The Morrells lived in No 1. Mr Morrell was
the ''ambulance man'' for the factory, I suppose he would be called senior
nurse nowadays. The Morrells had two children, son George and a daughter. I
cannot recall her name but George was my best friend in my early years. The
family moved to Glasgow, Mr Morrell taking up some other job. I think this
was just after I started primary school at Ardeer Public School. The school
catered for primary aged children living on the Ardeer side of the main
Ardrossan to Glasgow railway line. I have been told by Jackie Eaglesham that
a family called Fraser lived next to the Norwoods. It is possible that they
were in No 1 before the Morrells. As I have already explained the house
numbers might seem a bit odd but it is the only numbering system that seems
possible when I take into account our house number before and after the
alterations, ie. No19 and No13 respectively.
Behind the four terraced houses was the first back row block which was
occupied by four families, two families upstairs and two families
downstairs. This block had house numbers, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The next three
blocks each housed four families. The last block in the back row was a bit
larger than half the first block and had a gable wall opposite our outside
stair. I should add that the first back row block was nearest the factory.
The sketch ''Before alterations'' will be of some help. The families
in the first block were the Turners who were upstairs in No 5. In
addition to Willie, son of George and Fanny Turner, there was daughter May
the eldest and another two sons Peter and George. Peter became the Post
Master in Bo'ness. Willie Turner became a glassblower in Research
Department of Ardeer Factory and in my time in Ardeer was in charge of the
glassblowing department. In No 7 were the Fergusons and downstairs in No 6 the
Andersons and in No 8 the Hughes. Mr Turner, Mr Ferguson and Mr Anderson
were policemen and Mr Hughes (known as Trick Hughes) a fireman.
There were four sons and two daughters in the Ferguson family, Willie,
Dougie, Ann, Jake, Alex and Nettie. Dougie was a blacksmith in the factory
and was a foreman in my time. Jackie worked in Blasting Department as a
senior operator in the mixing and cartridging sections and was there when I
was a plant engineer in the same department. In fact Jake was one of the
first group of Nobel's supervisors to go to Kafironda Explosives' Factory in
Zambia and was directly involved in commissioning, production and training.
I was another secondee from Nobel's to Kafironda but that is outwith this
''history''. Mr and Mrs Anderson had two of a family a daughter Peggy and a
son. My reliable source, Jackie Eaglesham, cannot remember his name but
informs me that his nickname was 'Fiddle' and that sadly he was killed
during the war while serving in the army. My recollection of Mr Hughes was
of a man near retirement age with a wee dog, a smooth haired terrier, who
went for ''long'' walks to the sandhills (an area where Blackpowder
manufacture was to be located ).
I cannot remember a Hughes' family as such
but do recall, after having my memory jolted by Jackie, that two grandsons
Sam and Ian came back from Canada to live in No 8. The next block with house
numbers 9, 10, 11 and 12 was substantially larger than the preceding one or
the following two, each house having two bedrooms and I think inside
toilets. The Dawsons occupied No 9, an upstairs flat nearest the first
block. Mr Dawson was a policeman. The family comprised his wife, a daughter,
Jenny, and a son, Lancelot. Jenny, who was a very close friend of my mother,
worked all her days in one or other of T.C. Banks grocer's shops in
Stevenston, one at Stevenston Cross the other on New Street opposite
Moorpark Road West. Lancelot joined the police force and became an Inspector
in the Ayrshire Constabulary. I cannot recall the name of the family who
lived downstairs in No 10 at this time. Mr and Mrs Porter lived in No 11,
there was no family and Mr Porter was in the police.
The Tolmeys occupied No 12. Again another
policeman as head of the house and as well as his wife there were three sons
and a daughter, Ian , Allan, Jenny and Norman. Allan and Ian were
electricians in the factory and Norman a joiner. Norman was called up during
the war and served in the Scots Guards. The house numbers for the third
block were, upstairs 13 and 15, downstairs 14 and 16. Mr Urquhart, a factory
joiner, his wife, five daughters and two sons, Mary, Rita, Peggy, Bella,
Jackie, Jimmy and Betty lived in No 13. Both sons were employed in the
factory, Jackie became a foreman in Blasting Department and Jimmy a joiner
mainly in the explosive area. Jimmy who was highly regarded as a very
skilled tradesman in the explosive industry was another secondee to
Kafironda and was in such demand that when his secondment was over he was
persuaded to go to A.E.&C.I. in South Africa from where he retired before
returning to this area.
I am at a loss as to who was downstairs in
No 14 but do think that the Stevenson family were occupants prior to the
housing alterations. Mr Stevenson was a fireman and as regards the family I
will go into more detail when I write on the ''upgraded'' Villas. Mr and Mrs
Blair stayed in No15. I cannot remember them with a family but that is not
to say that an older family did not exist. Mr Blair was a factory fireman.
No 16 had the Paiges, I have no idea what Mr Paige did in the factory but do
know that they had two sons Ronnie and Jim and a daughter Madge. In ''our''
block the Barracloughs were in No17, the Farquharsons in No 18, ourselves in
No19 and the McMahons in No20. My father and Mr Farquharson were policemen
but as to what occupation Mr Barraclough had I am at a loss.
The Barracloughs had a son and possibly
other family but why the memory of the son, Steve I think sticks, was his
preoccupation with wireless ( radio ) and always seeming to be in the large
shed in their garden working on something ''electrical''. I have the
distinct impression that Willie Boyd , who stayed in No22 with his family ,
was a friend of Steve and was also a wireless enthusiast. Below in No 18
lived Mr and Mrs Farquharson with two daughters, Mae and ?, and a son
Andrew. The daughters were old enough to be friendly with my mother and
indeed did visit us a good number of times after they were married and had
moved to England. Andrew joined the army prior to the outbreak of war and
visited us on many occasions too ; tragically he was killed during the early
days of the war in or near Edinburgh . He was an army dispatchrider and was
fatally injured in a motorcycle accident. More
Bill Cunningham ~ Ayrshire, Scotland.
