Mum’s Diary
At Dunoon. Free Day. Went in Dunoon in am. Showery all day. Went round south of peninsula in aft & to Toward Lighthouse. A&E went in swimming pool – I watched. Had letter from mum – says P Claxton going to do roof so I rang P at night – she didn’t know anything about it but would speak to mum.
My/Roger’s Diary
Roger – Left the house at approx ½ past 8 with Patricia who was going to her school for the last day of term. I got to Thorpe St at 9 and the train left at ½ past. We first tried our hand at collecting by standing and shaking our tins. We kept this up till just after lunch then Ian, Andrew & I went on the fair. We met Eggy, Dominic, Lawny and Crossy. On the way back I helped Dom collect some money by asking people on the front. He got just over £10. When we got back I went & asked people on the market place. I got 2 tins of over £6 each and my 1st tin of about £2 which all in all is about £15.
I rang Caroline from Yarmouth. I can’t go tomorrow as she’s got relatives coming but her party on Friday is still on and I’m taking her to Cpn America’s on Saturday I hope. She wants to pay for herself but I’m not going to let her. Caught the 6.25 train home. Tricia had left my tea in the oven as she had gone to Rangers. I watched TV. It is now 5 to 10.
Diary Entries
Mum’s Scrapbook
We went a run in the car along the coast road south of Dunoon, through Innellan to the lighthouse at Toward Point. Then followed the road round to the beginning of Loch Striven.
Notes
Dunoon
Mum and my two siblings Alan (A) and Liz (E for Elizabeth) were away for a two-week holiday at Dhalling Mhor, the Christian Guild place in Dunoon, see Chapter 122. It appears that Wednesday was a free day, that is there were no organised activities. In the morning, mum noted going into Dunoon possibly for shopping although she does not specify.
A Note on the Weather
Mum noted that it was showery all day.
Toward Lighthouse
Mum noted that they went round the south of the peninsula including to the lighthouse at Toward. Mum explained in her scrapbook that they went by car through Innellan to the lighthouse at Toward Point.
Recently, my wife and I took a holiday in the area and we stayed in one of the lighthouse cottages. Initially, I was not sure how to pronounce Toward but heard someone else do so. It is not as you might expect to pronounce toward but is more like towered to rhyme with coward!Initially, I was not sure how to pronounce Toward but heard someone else do so. It is not as you might pronounce toward but is more like towered to rhyme with coward!
Loch Striven
From Toward, they then followed the road round to another sea loch, Loch Striven. This is a sea loch on the Cowal peninsula that separates Dunoon and Toward from Colintraive. It links to the Firth of Clyde and the Kyles of Bute. Like mum and my siblings, we visited there when we were staying in Toward. We parked up and walked a little way along. The banks seemed good for birds and we saw a number of common sandpipers.
Swimming Pool
Mum noted that my siblings Alan (A) and Liz (E for Elizabeth) went in the swimming pool while she watched. Initially, from the way the entries were written, I assumed mum was referring to a swimming pool in Toward. However, although there was an outdoor pool in Toward, it was a private pool built for the lady of Castle Toward and, by the late seventies, it was disused and derelict. It therefore seems likely that they went back to Dunoon for swimming. While Dunoon Lido was still open, it had largely declined as a swimming venue. It therefore seems likely that they went swimming at Dunoon Indoor Swimming Pool/Dunoon Baths. This had opened in the sixties and featured a spectator seating gallery. It is still functioning as part of Riverside Swim and Health Centre although, because of its age, there are plans to replace it.
Letter from Grandma
Mum had a letter from grandma in which she informed mum that she was going to get the builder Peter Claxton to “do roof“, see Chapter 117. Initially, I assumed this was referring to grandma’s roof but I am not sure. I haven’t found any reference to grandma’s roof causing problems or needing repair at that time.
