Those Wonderful Men in their Flying Machines

I'm currently reading Natalie Fergie’s 25 Library Terrace which I would recommend to members of our Facebook group, particularly as much of it is set within the neighbouring communities which encompass the geographical sphere of Oxgangs – A Pastime from Time Past. The book’s structure covers census years 1911, 1931, 1951, 2011 and 2022 providing a fascinating insight into the social history of the past century, especially the impact upon women.

One aspect that occurred to me was how effortlessly knowledgeable the author is on 1911 Edinburgh – the death of The Great Lafayette, and throwaway references - the young protagonists, Ann and Finlay told by their guardian to get a local cab (from Morningside Station) - Finlay skiving off school to go to Redford Barracks to see the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race. Really most impressive.

As to the form of cab, would they have aimed to get the horse and Hackney cab or one of the new motorised types.

1911 was a pivotal year as the former were beginning to decline in number, whereas motor cabs were on the increase.

A strong image for me from the 1960s into the 1970s was of Forrest Cabs with their distinctive wee office set above the Morningside railway line, opposite the station.

As to the air race, today few people would be aware of it, but one stage of the race included landing at the new Redford Barracks, established only 3 years beforehand. The race was a 1,010-mile (1,630 km) circuit around Britain with 11 compulsory stops, including Edinburgh. The aviators arrived in Edinburgh on July 25, 1911, after flying from Newcastle before the aviators proceeded to Stirling as the next compulsory stop.

The Strathard Heritage write ‘A number of entrants would abandon the race before the start, for a variety of reasons. One hopeful, named Gilmour was obliged to withdraw because his licence had been suspended by the Royal Aero Club for dangerous flying over the Henley Regatta just two weeks previously. The remaining seventeen aviators started at Brooklands on Saturday 22nd July in the midst of a heatwave. Brooklands was then the centre of aviation. It was here that Harold Barnwell would shortly come to work and meet his death some seven years later. A crowd of several thousand, which included the Maharaja of Gwalior and Prince Henry of Prussia, featured amongst the dignitaries gathered to witness the start. The hot turbulent air made flying hazardous. When Lieutenant Porte of the Royal Navy attempted take off, his wing tilted to vertical and he plunged back to earth wrecking his machine. A relieved cheer rose when Porte walked away unhurt. He was the first of many competitors who in the next days would be forced to withdraw from the competition. By the time the race had reached Redford Barracks at Edinburgh, only three competitors realistically remained in the running. Jules Vedrines and Andre Beaumont were both French: James Valentine was British.’

In those the early days of flight, Andy Arthur writes ‘In early April 2011, the Edinburgh Evening News reported that the Alexander brothers had been secretly testing it on the ground at an undisclosed “sports enclosure” on the outskirts of Edinburgh, towing it there behind their car in the early mornings. Following extensive ground runs they had managed a 20-yard flight in the dusk of Monday April 4th. When interviewed by the reporter of the Daily Record, the brothers informed them that their intention was to overhaul and improve the engine before trying for the sky again. The description of the site, along with a grainy photo of it, identifies it as Myreside, the playing fields of the brothers’ old school, George Watson’s. They were limited to runs of only 150 in the capital by the confines of the grounds, surrounded by high walls.’

Andy goes on to write: ‘The Daily Record reported in April 1910 that an unknown machine, based at Swanston farm to the south of the city, had been flying high over the southern outskirts of the city on more than one night, with people seeing “a flying machine, brilliantly illuminated, which was at a considerable height from the ground“. On the 5th April, the “moving lights of the aeroplane were seen by several people over the Hunter’s Tryst“. Given the progress (or lack of) of the known aviators in the city at this time, and that there are no other corresponding news or magazine reports, it is likely that this was Scotland’s first UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) caused by local hearsay, rumour and excitement.’ 🤣

OXGANGS - A CAPITAL TALE

Toward the end of 2021 OXGANGS – A Capital Tale became available in hardback for the first time, however the font was slightly small. To overcome this the book has now been released in two separate volumes, each with over 300 pages and many illustrations and photographs. Herewith an exclusive extract:

Chapter 203 Running on Empty - Being Ill and the Sights and the Sounds of Oxgangs When we were young we were only occasionally ever ill and off Hunters Tryst Primary School. We never stayed off long, primarily because we were easily bored. There was not much in the way of daytime television. Sometimes to keep myself occupied I might note down the number of Mini cars I could see going up or down Oxgangs Road. I was always fascinated too by the large lorries heading into town travelling down to the Edinburgh Meat Market at Chesser carrying livestock, mainly sheep and occasionally cattle too. Also there were the Bain’s lorries taking meat to outlying butcher shops. When I saw these I exercised my imagination to go off to visit country towns and byways such as Dalkeith and the towns of Border. Sometimes I could hear the Army up at the firing ranges on the Pentlands with the sounds of gunfire echoing throughout our haven in the lea of the hills. And one further piece of interest and excitement that I might see from the sitting room window was the small platoons of soldiers out running improving and maintaining their general fitness as they did a loop from Redford Barracks to Firrhill, downhill passed the stables and Colinton Mains shops and along Colinton Mains Drive before tackling the tough lung-bursting hill section up Oxgangs Road before turning right into and down Redford Road and in sight of home.

An Act of Kindness

A popular picnic was to the Braid Hills-I might struggle to find it today, but there was a very shallow open cave where we would eat our picnic-if the weather turned sour it gave us some shelter too. It served as a good base from which to play. Sometimes we would venture further to the Elfin Pond on the private Mortonhall Golf Course to collect frogs.

On one occasion a group of us were setting out for a picnic-all that Iain and I had was a bottle of water each which I'd stored in my small brown haversack. All the others had sandwiches and perhaps a few sweets. I don't know how, but Hilda Hanlon somehow must have noticed this-she leaned out her window and threw down a tanner-three-pence each-and told us to get something at Jimmy's Green Van which was parked outside the stair.

 I bought us two packets of Golden Wonder crisps.

'An Act of Kindness' (Peter Hoffmann, 2008)

Or, was it Smiths?

Great blog Peter evokes many memories I especially remember the mini Olympics you used to organise and we would run between the lamposts and you would time us happy days
Ruth Blades

Great to hear from you Ruth-thanks for the prompt-definitely a future blog item! For years I had a wee notebook with all the times as well as triple jump on the small grass area across the road.Later on we held a couple of mini-Olympics at the army track at Redford Baracks-second one not completed because we got chased off by the soldiers! Peter Hoffmann

Great to hear from you Ruth-thanks for the prompt-definitely a future blog item! For years I had a wee notebook with all the times as well as triple jump on the small grass area across the road.Later on we held a couple of mini-Olympics at the army track at Redford Baracks-second one not completed because we got chased off by the soldiers! Peter Hoffmann