History talks cancelled until New Year

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Currie and District Local History Society have decided to cancel all of our talks scheduled from October to December and hope that we might return to something approaching normality in the New Year.

As 2020 is our “Golden Anniversary” year and having survived the first 50 years, and hopefully Covid 19 ,  with “fingers crossed” we hope to be in a position to resume in January 2021 and to welcome all of our members, old and new, back to the Gibson-Craig Memorial Hall for our series of interesting historical talks. The speakers for the first session ( October to December) have all been contacted and are happy to fill a later speaking date for the society.   

Douglas Lowe, Secretary

Cancellation of 50th Anniversary Celebrations

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In view of the Covid 19 restrictions the celebrations planned for 20th June in the Gibson Craig Memorial Hall have been cancelled/postponed.

The secretary will let you know of any future celebration date. Targeting CDLHS “50 and 1” has been suggested.

Looking for John McCallum

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Dr James Herring from Dunbar and District Local History Society has contacted Douglas, our Secretary, asking for help in tracing a John McCallum who was one of the first boys who witnessed the mass stranding of 147 pilot whales near Dunbar in 1950. Richard passed on this photo, which appeared in The Illustrated London News. John McCallum is the boy in the foreground wearing glasses He believes that John lives, or lived, in Currie. Anyone who has information as to John’s whereabouts please let Douglas know. douglaslowe51@btinternet.com or tel 0131 449 4349

whales at Dunbar

War Defences Emerge From Threipmuir Reservoir

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Visitors to Threipmuir Reservoir above Balerno will find themselves looking at an alien landscape. The main western basin of the reservoir is dry, apart from a trickle running through from the new dam structures at the bridge leading up to Easter Bavelaw Farm and a small pond gathered in front of the piers. This dam is holding water back into Bavelaw Marsh.

Threipmuir Reservoir

Living in Balerno for all of my 60+ years I have never seen Threipmuir pond as dry before.

Walking along the dry basin of the reservoir my wife and I, and the dog, came across what looked like telegraph poles, lying flat, sunk into the dry bed of the reservoir. This triggered an old memory. I remembered some older villagers describing defences that were erected around Threipmuir Reservoir during the Second World War. Large poles were sunk into the fields surrounding Threipmuir to stop aircraft or gliders landing. Poles were also sunk into the bed of the reservoir and large pyramid structures were also made to stop seaplanes landing. I was advised that they didn’t bother with these structures at Harlaw Reservoir as they had felt that it was too tight for a landing and ably protected by its fringe of trees.

Threipmuir Reservoir

Douglas Lowe

470th Anniversary of the Battle of Pinkie Cleuch Walk and Battle Re-enactment planned

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Arran Johnston, director of the Scottish Battlefield Trust and our speaker on 16th October, will be trekking 45 miles through East Lothian to the Pinkie Cleuch battle site, starting at Eyemouth on Thursday 7th September via Dunglass, Innerwick Castle, Dunbar, East Linton and Prestonpans ending at the battlefield at 1p.m. on Sunday 10th September the date of the battle. Arran and a colleague are following the route of the English army on their approach to the battle. There will also be a memorial service at the Memorial Stone in Salters Road Wallyford at 1.00 p.m. on the day. Arran gave us his talk on The Battle of Pinkie Cleuch last session where he described in detail the battle, the largest ever in Scotland, where 50,000 men took part, and 10,000 died in the battle. The Scots suffering a heavy defeat in this 1547 battle.

There will be a re-enactment of the battle on Newhailes Estate (NTS) over the weekend 16th and 17th September.

Baberton Mains History Group wins Award

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At the recent Heritage Angels Awards The Baberton Mains History Group were awarded a Cerificate of Commendation by the Scottish Civic Trust in the Investigation and Recording category. The Group, including a number of our CDLHS members, carried out in-depth research into Baberton Mains estate, the land and farms on which the estate was built and the the people. Talks were given, one to CDLHS, articles written, a booklet published, they assisted Juniper Green Primary pupils when they produced a quilt illustrating aspects of the area’s history and took school children on a guided history walk around Baberton Mains.

The Group plan is to have the certificate on display in Juniper Green village hall, once the hall is reopened.

So our congratulations to all of the Baberton Mains History Group on the receipt of this well-deserved award.

Elsie Inglis and the Scottish Women’s Hospitals

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Iain Macintyre at the end of his excellent talk mentioned books on Elsie Inglis and some of us weren’t quick enoughto make a note of these. For those who are interested the books Ian Suggested were;

Elsie Inglis: Founder of Battlefield Hospitals Run Entirely by Women (Scots’ Lives)
Leah Leneman
Published by NMSE – Publishing Ltd (1998)

In the Service of Life: Story of Elsie Inglis and the Scottish Women’s Hospitals
Leah Leneman
Published by Mercat Press , 1994

SHADOW OF SWORDS
Margot LAWRENCE
Published by Michael Joseph London 1st edn, 1971

Elsie Inglis: The Woman with the Torch (Illustrated Edition) (Paperback)
Eva Shaw McLaren
Published by Dodo Press, United Kingdom (2009)

and the book on Royaumant is:

Angels of Mercy: A Womens Hospital on the Western Front 1914 – 1918
Eileen Crofton
Published by Birlinn Ltd (2013)