This makes me wonder if it was referring to our roof as this was causing problems at that time and needed repair later that year. I am not sure why grandma had decided to do this while mum was away. Perhaps she thought it was urgent but it seems unlikely to have been that urgent that it couldn’t wait until mum got back! At night, mum phoned my sister Tricia (P for Patricia) who, like me, was at home at this point. She didn’t know anything about it but she said she would speak to grandma.
Peter Claxton
Peter Claxton was a builder/painter/decorator who initially did some decorating for grandma and grandad in January 1974, see Chapter 102. Mum used him for a wide variety of jobs in the late seventies.
Collecting for the NSPCC in Yarmouth
I spent most of this day in Yarmouth collecting money for the NSPCC with a group of school friends, see Chapter 118. I recall doing this and it seems we did it the following year also. However, I am not sure why we went to Yarmouth rather than, for example, collecting in Norwich.
I left the house at 8.30 am and walked to Norwich railway station which I referred to as Thorpe station. I got there at 9 am and the train left at 9.30 am. We spent the morning trying to collect money by standing and shaking our tins. After lunch, we went on the funfair. In the afternoon, we adopted a different tactic, that is we asked people directly to donate money. This was more effective something that I remember. While I only got around £2 from shaking my tin all morning, I got more than £12 in the afternoon by asking people for money in the market place.
I noted getting the train back to Norwich at 6.25 pm.
School Friends
The Ian mentioned here might have been Ian Sherrington and the Andrew could have been Andrew Ellson or Andrew Sheppard.
I have no idea why but Andrew Smith was always known as “Eggy“. He was in the school football team and I have memories of going with him to watch Norwich play. He also worked at Sainsburys in Anglia Square, see Chapter 119. In 1978, he passed A levels in economics and history and went to work for insurance company Bland Payne on leaving school.
I fear I do not remember Dominic but I understand this referred to Dominic Kersey. He was in our year and, in 1978, passed English A level. He went on to do an HND in business studies at City College.
Mark Lawn (Lawny) won a prize for engineering drawing in 1976. When he left school, he became an HGV apprentice at National Carriers. I met up with him in 2024 around the time of the open day. He was not able to attend but he works as a steward for Norwich City so I met him at the football.
Edward Cross (Crossy) was another friend of mine who was really into motorbikes. Like me, he worked for Sainsburys in Anglia Square, see Chapter 119. He was also in the school football team. In 1978, he passed A levels in history, sociology and English literature. He went on to study sociology at the University of Aston.
Last Day of School
I noted that I left the house with my sister Tricia (Patricia). I find it odd that I noted her name in full as I can’t remember ever calling her by her full name! She had just finished her A levels and was going to her school, Norwich High School for Girls, for the last day of term, see Chapter 118
Caroline Kingham
Caroline refers to Caroline Kingham. She and I had just started going out. I noted that I rang her from Yarmouth, presumably from a phone box!. I noted that I could not see her the next day as she had relatives coming round. However, she was having a party on Friday to which I was going. Also, I was hoping to take her to Captain America’s on Saturday. I noted that I intended to pay for her even though she had said she would pay for herself. From what I recall, this was kind of the expected thing on dates then.
I recall Caroline and would consider her as my first “proper” girlfriend, see Chapter 122. We went out for a relatively long period by the teenage standards of that time, but it was probably less than a month all told! I confess that I was unable to recall her surname but was able to track it down as my mother and her mother later worked together. I don’t know much about what happened to her but I believe she may have married Marcus Adam Batch in June 1982.
Captain America’s
Captain America’s still operates as Captain A’s Bar and Grill. Apparently, it opened in 1972. For recollections of Captain America’s see here. From memory, it was seen as the trendy place to go for a date in the seventies!
Tea in Oven
Tricia refers to my older sister (Patricia). She had cooked tea and left mine for me in the oven which was a common thing to do before we had microwaves! She had gone to Rengers, the Guides group for older age group, see Chapter 122.
TV
I noted watching TV but did not specify what I had watched, , see Chapter 122. When I was writing my diary, I noted that it was 9.55 pm.
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