My sister Rita and I went on this holiday together and for 6 days we lived on a cargo ship, along with perhaps a dozen other cruise passengers. From Glasgow we sailed down the Clyde over to Ireland where our first port of call was Dublin, then on to Waterford and finally Cork.
We had ample time ashore, for cargo had to be loaded and unloaded at each port. From Dublin we visited the popular resort Bray and from Cork we had two trips - one to Killarney and the other to Barney Castle where Rita kissed the famous Blarney Stone.
I remember the sea was very rough indeed when we left Cork for the homeward journey, and most of us were unwell. When we woke the next morning however, the weather was just perfect and we had a great sail all the way home. Since it was Sunday an ecumenical service was held, conducted by the wireless operator, and guess who played for the hymns?
I’VE BEEN IN IRELAND twice only, the second time was perhaps 10 years ago when Jean I went on a coach tour to Sligo on the west coast.
From Glasgow we travelled to Stranraer, by ferry to Belfast and then through Northern Ireland into the Republic.
One of our day excursions took us to Knock which has become a world-famous tourist attraction since the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979. A hundred years earlier there had been many reports of the Virgin Mary along with St. Joseph and St. John appearing to local people. We were surprised at the large number of shops whose windows were absolutely crammed with statuettes, ornaments and religious souvenirs.
When we assembled for breakfast on our final day, we were shocked to learn that the fuel had been siphoned from the tank of our bus. There was considerable delay waiting for the Gardai, and we just made the ferry minutes before it was due to sail.
-o0o-
It would probably be in 1946 just after the end of the War that one of
the big music shops in Glasgow opened a recording studio. Of course I
thought how exciting it would be to listen to me playing the piano ON A
GRAMOPHONE RECORD!
I can’t remember the cost, but I don’t think it would be too expensive. There were a number of sound-proof studios, and the one allocated to me had a lovely grand piano. The engineer explained that the duration of the record would be 3 minutes, and I had one run-through before the actual “take.” On one side I played a medley consisting of Love is All, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Lady be Good, on the other side my own arrangement of Rubenstein’s well-known Melody in F (lots of arpeggios and jazzing up the final 16 bars.)
I don’t know what the record itself was made of - a very hard material which required special needles to play it. I was very proud of my record, the only problem being the fact that I didn’t have a gramophone!!!
In case you’re wondering if I still have it - no, I don’t, and I don’t know where it went. Probably just as well!
I can’t remember the cost, but I don’t think it would be too expensive. There were a number of sound-proof studios, and the one allocated to me had a lovely grand piano. The engineer explained that the duration of the record would be 3 minutes, and I had one run-through before the actual “take.” On one side I played a medley consisting of Love is All, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Lady be Good, on the other side my own arrangement of Rubenstein’s well-known Melody in F (lots of arpeggios and jazzing up the final 16 bars.)
I don’t know what the record itself was made of - a very hard material which required special needles to play it. I was very proud of my record, the only problem being the fact that I didn’t have a gramophone!!!
In case you’re wondering if I still have it - no, I don’t, and I don’t know where it went. Probably just as well!
-o0o-
ANYONE WHO HAS READ all my 80plus blogs since I began will know that I
was brought up in a strict family to whom respectability was most
important. I had never heard of any scandals in the family, and until a
few years ago I always joked that there were no skeletons in our
cupboard.
It was only when I began creating our family tree that certain things came to light - things that had been hushed up. I discovered that, in the family of my great-grandparents George Jaap and Jean Armour, the eldest girl Elizabeth was not George’s. However we know that he was happy to bring her up as one of his own.
A cousin of mine once told me that my grandmother Jaap forbade any of her family to talk about her own mother’s background. Her mother was born Charlotte Champvraie though later she took her step-father’s name Wilson. During the Napoleonic Wars, a number of French prisoners-of-war were brought to Scotland and were detained in a camp at Penicuik. At the end of hostilities one or two of them chose to remain in Scotland and among them was one called Champvraie. Little is known about him. He travelled around the country as a knife grinder and eventually had a son. We know that the latter worked as a Gentleman’s Gentleman and that he married someone called Elizabeth Arnott. They were the parents of my great-grandmother Charlotte who was born in 1827. Obviously the French connection was not something to be proud of!
