the Australian flag flying, quite a fine gesture. Then we adjourned to the staff canteen for tea.  There were the usual speeches and replies but they didn't last too long, so we were able to bear them.  Then we farewelled our guides, and after getting into our buses we were on our way back.

 

At the Overseas League I wrote my diary and watched television (1st test between England and  South Africa) for about half an hour.  After a bit of a game of table tennis with Bob Woodrow I waited for Jim and then we went off to meet Andrew at the Girls' High School dance. Max Robinson was also there, and after we had broken the ice we had a fine time.

 

I soon picked up - after a fashion - the Dashing White Sergeant and the Gay Gordons.  We really enjoyed the Marino Waltz and the Grand Old Duke of York. We had to leave by about 10.20 and I was quite sorry to.  Back home we had a bite of supper and then I went to bed.  

 

Illustrations:

#  "Edinburgh, Capital of Scotland" brochure

#  "Edinburgh Castle Official Guide" booklet 1953

#  Dryburgh Abbey

#  "Dryburgh Abbey Berwickshire Official Guide" 1952

#  "Melrose Abbey Roxburghshire Official Guide" 1949

#  "A Kelvingrove Jubilee:  Fiftieth Anniversary of Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum" booklet 1951

To be continued......