The Washhouse, the Garden the shed, the Coalhouse’s, the drying green, the toilets, were all in the back yard of tenement building 158 Glasgow Street Ardrossan. The building was entered from Glasgow Street, through a passageway or what we called {the close}.

On either side of the close, were two doors exactly opposite. This was the entrance to the down stairs houses, as we called them. Today they would be Flats or apartments, or something fancy.

These doors being opposite were a perfect set up, for ten or eleven year olds playing Thunder and Lightening. This game consisted of tying the two door handles together, but with enough slack, too allow the door to be opened about six inches then stopped by the rope, giving the impression, that the door is being held by someone in the Close. We would then bang the door like Thunder, watch the result for a while, and then when it got a bit dangerous, {the rope was coming off} We would run like Lightening.

Continuing all the way through the Close, we come to an outside stairway, leading to the second floor, and two more houses. From there a wooden stairway led up to the attics, {two smaller flats}.

All of these families shared two outside toilets, one downstairs under the stairway the other at the top of the outside stairway. At one time this amounted to twenty-six people, but that’s another story, back to the Pigeons.

The loft was finished. It wasn’t very big maybe, four feet by five feet and about four feet high. With our saved up pocket money, and money we had acquired by returning empty soft drink bottles. My brother Ian and I had bought a pair of Pigeons, and introduced them to there new home.

Now it was decision time. The Gang had gathered to check out the pigeons, and place their orders. This was big business; Ian and I were going to get rich by breading and selling the young pigeons.

As we all sat around an upturned Tea chest, which someone had managed to pinch from behind Lipton’s Store? A problem arose, how do you get Pigeons to come back, when they have been let out for a fly around

This caused a lot of discussion, which boiled down to two opinions. My brother Ian said, that we should keep the birds in for a few days, then when they are let out, they will come back, because by this time they have forgotten there old home?

This imprisonment did not seem fair. My opinion, was to give the birds a good feed and let them out as soon as possible, like now.! Well being the leader of the gang, I won the day and we let the Pigeons out, they flew away and never came back.

Told you said Ian and a few other gang members. My leadership was being seriously challenged. I had to find the Pigeons.

Another meeting took place around the tea chest, and it was decided by all present that the birds would now be living with the other Pigeons that lived on top of the Academy school roof, so of we went to the Academy, which was a little over a mile away.

This School was a big red brick building, three stories high, the only way on to the roof was straight up the drain pipe, the outside of it of course.

In those far of days drainpipes were made of cast Iron and properly fixed to the wall so they were quite secure, but a long way up. We asked for volunteers and go none so we drew the shortest stick. We had seen them do this in the movies. My brother Ian and Joe Dodds got the job of climbing the drainpipe and catching the Pigeons. It never occurred to us at the time how Ian and Joe were going to recognize our birds, or how they were going to get them off the roof when climbing back down the drainpipe. When you’re ten or eleven years old, I don’t suppose your forward planning skills are very well developed.

We knew we were not supposed to be in the school grounds when the school was closed, so we were taking a big risk, of getting into serious trouble as we were not only on the school grounds we were also on the roof.

Lookouts were posted around the school, all seemed to be going to plan, although we had no idea what was happening on the roof.

All of a sudden one of the lookouts started running calling out, The COPS, The COPS. So we are off, all together, across the School playing field, except for the two that are still on the roof.

In Scotland at that time you had to be six foot or over to join the Police force, they then stuck a great round helmet on their head, which had the effect of the Policeman moving from very big category to monster.

It’s terrifying the sound of two pair of size 12 boots pounding the earth and a couple of big red faces roaring Stop. No way your going to stop, your to scared to stop, But stop we did. This was bad, normally we could outrun the Cops, but they had us this time. Again it was the lack of forward planning. We had no escape.

The Galloway Burn run through the school grounds at the bottom of the playing field. Our chosen escape route. Normally no problem, but it had been raining for several days and the burn was in full spate with no way across. We were nicked. Including the two boys on the roof. Who came back down the drainpipe? When they saw we were all {apprehended} and gave themselves up

We were accused of trying to break into the school, but after a while the Police half believed our story about the Pigeons. They figured it was so stupid it could not be a lie, so we were herded together and marched home.

Although the people who lived in the tenement buildings did not have much they were very proud. Anything facing the main street like windows, front door steps, If you had one, had to be clean and looked after.

Anything to do with the Law was a social disgrace, and brought about severe punishment from the Parents. This was seen as letting the family down.

Being marched home, down the main street in town, was the worst crime of all. This situation would bring forth angry comments from my Mother like. I can never hold my head up in this town again, I’m black affronted {whatever that meant}. All serious stuff.

When the house door was opened to the Policeman’s knock. Mother would answer the question {do these two belong to you?} Not with a yes or no, but with a belt across the ear for both of us.

This would be followed by what have they done now. Get into that bedroom it’s bread and water for you two for the rest of the week. Just wait till your father gets in then you’re for it.

But mother we were only looking for our Pigeons. Never mind the Pigeons you two will be the death of me, what must the neighbours think with two big policemen bringing you home all the time, but we didn’t do anything, we would wail. Shut up get in that bedroom you’ve disgraced the family

Next day it’s nearly forgotten, but we are still locked up. Dad had come in to belt us, but instead gave us a short lecture on right and wrong. It was short because he could hardly keep from laughing. His last comment was. Did you really climb up a drainpipe on to that high roof? He then left the bedroom mumbling something, but we never found out what. Later that day the man we had bought the Pigeons from, turns up at our door with our two Pigeons in a cardboard box.

These came back to me yesterday; you have to keep them in for about a week before you let them out. Otherwise they’ll fly away.

I told you! I was right all the time! You know nothing about Pigeons?
OK Ian, OK OK, you win.