Day 50
Winter of 1947
(A
nd Other Winter Memories)
By Frank Ferri and from the Spirit of Leithers
Halfway through our 100 days of Leith and as the weather remains wintry, we look back at previous cold snaps experienced by Leithers, in particular the Winter of 1947 recalled in these excerpts from a piece by Frank Ferri.
At the tender age of 12, I well remember one of the coldest Februaries on record, with some places in the country recording temperatures of -20 C, intricate patterns of frost forming on our widows, your breadth turning to steam and that was in the house, icicles a couple of feet long dangled dangerously from roofs of buildings and external water pipes.
I remember seeing these Clydesdale horses pulling these heavy loads (These poor beasts were used extensively to transport goods all over the city until the late 50s/60s).. they struggled with their load and in some instances inhumanely goaded by their driver, their nostrils flaring and belching steam, as they tried to keep their feet slipping on the slightest of gradients on the hard frozen compacted snow, the driver cracking his whip in aggressive encouragement.
Because of the fuel shortage, I used to wander all over the place for my mother, trying to get some form of fuel to burn such heavy duty cardboard or fruit crates from the Fruiters, grocers or wood from local sawmill and the cooperage in Ballantyne Road Leith, anything that was combustible.
It was a thought to get out of bed in the morning, and even worse, to think about having a wash with cold water at the only sink in the house in the living room… ([There were] no kitchens or bathrooms in these days of tenement living) having to hold your cold clothes above the open flame of the gas stove to take the chill from them before putting them on.
To the kids of the 21st century, in centrally heated houses, playing with your Wii’s, iPods, mobile phones and computers, have a thought of the amusements available to forefathers of the 20th century as THEY struggled to read their weekly pleasure, the Beano or Dandy comic, in the dim light of a gas mantle that was lucky to emit light in your living room further than six feet, in front of a lit fireplace if they could have one. No electric lighting in many homes in those days, we had gas light up until about 1948, even then we could only afford to have it installed in the living room, nowhere else, even the toilet was in total darkness.
-An Excerpt from Winter of 1947 by Frank Ferri
“The year of my birth in December [1947] and my mum said she couldn’t take me out in the pram for weeks on end”
“It was a cold winter! I can remember the cart horses would slip and fall on the metal surface of the drawbridge in Bridge Street. The poor things couldn’t get any footing at all and it was further complicated by the two wooden shafts on either side of the poor horses which were attached to the front wheels of the cart. P.S. The army greatcoats were a part of our lives too! Memories which our grand(and great-grand)children hopefully will never experience.”
“I remember my mother telling me about it. They’d moved from Dickson Street to Hawkhill Avenue in 1941 and had the benefit of electric lighting, but possibly rued the fact my granda had given up his coal round to work in Robb’s when war broke out!”
Very last of the snow, me holding my wee brother’s hand, in James Place, lots of long icy slides made by the boys at school, chapped knees, and lugs, breath smoking when you got up, ice on windows, mum queueing for rations, in the snow. Don’t remember being kept off school , walked up the Links every day to Easter Road to get the bus to Moray House School, ploutering through the snow, topping your welly boots!
- Christine Muir
“I was born in 12 Admiralty street in 1947 I gather it was pretty grim and a struggle to get coal and lots more essentials.”
“I have memories of rolling a big snowball in Admiralty Street. I’d have been 6 in 1947.”
