Identifier | EERC/EL/EL11/12 |
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Interviewer | Macdonald, Janis |
Dates | interview: 2019-05-22 coverage: 20th century |
Extent | 1 digital audio file(s), 1 digital photograph(s) |
Subject | Childhood, Education, Social Systems, Community Life, Industry, Housing, Domestic Life, Fishing, Play, Travel and Holidays, Recreation, Musselburgh, Ormiston, Cockenzie, Port Seton, Edinburgh, Levenhall, East Lothian |
Interview summary | In this interview, Bill Wilson (b. 1953) talks about his childhood and working life, and about his love of local history. Bill was born in Edenhall hospital in Musselburgh, the middle of three sons. He relates anecdotes about both his maternal (Levenhall) grandparents and his paternal (Port Seton) grandparents. He recalls that his dad's father worked for Wiles buses and would often be driving miners to different pits in the area. Bill's mother, as the only daughter and with 4 brothers, had the main responsibility of caring for both her parents and grandmother. Bill's father was a fisherman and Bill recalls what a very hard life this was, although, he reflects, this was when the fishing was having at its height and at least the wages were very good. Although Bill always knew the fishing wasn't for him, he recalls with great affection going to the harbour at Port Seton, playing among the nets and getting treats from the fishermen, the wonderful fresh lemon sole his father would bring home for them and the women fish gutters on the bus, covered in fish scales. Bill recalls many memories from his childhood, often relating to school and home life, such as helping his mother with the washing. He also talks about his favourite TV programmes from his childhood, and his time in the air cadets (297 detached flight at Longniddry). He especially recalls family holidays after his father got a car, when they would drive to mainland Europe every summer, his mother handling all the navigation using the AA road map of Europe. He also speaks briefly about the building of houses for the Cockenzie power station workers at South Seton Park and the subsequent demolition of the Cockenzie power station. Bill also talks in detail about his career which began as an apprentice joiner with Seton decorators and joiners and included 18 years with Brunton's Wire Mill in Musselburgh. Bill hadn't fared well, academically, at school but he returned to education and, with the support of his partner Veronica, graduated from Queen Margaret College with an honours degree in Information Management. After a spell at Ormiston library, he became the Local History Officer at the John Gray Centre in 2012 which, at the time of the interview, he describes as his one and only favourite job and one which he has found so rewarding. At the end of the interview, he talks a little about the excitement of the Cockenzie and Port Seton gala days when he was a boy. |
Access | Open |
Usage Statement | We give permission for the re-use of our collections material for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International Licence. |
Audio links and images | |
Transcript |