I wonder if my family knew about the Jaap who killed his wife? Perhaps that was something else that was hushed up. Now, I must emphasise that Fiona and I have been unable to find any connection between this man and our family. On the 8th of May 1891, the Glasgow Herald reported that James Jaap aged 70, who lived in the Anderston district of Glasgow, appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife Isabella. The jury found him guilty and the judge Lord Young said that, in view of the prisoner’s age and the fact that he was “a religious man who endeavoured to preach to others” he would restrict the punishment to 18 months imprisonment. Surely a very lenient sentence in those days!
When we began researching our family tree, quite a few of my friends said that they would be afraid of discovering unpleasant secrets. Well, I suppose there’s good and bad in most of us, and it’s probably best to bring things out in the open.
It was only when I began creating our family tree that certain things came to light - things that had been hushed up. I discovered that, in the family of my great-grandparents George Jaap and Jean Armour, the eldest girl Elizabeth was not George’s. However we know that he was happy to bring her up as one of his own.
A cousin of mine once told me that my grandmother Jaap forbade any of her family to talk about her own mother’s background. Her mother was born Charlotte Champvraie though later she took her step-father’s name Wilson. During the Napoleonic Wars, a number of French prisoners-of-war were brought to Scotland and were detained in a camp at Penicuik. At the end of hostilities one or two of them chose to remain in Scotland and among them was one called Champvraie. Little is known about him. He travelled around the country as a knife grinder and eventually had a son. We know that the latter worked as a Gentleman’s Gentleman and that he married someone called Elizabeth Arnott. They were the parents of my great-grandmother Charlotte who was born in 1827. Obviously the French connection was not something to be proud of!
I wonder if my family knew about the Jaap who killed his wife? Perhaps that was something else that was hushed up. Now, I must emphasise that Fiona and I have been unable to find any connection between this man and our family. On the 8th of May 1891, the Glasgow Herald reported that James Jaap aged 70, who lived in the Anderston district of Glasgow, appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife Isabella. The jury found him guilty and the judge Lord Young said that, in view of the prisoner’s age and the fact that he was “a religious man who endeavoured to preach to others” he would restrict the punishment to 18 months imprisonment. Surely a very lenient sentence in those days!
When we began researching our family tree, quite a few of my friends said that they would be afraid of discovering unpleasant secrets. Well, I suppose there’s good and bad in most of us, and it’s probably best to bring things out in the open.
-o0o-
I REMEMBER that it was a rare occurrence to hear of any ordinary people
getting divorced. I knew of only two cases, and it was really considered
quite shocking.
I REMEMBER that, when we lived in the tenement, a mother and her family occupied one of the houses. We soon learned that her husband was in prison for embezzling what was in those days a very large sum. They had been forced to sell their house and I imagine that, until her family were old enough to go to work, things would be difficult.
I REMEMBER that one year we went on horse-driven canal barges for our Sunday School trip. We were taken to a field about 6 miles away where we had the usual games and picnic. Strangely enough I can’t recall any other trips, which makes me wonder if perhaps I didn’t go on them.
I REMEMBER having a disturbing déjà vu experience when I was 10 or 11. We were on holiday in Dunoon, and I was sure I had been there before. There was a large family of children in a house near where we were staying, and I was convinced I seen them before. It was rather like being a film being played for a second time. Strange!
I REMEMBER taking our little dog out one winter’s day. It had been snowing and as usual we took our walk along the canal bank. Considering what the weather was like, I was surprised on our way back to meet a woman coming towards us. She paid no attention to me and I forgot all about it. Sadly she was found later in the canal, and we learned that she had mental problems. In those days every so often there would be cases of suicide by drowning in the canal.
I REMEMBER my first girl friend was a singer. I met her at a concert when I had to play the piano for her. Every Saturday night we went to the local cinema. How long did our friendship last? I don’t know - 3 or 4 months perhaps. One song I always associate with her - “I’m going to see you today”. Some years ago I was shocked to meet her in one of the old folk’s homes where I entertained. She was a resident there and was suffering from Altzeimer’s.
