Old Highland League days....

[IBM]

Crackers indeed IHE. In the first one the only buildings still standing are the large white one beside the canal on the north side of Telford Street and the two large houses Pine Lodge (I think) on the corner of Cameron Road and Telford Street and the one next to it towards the town center. The two cottages to the left of the old Glen Albyn distillery on Carse Road were demolished when the COOP supermarket was built. The two distilleries Glen Alby & Glen Mhor were demolished in the eighties. The Glen Albyn was used as an American Naval base during WW1. I note on the picture the rail track which must have run along the canal side to the main line at Clachnaharry. Just got me thinking, where did the distilleries get their water supply from? I remember the old (smelly) burn that run down by Carse Farm which took the effluent away from the distillery.

[Charles Bannerman]

. The Glen Albyn was used as an American Naval base during WW1.

The American naval base is an interesting one. The Americans arrived late 1917/early 1918 and participated in minelaying activities between the Northern Isles and Norway in order to make life difficult for any German ship which did manage to evade the Grand Fleet. Then the Americans played a major part in sweeping the mines after the end of the war. I certainly remember my granny speaking about the Americans in the town and there did used to be the odd episode of bother.

[IBM]

Yes Charles it was closed from 1917-1919, the Muirtown Basin would have been a lot more active at that time.  I wonder if the Americans managed to get a dram might be why there was the odd episode of bother!

[Scarlet Pimple]

Well. Well!

 

You know, I never realised the significance of your references to Americans before this day. Here's the story:

 

 My late Aunt Neen,  my mother's sister, (they both lived in Spring Cottage, Culcabock, at that time ) married Archie Hepworth , an American G.I. who probably met her at a local dance and they fell in love. Then  both returned to the States to Bynumville, Missouri and owned a farm there for the rest of their life. I went there to visit years ago.

They were a devoted couple and had 7 children, 6 girls and 1 boy. The lad became a Marine and one day he was out on a lake with a girl friend and a squall blew up. He gave his flotation device to her and he drowned. To me he was, and will always remain,  a hero in my mind for such a selfless act of  courage and devotion to her and for being able to do the right thing. I have no doubt that it broke my Aunt's heart  because he was also, by all accounts, a beautiful person. I just wish I could have met him in person.......

[Charles Bannerman]

:

 

 My late Aunt Neen,  my mother's sister, (they both lived in Spring Cottage, Culcabock, at that time ) married Archie Hepworth , an American G.I.

To split hairs, might the American more likely have been naval personnel rather than a GI, given that it was minesweepers/ layers which were based in Inverness?

[Scarlet Pimple]

Charles you are really smart at times. I thought of that after I had posted it.

 

You are very probably right since what would a General Infantry man be doing as far up as Inverness? 

Truthfully, I only heard snippets from my family. Until I read about the  ships being berthed  in Inverness I thought that Inverness may have been a rest and relaxation area for the Americans or for wounded ?

[Charles Bannerman]

Charles you are really smart at times. I thought of that after I had posted it.

 

You are very probably right since what would a General Infantry man be doing as far up as Inverness? 

Truthfully, I only heard snippets from my family. Until I read about the  ships being berthed  in Inverness I thought that Inverness may have been a rest and relaxation area for the Americans or for wounded ?

You couldn't actually exclude that possibility Scarlet. I was only talking about balance of probabilities. Also, the term "GI brides" came into general use after WW2 to define British - American marriages.

[Scarlet Pimple]

There you go. ! Now I am completely bamboozled........

[Scarlet Pimple]

Charlie--out of the 4 brothers my mother had when she was alive there is only one left, Duncan, the youngest, was killed in France in the First World war at the age of 19. Two others survived that miserable  maelstrom of misery but were seriously wounded which plagued them physically for the rest of their life. I think all three were in the Cameron Highlanders.....Ladies from Hell as the Germans described them.

