Interviews of John Carruth aged 91

Interview with John Carruth (b. 1922) who was 91 at the time the interview was recorded. John recalls the Stranraer of his childhood and gives detailed information about shops and businesses within the town, including: grocers, lawyers and banks, drapers and haberdashery shops, ironmongers, paper shops, agricultural suppliers, blacksmiths and dairies. John describes the extent of Stranraer at that time, recalling that Lady's Walk was at that time a path which connected the mansion house to the bathing boxes on the shore. He remembers the first council houses being built, around the late 1920s and recalls that most of the large workforce for Hannay's Oatmeal Mill lived close by in Sheuchan Street and Agnew Terrace.

John recalls his schooldays at Sheuchen, the Wigtownshire Creamery, milk deliveries and the farmer shareholder owned Ivy Leaf Cafe. He also recalls the fishing industry at that time and details about goods coming into Stranraer from Glasgow and further afield. He tells and anecdote relating to a snowstorm in 1947 which left a train full of people stranded outside Glenwhilly station.

For the Victoria Holiday, held on the 4th Wednesday in May, the Earl of Stair opened up his estate for the mothers and children. They went to Lochinch and were given a token to take the train to Castle Kennedy station where they could visit the stalls and ice-cream carts and take part in races and other events. Towards the end of the interview, John talks about the slum housing in Stranraer, which included Rankin's Close which was known locally as Pritty Mill Close.