I REMEMBER that, when we lived in the tenement, a mother and her family occupied one of the houses. We soon learned that her husband was in prison for embezzling what was in those days a very large sum. They had been forced to sell their house and I imagine that, until her family were old enough to go to work, things would be difficult.
I REMEMBER that one year we went on horse-driven canal barges for our Sunday School trip. We were taken to a field about 6 miles away where we had the usual games and picnic. Strangely enough I can’t recall any other trips, which makes me wonder if perhaps I didn’t go on them.
I REMEMBER having a disturbing déjà vu experience when I was 10 or 11. We were on holiday in Dunoon, and I was sure I had been there before. There was a large family of children in a house near where we were staying, and I was convinced I seen them before. It was rather like being a film being played for a second time. Strange!
I REMEMBER taking our little dog out one winter’s day. It had been snowing and as usual we took our walk along the canal bank. Considering what the weather was like, I was surprised on our way back to meet a woman coming towards us. She paid no attention to me and I forgot all about it. Sadly she was found later in the canal, and we learned that she had mental problems. In those days every so often there would be cases of suicide by drowning in the canal.
I REMEMBER my first girl friend was a singer. I met her at a concert when I had to play the piano for her. Every Saturday night we went to the local cinema. How long did our friendship last? I don’t know - 3 or 4 months perhaps. One song I always associate with her - “I’m going to see you today”. Some years ago I was shocked to meet her in one of the old folk’s homes where I entertained. She was a resident there and was suffering from Altzeimer’s.
-o0o-
While I was a student, my particular friend Adam and I had helped to run
a church youth club, and later he became involved with education
authority youth work.
At that time social work was expanding and community centres were opening in most towns. Adam got a full-time job as warden of a local centre, and I became quite fascinated with all the interesting projects he was supervising.
I had been working in a foundry office for a couple of years, when I saw a newspaper advert from a church community centre in Glasgow looking for an organising secretary. I applied for the post and got it.
The centre was a converted church and consisted of two main halls, two smaller halls, an upstairs lounge, a committee room, a kitchen and canteen area, and an office. Part of the area in one of the smaller halls was laid out as a little chapel. The caretaker’s house was upstairs.
A number of organisations used the premises - toddlers’ creche, Boys Brigade, crafts classes, old folks club, youth clubs, girls keep-fit, dramatic club, weekly old time dancing, weekly whist drive, and the canteen was open most nights for tea, soft drinks, biscuits and crisps. There were occasional social functions at which I often provided the music.
I enjoyed working there, but the most important thing about my time at the centre was the fact that it was there that I met Jean. She was Brown Owl and often was involved in helping in other activities. We married on 12th June 1954.
At that time social work was expanding and community centres were opening in most towns. Adam got a full-time job as warden of a local centre, and I became quite fascinated with all the interesting projects he was supervising.
I had been working in a foundry office for a couple of years, when I saw a newspaper advert from a church community centre in Glasgow looking for an organising secretary. I applied for the post and got it.
The centre was a converted church and consisted of two main halls, two smaller halls, an upstairs lounge, a committee room, a kitchen and canteen area, and an office. Part of the area in one of the smaller halls was laid out as a little chapel. The caretaker’s house was upstairs.
A number of organisations used the premises - toddlers’ creche, Boys Brigade, crafts classes, old folks club, youth clubs, girls keep-fit, dramatic club, weekly old time dancing, weekly whist drive, and the canteen was open most nights for tea, soft drinks, biscuits and crisps. There were occasional social functions at which I often provided the music.
I enjoyed working there, but the most important thing about my time at the centre was the fact that it was there that I met Jean. She was Brown Owl and often was involved in helping in other activities. We married on 12th June 1954.
The marriage was conducted by my uncle George, my cousin John was best
man, Jean's best friend Mary was matron of honour, my sister Rita played
the organ, and Jean’s brother-in-law Angus was church officer.
-o0o-
DO YOU KNOW what a waggity-wa is? (Not to be confused with wag-at-the-wa which is a household goblin.)