 

I will try to find out more next time I am in Inverness. I am going to ask my sister who  is 79 and still lives in Inverness. I was darned lucky I wasn't born 18 years earlier otherwise I would have been in it as well. I've bee looking at  T V documentaries recently all about these two conflicts, WW1 and WW2. Shocking madness and pain can't even begin to describe the insanity ......

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Here are things to keep the fires burning and fer erse cleaning

[Sneckboy]

I certainly had both of these publications at one time - but my mum has probably long since thrown them out after I left home!

But that was only last week, so I must ask her.

[Charles Bannerman]

I certainly had both of these publications at one time - but my mum has probably long since thrown them out after I left home!

But that was only last week, so I must ask her.

I haven't seen the Thistle fanzine but I also have a copy of the Hub Of The Hill which I would suggest, for a small scale publication, gives an excellent insight into the first 100 years of the club's history.

It was just a pity that two of Jags' greatest triumphs - the 1987 Highland League title and the 1988 Qualifying Cup - came just too late for inclusion.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

All the fools from the hill have to remember is a pre war feckin flag.

[Charles Bannerman]

All the fools from the hill have to remember is a pre war feckin flag.

Presumably Jags' back to back Highland League title triumphs in 1972 and 1973 cameduring a period of which, for reasons well known to several on here, you have very few recollections.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

You forget my immortality Charles.

[Charles Bannerman]

You forget my immortality Charles.

In which case, is that you on the left wearing the sh!ite ctachers?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

And

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Some foto fingys....

[Charles Bannerman]

I do believe that is a young Roshie Fraser (if such an entity ever existed  ) captaining Thistle and I do indeed believe that Roshie captained the Jags round about that time.

Strangely enough the second photo looks more like Telford Street than Kingsmills (although it obviously must be Kingsmills) because I can see no sign of the old enclosure.

Cynics of the former blue and white persuasion may, on the other hand, suggest that it must be Kingsmills because Telford Street would never have experienced that absence of advertising hoardings!

[Charles Bannerman]

Can I just take this opportunity to say thanks to IHE in particular and to other contributors as well for making this current half dozen Old Inverness topics so worthwhile. The amount of nostalgia has been tremendous.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Thistle squad listed in programme for that game. Ian Cumming was the captain in photo #1.

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=321&Season=1966-67

G.Reilly

R.Fraser

A.Cuthbert

B.D'Arcy

I.Cumming

W.Bremner

R.MacKay

H.Lazenby

A.Fraser

A.Black

I.Stephen

J.Cowie

A.Macdonald

A.Maclaren

R.MacLean

J.Morrison

P.Corbett

W.Sutherland

A.Anderson

Edited January 17, 2015 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Photo #2 shows the enclosure opposite main stand (MacEwen Drive).

Edited January 17, 2015 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[dougiedanger]

Thistle squad listed in programme for that game. Ian Cumming was the captain in photo #1.

http://www.afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=321&Season=1966-67

G.Reilly

R.Fraser

A.Cuthbert

B.D'Arcy

I.Cumming

W.Bremner

R.MacKay

H.Lazenby

A.Fraser

A.Black

I.Stephen

J.Cowie

A.Macdonald

A.Maclaren

R.MacLean

J.Morrison

P.Corbett

W.Sutherland

A.Anderson

 

Would Roshie not be listed as H. Fraser??

[Charles Bannerman]

Photo #2 shows the enclosure opposite main stand (MacEwen Drive).

I can make out the shadow of something but I couldn't identify it as the structure which has graced Harmsworth Park these last 20 years.

[Charles Bannerman]

 

 

 

Would Roshie not be listed as H. Fraser??

 

Or as The Bard said in Hamlet... "I knew him well......"

 

But indeed I didn't know Ian Cumming that well so it may well be Ian in the photo. A few well kent names in that team list. Interesting to see Titchy Black in the lineup but not Lofty who by 1972 may still have been a bit young for 1st team football.

Davie Milroy may well also fall into the same category.