Interviews of Ann McKillop

In this interview, Ann McKillop talks about her family and life in Musselburgh and especially about her aunt, Margaret Mitchell Gordon, who was born in 1920 and worked at Stuart's net mill from when she left school at 14, until her retirement. Ann recalled that Margaret, who was the fourth of eight children, came to live with her family when Ann was around 4 years old. The imperative to contribute to the family finances meant that Margaret and her siblings had to chose work over any personal aspirations and Ann recalled that Margaret would have liked to have gone in to teaching. Instead, she worked at Stuart's and devoted free time to running the Sunday Shool and working with the Brownies, Guides and Trefoil.

At Stuart's, Margaret always worked in the Finishing department, training there and then running the department. Ann's mother also worked at the net mill for a while and Ann could remember tea-table conversations about knots etc. and especially around the complex construction of the purse-seam net which Stuart's were instrumental in developing. Ann recalled that Stuart's were such a huge employer, perhaps up to 1,000 workers at one time, that the Pinkie Road would be overrun with bicycles when the hooter went at the end of the day and the workers left to go home. Ann's mum went into service in Edinburgh with Dr Marwick and his wife and she recalled that the family would go to Holy Island in the summer and Ann's mum went along to work and also took her sisters along for a holiday.

Later in the interview, Ann talks more about her aunt and her working life at Stuart's. Fishermen often came to see Margaret to discuss specifications for their nets and they could come from quite far afield. Ann especially recalled that a turkey would be delivered every Christmas as a gift from the north-east. Ann also talks about health and safety within the department and the very low turnover of staff there. Towards the end of the interview, Ann talks about her aunt's busy retirement, the opportunities afforded to her other aunt, as the youngest in the family, and Ann's own career and retirement.