History of Leith, Edinburgh

These stories first appeared in “Leith Lives” which is a collection of four books which was part of the “Leith local History Project” set up by the “Manpower Services Commission” which was to explore the history of Leith through oral reminiscences of people who lived and worked in Leith since 1900.

All acknowledgements and copyright are given to the people named and to the Forth Ports Authority, Leith Benevolent Association, Garland & Roger Ltd, Christian Salvesen Ltd, Brown Brothers & Co Ltd, Kwik-Fit Tyres & Exhausts and to the many people involved in the project to numerous to mention.. I should mention that these books to the best of my knowledge are still in print and can be purchased from any good bookshop or by contacting the webmaster and copies can be sent by post. The cost of the booklets are £1 (one GBP) + 50p/p or 3USD including p/p

The books are entitled as follows-

Leith Lives-Memories at Work (A look at employment between the Wars.

Leith Lives-“Ye’re Never Done”

Leith Lives-Schooldays

Leith Lives-Unemployment-Making Ends Meet

I will give a couple of highlights from each of the books in order that people can judge what they are like. However I like them because this is history from a prime source and is coming from people who have experienced what they are talking about at first hand.

On unemployment Helen Nickererson says “My dad was out of work. It was a hard life and we hadnae any money and we used to go along to the Salvation Army every morning and get the porridge wi’ skimmed milk. And we used to get our porridge for our breakfast before we went to school”

John Preston said “Well, the only way you could get money was you did wee jobs for people that could afford it. Tae make ends meet my mother and the lady next door used to go out to wash the dead. They had to lay them out in their houses.”

“I was up in Princes Street and I seen these poor miners walking through Princes Street collapsing in the street; actually falling down. In 1926 we opened up a soup kitchen for the striking miners in the Market Hall in Leith. We were unemployed ourselves. We went roond the butchers and got bones from the butchers. And we went to Warriston Allotments up in Warriston. It was the Unemployment Allotment Association. I had an allotment up there and we gave them the vegetables-cabbage, turnips-and we made soup for the strikers. Anybody roond aboot got a plate o’soup. They were hard times and they were tragic” Adam Davidson

Leith Lives-Schooldays

On schooling in the early 20th century. James Grahame (Lochend Road Primary 1906)

“Near the foot o’Restalrig Road there was what they called Lady Fyfes Brae. And every time when it was snowing the pupils from Lochend School used tae have a snow battle at lunch time wi Leith Academy pupils. And we used tae fight on the Giants Brae. And I was at Lochend at the time-that was before I passed ma qualy. And we used tae always get battered because the Academy outnumbered us about ten tae one”

Alison Grant (Couper Street School 1913) “ It was the first Armistice Day. An in Couper Street School, the centre o’it was like a prison, just a big hollow square; an ye went along the landings. And the gong was right underneath the flat that I was on. We all had been warned about this, gaunie be a two minutes silence. Ye were tae go out and stand with yer head bowed. Then the next gong would ring an ye walked back tae yer class again. Well, of course, once again I forgot a’aboot this. When the gong went I thought it was playtime an I lifted ma piece-I’d always ma mind on food! I lifted up ma piece an I’m gun out There was this vile woman Kate Anderson an this lassie says to me “Oh if auld Kate sees yer piece…!””well I had as many straps from that woman! Well,wi ma wee fat hands, an the gong went, an I’m bendin ma heid, an trying tae keep ma roll in ma hand….an we just got oor heid bent an ma roll slipped oot ma hand an ran run away doon, right doon, It knocked the gong! And that was the end o’the first two minutes silence in Couper Street School”

James Crean (St Mary’s 1914)

“Scot’s and Irish Day-I mean you were pal’s the rest o’the year but this particular day there was a division an you chased each other wi paper balls. You made a paper ball wi string in it an this was your weapon, you see. But there was no casualties or nothing, but it was a great day, the Scots and Irish Day. We used to sing a wee song:

“The green, the green, the bonnie, bonnie green,
The green that shall be worn.
For the blue and white shall be torn into tripe.
On St Patrick’s Day in the morn”

And the other side would sing

“The blue, the blue, the bonnie, bonnie blue,
The blue that shall be worn
For the green and white shall be torn up to tripe
This day in the morning (Christopher Massina Yardheads 1905)

Leith Lives-“Ye’re Never Done”

