John Niven was 9 years old in August 1929. On Friday 19th July that year, like many children he left his home that summer weekend at 9 John Street to go out and play in Blantyre streets. However, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

He headed over to Station Road and decided it would be a lark to climb on top of the railway bridge parapet (pictured at Low Blantyre). John proceeded to balance and walk along the parapet above the railway at some height, much to the horror of onlookers.

Suddenly, he fell from the bridge, right on to the railway below. The accident was witnessed by a large number of people who had the boy brought immediately off the rails to the side of the platform at the roadway. A doctor was summoned who found that John had sustained terrible injuries both internal and external, mainly caused by the fall. Still unconscious, he was taken to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Follow up reports state merely he was still in a serious condition.

Do you know John Niven (whose father was Michael Niven)? If alive, little John would now be 96 years old, so perhaps he was your father or grandfather? I’d love to know how his life panned out.