Auchinraith Primary School, Blantyre, 1910. Shared by A Morrow

Marion Murray Clark was a former teacher of Auchinraith Primary School prior to 1926. However, her life was tragically cut short when she was run down in Auchinraith Road.

In the Court of Session on Monday 22^nd March 1926, the Lord Justice-Clerk and a jury tried an action at the instance of Mrs Jane Murray Clark widow, 71 Russell Street, Hamilton, against George Younger and Son brewers, Alloa, for payment in respect of the death of the pursuer’s daughter, Miss Marion Murray Clark who was head mistress of Auchenraith Public School, Blantyre.

Marion’s mother stated that about four o’clock on the afternoon of October 13^th 1925 when her daughter was crossing Auchenraith Road, she was knocked down and run over a motor-lorry belonging to the Youngers. She sustained such injuries that she died almost instantly. She was 58 years old.

The mother suggested that her daughter’s death was caused by the fault and negligence of the defender’s driver, who was driving too fast and in a careless and reckless manner.

The defenders, who denied fault and pleaded contributory negligence, stated that tire driver of the lorry used all reasonable precautions and observed all due care in driving on the occasion. Marion had crossed the road rapidly in front of the track of the oncoming motorlorry, The driver swerved to clear her and would easily have done so had she not “lost her head and run back again towards the lorry”.

The jury, after an absence of minutes, returned a unanimous verdict for the pursuer, and assessed the damages at £500.

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Moyra Lindsay Paul, this must be the teacher that my mum told me about. Mum would have been seven then and the teacher was doing knitting with them, mum couldn’t bend her finger to slip the stitch off the needle. Teacher was quite cruel about this which was acceptable in those days I suppose. She dreaded lessons with her and went home one day and said to my granny that she wished the teacher was dead! This death traumatised my mum and she talked about it well into her eighties. She always told me to be careful what you wish for.

The Blantyre Project Marion was 58 years old. I had a typo there which I’ve just corrected. She died in 1925 not 1926 as the newspaper incorrectly reported.

Moyra Lindsay Which made mum six. The headmistress probably did hand crafts and not teaching. When I was at Auchinraith the headmaster did very little. Thanks for this one Paul, I couldn’t remember the name.