You may have seen this little colourised photo of Blantyre Blacksmiths on Andy Paterson’s excellent website where he has colorised Blantyre postcards and photos. I thought I’d upload the high resolution black and white original version to show a little more detail, as it doesn’t appear to be anywhere online yet.
The photo is taken at Dixons pit at Priestfield and shows part of the old office block, the canteen and ambulance room and a wee meeting room , (just inside the current Priestfield graveyard to the left.) The original photo showed a little more to the left background but I don’t know who owns it, and this copy is from a Viewpark book. As for dating the photo, you’ll see the pit’s flagpole, which was in use certainly during the first world war, and that’s where all eyes are trained in the 1947 unfurling photo when the pits were nationalised. However, the style of the clothes suggest this was photographed in the early part of the 20th Century, perhaps in the 1920s or 1930s. The man with the whiskers is believed to be Jock Fraser, who worked at Dixons for 45 years!
Hi Paul, Jock Fraser was my gt gt grandfather too. Great to see this photo. I would appreciate any information you could give me about him and his family. His sons also worked at Dixon’s pit.
Hi Robert Jock Fraser was my gt grandfatherx2 I was wondering if you have any photos of his wife mary. I am related to their son alexander.
kindregards
maureen
jock fraser was my gt grandfather x4 how do you know that he worked in prestfield mines for all those years, I would like to find out more about him
Hi Maureen – I think I have investigated the history of Jock and his family somewhere already. I will try to find it, although it may not be on the website yet! Glad you found this.
Hi Paul you have been a great help it would be great if you could find the history of jock and his family.
kind regards
maureen
John Fraser died in 1917 he was my gt gt grandfather.