Does anyone remember Tommy Ballantyne the fruit and veg seller who used a horse and cart. The horse was called Nelly. I think he also was the coal man and then the cart was scrubbed up and he did flittings as well. I'm talking late forties early fifties.

David Young.

From: "Sally O'Connor" <salgeo@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001
 
Hi David, I remember Tommy Ballantyne. He also had his brother working with him at times as well. He used to sell the best cream cookies!. Everyone used to get the messages on "tic". My mum used to give him his cup of tea when he came round. Sally O xxx

From: "Jean" <jt@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001

I remember Tommy Ballantyne but from the early 60s as his horse was stabled in Wellpark Road, which was where my grandparents lived. I think it would have been a different horse from the one you mentioned.

From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001

The earliest street traders that I can remember included a wee green motor van with round windows on the side and also on the back doors - used to sell lovely buns (tea bread). Everyone used to get so excited on the odd occasion a banana seller came around - that would have been about 1946. Then there was the rag man who came round on an ice cream vendors type tricycle enticing the kids with balloons. Recall when the fruit and vegetable horse and cart came round there was no such things as paper bags. Everything was loaded into your mammy's peenie.

Hugh McCallum

From: Margaret Gemmell
To: threetowners
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2001

I recall the Bleach Man
My mam used to say that the balloon man was a rip off and she would wait till the Bleach man came and he gave cups and clothes pins and all the cleaning aids in exchange for woollen rags because they could be 'recycled' and were worth a lot more.. Am I wrong can anyone else remember the Bleach Man in Kirkhall drive around 1950 My Mam gave all the other rags to the balloon man but always saved the woollens for the Bleach Man...

From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2001

Margaret,
Maybe that bleachman was from the Stevenston Boyd family. As a boy I worked for them when I was about 13 and funnily enough through my genealogical research over the years they perhaps fit into my family tree 'cause we've Stevenston Boyd connections. Anyhow, there was another trader came round the streets in those days selling paraffin too and he would ring a bell - it was a horse and cart situation and the name might have been Gibby. Anyone recall?

Hugh McCallum

From: "Garry Jarvis" <gjarvis@xxc.net>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2001

Hey All. Haven't been on for awhile. We're in the throws of having floor tiles fitted so the place is chaos!
I have been reading all your tales. What a hoot! Yes we had a number of traders' up the scheme!' The coal man.the rag and bone men, Parrafin. and the milk man with those little bottles of orange juice I loved. don't recall the bleach man though! My Mum used to talk about the' wondrous stuff' for the roses and flower beds! I remember the first time the milk man came round in the little electric van.It 'humming' around the street! Does anyone remember the guys that came around during election time and we kids following them around so we could have a turn of singing or chattering over the p.a.sytem on their cars? Got to go the 'tile guys are due again!. Regards frae Texas. Sheena

From: "silkee" <silkee@xx.net>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2001

My father remembers the fruit and vegetable man with the horse cart and he also thinks he was called Ballantyne. He says that his place was on Factory Place next to the "Rink" which was a billiard hall owned by Tommy Hamilton. Under the Rink was a sewing factory. His recollection is from the 30's and 40's. He says they used to go at the end and get the damaged fruit and vegetables for a penny a bag, bring it home and take off the damaged parts and eat it.

He also remembers Francis Reed the Fishman who used to have a wooden hand cart and would shout "Fresh Herring, Fresh Herring. 3 a penny. If I wasn't so drunk you wouldn't get as many." He thinks Francis Reed was related to the Youngs and the O'Rourkes and used to live in the new housing development (new from the 30's) by the old Park End Road by the Kyles Hill School.

My father himself used to sell ice cream in the summers from a little bicycle cart for Banaldi, who had a shop on Canal Street, which he says was where the golf course is now.

Margaret in NJ

From: Margaret Gemmell
To: threetowners
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001

Yes Hue, Boyds the bleach man sounds familiar. It was funny remembering things like Wullie Howie and his Vegetable Cart. Our usual order was a bag o' tatties, threepence worth o' carrots and a leek. That was made into a big pot o' soup. At Gallaghers in the early fifties groceries were asked for over the counter in amounts .. like four eggs..or three rashers of bacon ..two slices of sausage a pat o' butter. Very different from today, everything is in kgs.

From: "Sandra Glover" <sandglow@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2001

Hi all, I remember a Ballantyne that used to come round Saltcoats top scheme
around the mid 70s but he drove an old bedford. I also remember Davidson who used to come down Barrie Terrace in a old green Bedford, he used to sell the most delicious trifles and cream cookies, he also had a small shop in Glasgow Street which is now a flat.
Regards to all
Sandra