Well, a waggity-wa is an unenclosed pendulum clock that hangs on the wall. When I was small, we had a little wooden clock which had a long chain dangling, with a weight on each end. You didn’t wind it up, because it was the action of the chain that kept the clock going. We called it the waggit-the-wa.
Very often folk would have a clock on the mantlepiece in the living room, usually the kind with a glass door covering the clock face and the pendulum. Those old clocks are quite valuable now and make good prices at auctions.
In my maternal grandparents’ house a big round clockface hung on the wall halfway up the stairs. This was the kind of clock you used to see in railway stations, and in fact this one had come from a station in Glasgow. When it was being replaced by a more modern one, Uncle Hugh who was a railway clerk had been given it.
I’m reminded that another of my uncles was very clever at repairing clocks and watches in his spare time. Uncle Alex continued with his hobby right up to the time when watch mechanisms were becoming much smaller, and I suppose by then his eyesight wouldn’t be quite as good.
Well, a waggity-wa is an unenclosed pendulum clock that hangs on the wall. When I was small, we had a little wooden clock which had a long chain dangling, with a weight on each end. You didn’t wind it up, because it was the action of the chain that kept the clock going. We called it the waggit-the-wa.
Very often folk would have a clock on the mantlepiece in the living room, usually the kind with a glass door covering the clock face and the pendulum. Those old clocks are quite valuable now and make good prices at auctions.
In my maternal grandparents’ house a big round clockface hung on the wall halfway up the stairs. This was the kind of clock you used to see in railway stations, and in fact this one had come from a station in Glasgow. When it was being replaced by a more modern one, Uncle Hugh who was a railway clerk had been given it.
I’m reminded that another of my uncles was very clever at repairing clocks and watches in his spare time. Uncle Alex continued with his hobby right up to the time when watch mechanisms were becoming much smaller, and I suppose by then his eyesight wouldn’t be quite as good.
-o0o-
I REMEMBER seeing American comics. They were the size of broadsheet
newspapers and had lots of pages. And the content was so different from
“The Rainbow” and “Tiger Tim.”
I REMEMBER that cigarette packets each contained a picture card. Many subjects were covered including sports personalities, film stars, dance band leaders, comedians, cars, locomotives, birds, animals, fish and many more.
I REMEMBER that the best room or parlour was used only on special occasions. That’s where the piano would be and the instrument was generally kept locked. Sometimes there would be a long soft cushion, specially made for the purpose, which would lie over the keys. (Did they keep it locked to prevent a burglar stealing the keys?)
I REMEMBER that news bulletines on the wireless were introduced with “Here is the news copywrite by Reuters.” When World War II began, the announcers added “and this is _ _ reading it.” This was to familiarise us with the BBC news readers, so that we wouldn’t be fooled by German broadcasts in English.
I REMEMBER that SOS messages were frequently broadcast usually addressed to a particular individual, telling them to go to a certain hospital where a relative was dangerously ill.
I REMEMBER that, when drivers parked their cars on a hill (even on a slight hill), they would place a brick or a large stone at a front wheel to prevent the vehicle moving off.
I REMEMBER after the war brand new cars often carried a notice on the back “Running in. Please pass.”
I REMEMBER when television first came to our town. The pictures were black and white of course, not nearly as clear as they are today, People watched the programmes with curtains drawn and no lights on. When the TV set was not in use, a big sheet was draped over it, presumably to keep it clear of dust.
I REMEMBER that cigarette packets each contained a picture card. Many subjects were covered including sports personalities, film stars, dance band leaders, comedians, cars, locomotives, birds, animals, fish and many more.
I REMEMBER that the best room or parlour was used only on special occasions. That’s where the piano would be and the instrument was generally kept locked. Sometimes there would be a long soft cushion, specially made for the purpose, which would lie over the keys. (Did they keep it locked to prevent a burglar stealing the keys?)
I REMEMBER that news bulletines on the wireless were introduced with “Here is the news copywrite by Reuters.” When World War II began, the announcers added “and this is _ _ reading it.” This was to familiarise us with the BBC news readers, so that we wouldn’t be fooled by German broadcasts in English.
I REMEMBER that SOS messages were frequently broadcast usually addressed to a particular individual, telling them to go to a certain hospital where a relative was dangerously ill.
