Although this photo wasn’t taken in Blantyre, it’s a typical Blantyre Holiday, with some Blantyre children Jimmy, Janet Mary and Cathy Cook. It was photographed around 1952.
Helen Williams (nee Cook) who kindly shared these 2 photos, commented, “Note how the weans are in summer clothes and bare foot while the women are wrapped up in coats. We would count down the days to our annual day at the sea side, it could be a trip anywhere, Ayr, Girvin, Largs, Saltcoast, or Portabella. Regardless of where we didn’t care it was the SEA SIDE.
The bus trip was usually organised by the Sunday School or perhaps the neighbours just collecting some money throughout the year. I remember the excitement in the street waiting for the bus to arrive. When it did, we were checked off the list as paid, then it was a mad dash for the best seat, usually the back so your mammy cant see you, that’s unless, what she had previously told you, that she had eyes in the back of her head.
Then it was far from where we lived, we would wave at passing cars then nothing but fields, cows, sheep and more fields, and all the singing, Do people still sing those songs like “Itsy Bitsy”, and “yi cannie push yer granny aff the bus” and the ritual of passing the bucket to tip the driver? At our age it seamed like a whole day on the bus and at the first sight of the sea it was cries of excitement. Build sand castles, dig massive holes or ride on the donkey that trotted along the beach all day. We would eat our sandwiches although seasoned with sand, drink all the ginger, and if we were very luck we could go for high tea before heading home. regards , Helen Williams (nee Cook)”
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