Those were the Days.
And now in the autumn of my life I often think on looking back that there's a lot to be said for the title. Oh, I can hear my grand - children say "Oh, there she goes again". Certainly they have an awful lot that we never had, or expected, but I still think we had something that the young generation of today have missed. I may be wrong, but let me recall this little story of my young life.
I was born in a country schoolhouse, the second youngest of a family of nine .. seven boys and two girls. my father taught in that school for forty - eight years and was known as "The Maister" or occasionally "The Dominie". There were one hundred pupils and one infant mistress. I started school very early and was allowed to nip in and out of the infant class at my leisure, provided I kept quiet I suppose.
The pupils were made up of shepherds' and farmers' families, with a host of brains from almost every house in the village. There were no school buses in those days and country children had long walks to school, some as much as four miles, and often arrived wet and cold. I well remember the kitchen in the school - house draped with wet clothes and boots and shoes all around the hearth. The school provided sandshoes and stockings for children but there were no school meals, although I believe at one time there was a soup kitchen in winter, but it was mostly a "jeely piece" eaten round a huge fire in the school - room.
We got lots of extra holidays and when there was snow and ice we got a skating holiday .. especially if "The Maister" had a curling match on. Christmas was a very happy and wonderful time for us all and during the holidays the Laird of the Castle presented a huge Christmas Tree and a real party for all the children in the Parish. The tree had real candles in little holders and they all glittered like little stars through the red curtain which was kept closed until we were all settled in our seats. Every child got a present off the tree and each got a bag of cakes and buns and a mug of tea .. we all brought our own mug. We sang songs with great gusto and I can well remember my favourite was "Hail Father Santa Claus, jolly old fellow" etc, I wonder how many remember it today?
The school - house was a very happy place at Christmas - time, we didn't have a lot of toys, no train sets or talking dolls, but we were thrilled with small things and games like Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, and the older ones played Draughts with my father.
Ours was a musical home, my parents were both musical and the family inherited their talent so the house rang with music and laughter and the old piano was well thumped.
When Summer came we had six weeks holidays, four weeks in July and two in August and that was a very exciting time. On the First of July the whole family set off for a month at the coast, it was quite an exodus although some of the boys were either working of at Varsity and during their vacation they went on the Clyde Steamers as Pursers to make some cash for books etc., .. no student grants, oh no.
There were few motor cars in those days .. except for the wealthy, so our transport was a wagonette and horse. Days before our departure a large hamper was gradually filling up with bed and table linen and most of our garments for the month. When the great day arrived for our departure, the hamper was loaded into the wagonette and we all followed. We didn't go far afield and it was usually Girvan, Maidens or Turnberry. but when the family grew older and the 'big ones' were working, we ventured a bit further crossing the sea to Arran, and that was a great thrill. We went by train and paddle steamer and I never remember a bad crossing, but I think we were all good sailors.
The days I remember best were the Girvan ones. We rented a house near the shore and we never seemed to wear anything but bathing suits. We stayed next door to the Captain of the paddle steamer called the Lady Ailsa, that did pleasure trips twice a day to Ailsa Craig. We got very friendly with the Captain, resulting in our joining him on the bridge at least once a day.
The boys went fishing in the evenings with the fishermen and brought home quite a variety of fish, so we lived on a fish diet for most of the month. We never seemed to have wet days .. but I am told that we remembered only the lovely ones.
When we reached the age of twelve, and passed the Qualifying Examination, we had to leave the country school and go to a Secondary one, the nearest being Girvan or Maybole. There were very few who went onto another school in those days, most went home to work on the farms or to work on the estates, There were no careers for girls unless they went on to University standard and as there were no grants in those days, nobody had that kind of money. It was regrettable that so many brilliant pupils had to leave school at an early age and start earning to help[ the family, never getting a chance to develop their talent.
Nowadays, when I hear the youngsters talking about their spending money I really have a quiet smile. We got a Saturday penny and oh boy, what we could buy with that penny was no man's business. There were gob - stoppers, liquorice ladders and straps, sherbet in little boxes with a real silver spoon to sup it with, lucky - bags with fantastic rubbish therein. One could spend a ha - penny and have something left for Sunday, which we spent on our way to Sunday School. The boys bought 'fags' .. three Woodbine for a ha - penny and I got one puff not to tell .. I never did.
I was quite a woman
of wealth when I went to Secondary School. I had a whole shilling
in my purse but it didn't go very far as my train fare was eight
pence return. If I lost my pencil or had to buy a jotter, by
the end of the week I was broke, but I usually managed to buy
a comic paper for my small brother .. and me.
It was a great and frightening experience when I set off for
another school. I had never been away from home , except on holidays
with the family. I stayed in 'digs' during the week and came
home at the week - ends. I walked five miles to the station,
no tar - mac roads then and wood - cutting and hauling made great
ruts on the roads. The wintery mornings were the worst as I had
to leave home by seven a.m. to catch the train at eight a.m..
Many a morning I left home in a blinding snowstorm and by the
time I reached the station I was like the veritable snowman.
Being about the only passenger at the station, I was taken into
the Station - master's office, where there was a lovely fire
and a cup of tea.
after I had tramped those miles twice a week for a year, one of my brothers bought me a second hand bicycle .. he must have been a man of wealth as it cost him £3. he was a Divinity student but there was no grant for him.
When the war came it changed the scene in an otherwise happy home. My brothers all joined the ranks as their age group came up, and six of them served in the two wars, with three giving their lives for their country. it was an anxious time for my parents and, although I was very young, I was well aware of the strained atmosphere in the once happy and care - free home.
I left school at the age of sixteen, much to my regret. I enjoyed my school days immensely and, although I wasn't by any means a brilliant scholar, I always managed to scrape through by the skin of my teeth. i was delighted that I had not wasted all my precious playing time studying for examinations. (I have kept this knowledge from my own children). I was always terrified to take home my report card, especially if it hadn't improved from the last term. Oh, it was no joke being a schoolmaster's daughter, so much was expected of you.
By now my father was due to retire so the family that I leave school to go home to look after my ageing parents. I cried for at least a week. I loved my school days and never wanted to grow up, but that was my fate so I went home. We had a lovely house in the country and all settled down very cosily, and life really began. There were lots of young people in the district and in the winter we had parties and dances, with the odd theatre thrown in. In the Summer it was picnics and tennis parties at each others homes and, much to the surprise of all concerned, I married a farmer's son and took up the role of a farmer's wife.
It would take a lot of ink and paper to recall my experiences as such, so I will leave that chapter of my story for the next competition.
I became a member of the local W.R.I. and am now one of the few founder members and I still enjoy the monthly meeting, and hope to do so for many more years.
In conclusion, may I quote one of the familiar pop songs which I find myself humming constantly, "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end", but alas.
But don't get me wrong .. I do admire the courage and drive of the younger generation.