I REMEMBER that, when drivers parked their cars on a hill (even on a slight hill), they would place a brick or a large stone at a front wheel to prevent the vehicle moving off.
I REMEMBER after the war brand new cars often carried a notice on the back “Running in. Please pass.”
I REMEMBER when television first came to our town. The pictures were black and white of course, not nearly as clear as they are today, People watched the programmes with curtains drawn and no lights on. When the TV set was not in use, a big sheet was draped over it, presumably to keep it clear of dust.
-o0o-
This was an electronic home organ I had around 1978
It was early in the 1970s that I had a notion of getting my own portable
electronic organ. By then my connection with Jimmy and David had ended,
and Johnny a drummer I had known for many years was keen to link up
with me.
When I got an instrument, we were able to take on dances and social functions, and I had my first experience of backing cabaret. Sight-reading music had always been easy for me, and so I managed the accompaniments all right provided the artistes had scores for me to follow. Playing by ear was a bit of a problem at first, but after a few years it started to come naturally to me.
A short time later we were engaged by a local club to provide music for dancing and backing for the cabaret turns. I appeared solo for bingo sessions, when I played popular music and accompanied the sing-song. (This was before the days of karaoke.)
One regular evening was particularly enjoyable for me, and that was the Ladies Night of Old Time and Select Dancing. Figure dancing is always lovely to watch and those women, some of them quite old, did extremely well.
Saturday night was Cabaret with two different acts, each appearing twice, with the inevitable bingo in the middle. There were singers (some played guitar), comedians, impressionists, etc. For the drummer and me, the hardest work was the conjuror/magician type of act. Before the show began, we had 15/20 minutes in the dressing room to see and discuss the music with the artistes. Very often the magician would hand us a thick book of manuscript, containing music which would be played continuously throughout the act. During the performance, we had to keep one eye on the score and one eye on him, for at the end of every trick, we had to give a loud chord and a bang on the drums, and then continue.
Sometimes the artistes were well-known. We had Elizabeth Dawn (Vera Duckworth from Coronation Street), Johnny Beattie (Malcolm Hamilton in BBC Scotland’s River City), Andy Cameron, Joe Gordon and Sally Logan, and Roy Walker who used to present the TV game “Catchphrase.”
With one or two breaks in between, I spent 10 years at that club and enjoyed it very much. During that time I was also organist and choirmaster in a local church, so I suppose I had a split personality in those days!!!
When I got an instrument, we were able to take on dances and social functions, and I had my first experience of backing cabaret. Sight-reading music had always been easy for me, and so I managed the accompaniments all right provided the artistes had scores for me to follow. Playing by ear was a bit of a problem at first, but after a few years it started to come naturally to me.
A short time later we were engaged by a local club to provide music for dancing and backing for the cabaret turns. I appeared solo for bingo sessions, when I played popular music and accompanied the sing-song. (This was before the days of karaoke.)
One regular evening was particularly enjoyable for me, and that was the Ladies Night of Old Time and Select Dancing. Figure dancing is always lovely to watch and those women, some of them quite old, did extremely well.
Saturday night was Cabaret with two different acts, each appearing twice, with the inevitable bingo in the middle. There were singers (some played guitar), comedians, impressionists, etc. For the drummer and me, the hardest work was the conjuror/magician type of act. Before the show began, we had 15/20 minutes in the dressing room to see and discuss the music with the artistes. Very often the magician would hand us a thick book of manuscript, containing music which would be played continuously throughout the act. During the performance, we had to keep one eye on the score and one eye on him, for at the end of every trick, we had to give a loud chord and a bang on the drums, and then continue.
Sometimes the artistes were well-known. We had Elizabeth Dawn (Vera Duckworth from Coronation Street), Johnny Beattie (Malcolm Hamilton in BBC Scotland’s River City), Andy Cameron, Joe Gordon and Sally Logan, and Roy Walker who used to present the TV game “Catchphrase.”
With one or two breaks in between, I spent 10 years at that club and enjoyed it very much. During that time I was also organist and choirmaster in a local church, so I suppose I had a split personality in those days!!!
-o0o-
No comments:
Post a Comment