We turned left into Aitkenhead Road, and my eye was immediately caught by the long grey tenement building to our left tapering off into the distance. Eventually the tenement ended and was replaced by a tall brick wall which I later found out was the perimeter of the “Locomotive Works”. The wall cranked to the right, and as we swept around the bend, Fergie said,” “sur, thurs a park jist up the road at Bennan Square, an” another park it the coarna a Hickman Street an” Govanhull Street”...”You seem to be familiar with this area too, Fergie, I replied”, he said, “ “at”s rite sur, ye see, a use ti winch a lassie up Hickman Street afore ah went intae the army”. “Good show, I replied” (not having a bally clue what he was talking about).....( later, as I got more familiar with the local dialect, I realised that what Fergie was saying, was, that he was courting a young lady) “Courting a young lady” what a lovely civilized phrase. It conjures up the vision of a “well tailored young suitor, arm in arm with his neatly dressed young lady, parasol in hand, strolling along the promenade at Brighton”.....Whereas “a use ti winch a lassie up Hickman Street” conjures up the vision of a 25 stone woman being block and tackled up the road. (Enough of these strange thoughts) We arrived at Bennan Sq., which was a long and wide rectangular green with houses on all sides, the iron railings that had once enclosed the green had long since been removed for the war effort, so access for the gun would not be a problem. “This is it Fergie!” I exclaimed, “this will be No. 4 gun”s location. Time is of the essence! We have yet to get supplies, search lights and the gun crews, so it”s decision time”. I ruled out the other green for No. 3 gun because of its close proximity to Bennan Sq. We drove on around the area and eventually headed north up Cathcart Rd, and as we approached the junction of Larkfield Street I asked Fergie to stop... As I got out of the car and looked around this rather wide junction, I could see the bell tower of the Greek Thomson church about a half a mile away, over the railway yards. I made the decision, and wrote in my notebook, No. 3 GP (Gun Position) “ Larkfield Street / Cathcart Road “ No. 2 GP “ The Gushet “ No. 1 GP “ Sandyfaulds Street / Caledonia Road....As I opened the door of the car and got in, Fergie said, “is that us sur” iv yeh made up yer mind”“ “Thats us Fergie, let”s go”.....”de yeh want a cup a tea roon it ma maw”s, sur”“....”oh all right” I said, and we quickly moved off.....Morag was as hospitable as ever, and as we sipped our tea she regaled me with tales of her “two wee boys, Sinbad and Tommy” as she called them. As the time wore on, Fergie excused himself and said, “am jist gon ti the cludgie fur a pony” . Fergie having left the room, Morag confided in me... “ye”ll huvty furgive Tommy if e” looks a wee bit doon sumtimes, yeh see, “es never goatin or “es Da”s death”. “Well am sayin” that, but it”s no sae much “is death, as the circumstances aroon “is death”. “yeh see “es da loved “es joab oan the railway, an e”always worked the nightshift”. “Oan the night ae e”s death, he knew that the 12:30am goods train always stoaped rite outside “es signal boax for at least 5 minnits, an that gave im time ti dae whit he hid planned”. “He climed doon oot i the signal boax wi a length a rope in “es hon, climbed oan the roof i the goods train an” jist managed ti tie the rope oan ti the end i wan i the signals. He then tied the other end roon “is neck an jist stood there ti the train pult away”... “yeh see “es mind must a been in a rite mess!, cos he didny realise that e” hid tied imsell ti wan i they new fangled ottamatic signals, an fur the next oor eh wus bobbin up an doon like a yoyo afore the Glesga” tae Londin mail train floo past an scooped im up an” delivered im tae St. Pancras Station at 6 in the moarnin minus “es napper”, “whit a kerryoan!”. With that rather gruesome scene still in my mind , I think I will sign off.......Laters.......The Major.

Submitted by: Cathie
Blackpool, England
13/05/10
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