Byres Road in Kilwinning probably got its name from bere, a form of rough barley grown in the past. In the 19th century the small community of the Byres at the western end of Kilwinning town centre became a weaving village with long low cottages along its length. In the Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland of 1854, the Rev. John Marius …
Local People and the Whitley Bomber Crash at Saltcoats
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed into the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. Many people in the Saltcoats area knew about the Whitley Bomber crashing into Saltcoats harbour on the night of 1st/2nd May 1943. A large crowd of people witnessed …
Our Singer Sewing Machine
Historic Environment Scotland recently put up a fascinating blog post on the history of Singer sewing machines, which you can read HERE, and it got us thinking about our own Singer sewing machine which is on permanent display at our Heritage Centre in Saltcoats. Donated in late 2021, this machine had belonged to the donators grandmother in 1919 and had …
Passing of Gordon McQueen (1952 – 2023)
We are saddened to hear of the death of legendary Scottish footballer Gordon McQueen, who was born in Kilbirnie in 1952. Gordon enjoyed successful spells with Leeds Utd and Manchester Utd. McQueen made 140 appearances for Leeds before, in February 1978, Gordon moved to Manchester Utd, fierce rivals of Leeds Utd, for £495,000. McQueen had made 140 appearances for Leeds …
Dr John Campbell Has Been Added To The ‘Stories’ Section
Dr John Campbell (1791-1873) was a doctor and surgeon who served the people of Largs for 61 years. Born in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, he attended the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh before moving to Largs. Following Dr John Campbell’s death, the people of Largs raised money by subscription to build a water fountain in his memory. By September 1874 they …
David Shedden
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed in the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. David Shedden, Saltcoats fisherman, rescuer and World War 1 soldier David Shedden was a fisherman working out of Saltcoats harbour. After Whitley Z9362 spun out of control and …
John Clifford North-Lewis
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed into the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. Flying Officer John Clifford North-Lewis (Service Number 109536, Pilot, aged 29) Flying Officer North-Lewis was the pilot of Whitley Z9362. He was educated at Harrow School and Worcester …
Ernest Jack Beer
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed into the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. Sergeant Ernest Jack Beer (Service Number 1600187, Wireless Operator, aged 29) Sergeant Beer was a pipe and gas fitter when the 1939 Register of every civilian in Great …
Donald Ernest Watts
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed into the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. Sergeant Donald Ernest Watts (Service No 1250352, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, aged 21) To date, very little information and no photographs have been identified for Sergeant Watts. Efforts to …
Edward Harold George Dyer
This post is one in a series of posts on the crash of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Z9362, which crashed into the sea 2-miles from Saltcoats Harbour on the 2nd of May, 1943. The portrait photograph of Sergeant Edward Dyer in uniform shown above was provided by Vera and Jim Duncan. Sergeant Edward Harold George Dyer (Service Number 1606353, Air …