Jeannie Tait remembered “When I was a bairn-when we were brought up. Friday night was a work night and it was a great big range, black lead and steels. My sister louie, the eldest one-she did that and Margaret and I the table. It wis a great big square table wi’ pull-out leaves. Anyway, dad examined it and if there was a mark underneath it-you know the way wee fingers go underneath? Well you had to do the table again, legs and everything. That was my sister Margaret and me and through the week we had to wash and dry the dishes from school then set the table for Dad coming in. that was our chores. In our house the boys had chores too-their chores were washing pots and cleaning shoes. On a Friday night everything was taken from the fireplace-everything had to be shining and all the fireplace things were put in wrapped paper and under the bed with all the fireplace things that were clean. Saturday morning everything was all to place and clean for the week-end.”

Georgina Keenan remembers the wash-house “The wash-house. oh, it was great. I used tae go tae Abbey hill wash-house. If you didnae have an old pram ye got a loan of o’ an old pram just the frame. Ye had your bath sitting on it wi soap powder an’ everything and you’d go one week and you’d book up when you came out-you’d book up for the following week. It didnae cost very much but you got a good washin done there.

Coming from the wall there used tae be back tae back, two lines-you had a tub and you had a boiler and you were all next tae one another. You washed away, put them in the boiler and after you’d put your white things in an they were boiling away and you did your coloured things. They were black tubs like iron, then you got them rinsed. There was a great big round thing-you’d take them down tae to the man and he used tae put your things in there tae wring them and then you put them on the horses tae dry. Well #, they were about 18-20 inches (wide) and they were all along another wall=they used to pull oot and you hung your clothes over the rails. It was a hot place! You were usually there two-three hours. You always met someone you know and they used tae have a wee nursery for the kids. There used to be a person who watched them.”

“Any Coking had to be done on this coal fire and washing was a big thing in those days because there was no fixed tubs. The wooden tub had tae be brought out which was kept below the kitchen bed-Mother got up about four o’clock in the morning to light the fire and put on a boiler to do the washing-Well, it was a big washing because in those days there was much to wash-the beds all had white valances in front and at the ends of the bed. All sheets had to be washed and we wore a lot of white petticoats and pinafores-they’d all be starched-You’ve no idea the work the mothers had in those days but we were brought up to work, to help.

There was a lady-a widow who lived on the other side of the street and she used to do mangling with a huge mangle-it wasn’t an upright ine, this was a big box thing. Mother used to send the washing-she charged a farthing a pin-just so much was considered a pin. You’d take it over maybe in the morning and collect it later.”

Georgina Hogg

Leith Lives-Memories at Work

From Tommy Merriless “ It was quite common in these days to get an exemption from School. You got away at 131/2 instead of waiting till you were 14 and lots of people took advantage of that to get their children to work”

“My first job was with Alex White. The egg merchant. He had a horse and gig and we used to go round selling eggs away in the Comiston area and way round Edinburgh.

“I got the job because somebody tellt me to go an’ see them and I went and got the job at 6/- a week (now 30p). A week! And that was for a seven day week-frae half past eight to five o’clock. And on a Sunday I had to go out and clean and feed and water the horse.

“We sellt the eggs for 10d (now about 4p) a dozen and I done it for about eighteen months and I got fed up with it. I couldnae get a rise so I started on my own, goin’ round selling brickets, rhubarb, sticks. I got myself a barrie and I took it to Newhaven, Trinity anywhere you could sell. Shouted up the stairs “Brickets”, then you shouted up “Rhubarb, firewid”. And I was doin that on my own till I had to give it up cause someone stole the wheel of the barrie. You couldnae afford to buy a new wheel. Someone stole it so that put me out o’business”-Adam Davidson

“Sandie Cunningham remembers-“I was an apprentice Plumber at Gibson and Heirs and there were 23 apprentices. Each apprentice had a man. The plumbers were making money then and for the apprentice it depended on who you worked for. If you were with a good guy, a good mate, if he earned £45 he would give you £5. That was your bung The Plumbers were gie in the apprentices the bung from the money they were making. There was one, he said, “What bung? I never open my pay poke. My wife opens it”. The apprentice said “If your wife opens your pay poke you’d better get her dae half your work for you!”

This is only a very small taste of the many, many stories contained in these books and if you are interested in Leith at all then you should have a copy of these books.