Scotland’s Oldest Triplets

Reputed to be Britain’s oldest triplets, a story featured in the newspapers of October 1944  of how Mrs John Thomson and her brothers, Robert and John Marshall, celebrated their 66th birthday in Cambuslang. The family were originally from Blantyre and the brothers grew up to be so much alike, that their own mother was sometimes forced to admit she could not tell one from the other. Once John went into barber’s in Cambuslang and requested a shave. The barber, who took great pride in his work, shaved John, who paid him and left the shop. Ten minutes later in walked- Robert, badly in need of shave. Indignantly he demanded, ” What kind of shave do you call this ? Look at my face!” The astonished barber stammered apologies, and generously offered another shave free of charge. Robert sat down —but only after the shave did he explain the joke and pay the barber!

All were born at Haughhead Cottages, Parish of Blantyre, and then the Marshall family moved to Dalton district of Cambuslang a few miles away. Robert, was employed as a turner in a West of Scotland factory, and resided in Deans Avenue, Halfway, Cambuslang. John, who spent thirty years in Government worked in South Africa then later at Hillington and resided in Paisley. Mrs Thomson, a widow, was a keen Burnsonian, and for fourteen years had been secretary of the Lanarkshire Federation of Burns Clubs. She resided at Gilbertfield Road, Halfway. The paper reported that all enjoyed the best of health, retained their sense of humour, and look forward to attaining the age of their father, who died when he was 85.