After 56 Years
Success!!
I think I have only met one ex-pupil who was in the same class as me at Dr Bells in all the years since 1946 when we left to go our ways. He was Tommy Dick whom I came across in 1966. He was working at the Distiller Co. Ltd at South Queensferry where I was installing overhead heaters in a new Cooperage. We have never seen each other since.
Since beginning Leith Memories, I have always held out the hope that I might be able to contact, or else be contacted by, some other school contemporaries of mine. Certainly it has worked for others like yourselves. However you can always live in hope.
Then Betty and Martin O`Connor came on line from New Zealand. Betty suggested that her cousin Eddie McEvoy, still living in Leith, was the same age as me and that he had attended Dr Bells. Yes, indeed, I recalled Eddie well.
Since then Eddie and I have been in contact by phone on two occasions. We have now arranged to meet in Leith on Wednesday 24 July at the old Mariners Bar on the corner of Henderson Street and Great Junction Street.
As we were finishing the last call with this promise, I flippantly asked how we would recognise each other. During our conversation I had in my minds eye a figure of a boy aged 12 years and similarly he had of me. We both laughed at this. Anyhow we told each other what we would be wearing.
Watch this space!.
Wednesday, 24th July 2002
Despite the volume of traffic as I approached the Maybury, Corstorphine, I arrived on time for this eagerly awaited meeting with Eddie. I parked my car in Yardheads and made my way to the pub, the Mariner then Whitsons and now known as Wilkies..
Before entering I took a picture of it that I now include on the page.
Wilkies, at the corner of Great Junction Street and Henderson Street
I entered the bar with a certain amount of trepidation: Would I know him after all these years? Would he recognise me? As I pushed the door open I caught sight of him as he sat facing the entrance. We hugged each other and then sat down with a couple of pints before us on the table.
We each in turn briefly recapped our lives in the intervening years and then got down to the serious stuff. The memories flowed almost uninterupted from each of our mouths as we recalled our schooldays. It was amazing how it all came back.
Eddie McEvoy and John Stewart (Eddie apologises for the serious look on his face)
Eddie then invited me to stay overnight with him and his wife Ellen so that we could continue to enjoy our drinks without the need for me to drive home. I at first politely declined this offer saying I would only be taking the one beer. Eddie insisted and I happily took up the invite although I felt it was putting them out. I was reassured that this was not the case. Anyhow, we drove the car to his home before walking down to the Seafield Bowling Club on the Links to continue our reminiscing.
Eddie and John outside the old school
A bowling match was taking place and after the games the participants joined us in the clubhouse. Before we knew it, the time had flown past so quickly that.we found ourselves still sitting as the others left.
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I think we really enjoyed ourselves. Anyhow, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Eddie and Ellen for their kind hospitality. I left them insisting that they get a PC and and to get on the Net. So much is out there that they are missing.
