As a child of the 70's.....

[@Lee]

15 minutes ago, toot said:

We had Cap Guns, and plastic BB guns. we used to collect lemonade bottles and the caps of bottles and get a refund and buy the guns.

Even collect bottles that were floating in Macduff harbour and get the deposit.  Sangs or Hays lemonade.

 

The best were Spud Guns as far as i was concerned though, and there was plenty of amo as every house had potatoes.

I think I was fourteen when I got a Gat gun. .177 I think they were. Bought at a fishing tackle shop and no real check on my age.
A year later I got hold of a Webly Vulcan air rifle. .22

[Warrior193]

30 minutes ago, SteveTheElder said:

 

I remember visiting the beautiful coastline in the MacDuff area back in the mid 70's, my first trip to Scotland. Absolutely loved it - especially staying with an old boat builder fisherman in Gardenstown. Going out in his design/build clinker built boat to pull the lobster pots was an amazing day! We ate well that evening 😊

Lobster, along with Whitebait fritters, Oysters (fresh or tempura deep-fried) and Paua (NZ black Abalone) are at the top of my seafood list.

[Ootohere]

@SteveTheElderBefore we moved away we stayed in a new house my dad built at the side of the Gamrie Road, (Gardenstown) at Silverhillocks. The first houses when you tuned down to Gardenstown from the road to Fraserburgh.

(He worked in the boat yard after leaving school but as an engineer fitting boilers etc, which is how he because the Laundry Boilerman and then the Manager of the Banff, Macduff & District Laundry.  I got out in the Lorries to the shops that were the agents for collecting the laundry so to Gardenstown etc, or in my Uncles lorries delivering nets, ice and collecting chicken ****.  Different lorries.

 

My grandad & my dad with his brothers delivered the coal to Gardenstown. Pennan & Crovie.

The Horses were kept at the top of the brae with the carts and 2 horses behind 1 in front to hold it back going down. The coal came from the railway line in my Grandads lorries but the coal went down to the villages in the carts, and the fish or nets, boxes etc were pulled back up with the 3 horses.

My Aunty Polly's (Well my Dads Aunty) was half way down.  The brothers were refreshed there, they carried the coal from the road along to the houses.

 

You really want to look at the 2 Facebook pages for Macduff, & the rebuilding of Tarlair swimming pool.

We bought our toy guns at the newsagents across from the fish market.

 

We bought our air rifles and pellets later by stripping lead out of the middle of ropes found on the beach & the scrappy swapped for air rifles when we had enough, sometimes were were stripping lead for weeks.

We made explosions from gun powder out of bullets & shells left over from the war from when Norwegian Commandos trained on the cliffs along from Gamrie and were staying at Duff House in Banff. 

 

We had sledges built at the boat yard or my Uncles undertakers / joinery with runners from the Engineering works. 'Dauntless Engineering'.

We used greeny poles when sledging in Macduff as the Norwegians taught to.  They skied in Macduff and also taught the Home Guard & Cadets to ski with a long pole.

That was how i was taught to ski.  We all sledged using a pole dragged behind to steer.  I have posted about that on Facebook for Macduff and on here about that,

Edited 16 September, 2023 by toot

[SteveTheElder]

1 hour ago, toot said:

@SteveTheElderBefore we moved away we stayed in a new house my dad built at the side of the Gamrie Road, (Gardenstown) at Silverhillocks. The first houses when you tuned down to Gardenstown from the road to Fraserburgh.

(He worked in the boat yard after leaving school but as an engineer fitting boilers etc, which is how he because the Laundry Boilerman and then the Manager of the Banff, Macduff & District Laundry.  I got out in the Lorries to the shops that were the agents for collecting the laundry so to Gardenstown etc, or in my Uncles lorries delivering nets, ice and collecting chicken ****.  Different lorries.

 

My grandad & my dad with his brothers delivered the coal to Gardenstown. Pennan & Crovie.

The Horses were kept at the top of the brae with the carts and 2 horses behind 1 in front to hold it back going down. The coal came from the railway line in my Grandads lorries but the coal went down to the villages in the carts, and the fish or nets, boxes etc were pulled back up with the 3 horses.

My Aunty Polly's (Well my Dads Aunty) was half way down.  The brothers were refreshed there, they carried the coal from the road along to the houses.

 

You really want to look at the 2 Facebook pages for Macduff, & the rebuilding of Tarlair swimming pool.

We bought our toy guns at the newsagents across from the fish market.

 

We bought our air rifles and pellets later by stripping lead out of the middle of ropes found on the beach & the scrappy swapped for air rifles when we had enough, sometimes were were stripping lead for weeks.

We made explosions from gun powder out of bullets & shells left over from the war from when Norwegian Commandos trained on the cliffs along from Gamrie and were staying at Duff House in Banff. 

 

We had sledges built at the boat yard or my Uncles undertakers / joinery with runners from the Engineering works. 'Dauntless Engineering'.

We used greeny poles when sledging in Macduff as the Norwegians taught to.  They skied in Macduff and also taught the Home Guard & Cadets to ski with a long pole.

That was how i was taught to ski.  We all sledged using a pole dragged behind to steer.  I have posted about that on Facebook for Macduff and on here about that,

 

That's awesome, thanks for sharing that. The brae down to the harbour very steep so not surprised they used three horses for the coal - and I guess a truck small enough for the narrow roads would never have been powerful enough to get back up. I must head over to the FB pages, thanks.

 

The folk we stayed with were in Harbour Street, backing on to Harbour Lane. Two of his sons were trawler owners, the third worked with him as a joiner, boat builder and fisherman - only did the joinery jobs if the weather was too bad to go out fishing! My dad bought a car from him so at the age of 18 I had the joy of driving his Volvo 145 back to north Wales through the highlands (Huntly, Braemar, Glenshee, Blairgowrie, ...).

 

I want to head back there now!

[Ootohere]

@SteveTheElderWas that the Reid family by any chance? One of my cousins married into them.  http://buddingrose.co.uk/family.htm

 

As to Braemar another cousin married a gardener from their that worked at Braemar castle. 

My dad was the youngest survivor of 13 children.  I have or had a lot of cousins.

The family name is Walker. (Not fishers, carters & hauilers),  So not a Watt,s, West,s, Wiseman,s, S****ie,s, Mitchell,s or many of the others that needed nets & ice delivered.

 

 

Even if not we were all pretty much related back then, and if not we are by now though lots of 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins and now great grand children.

 

In Macduff we had a school which was experimatal.

Macduff Transition School and for Primary 7 all children from as far as Portsoy or past Gardenstown all went to the same school so that we got to know each other before going to Secondary school @ Banff Academy.

We were filmed in my class for the Sex Education Programme Living & Growing and pretty much messed about for 1 year learning not much.

Then at Banff Academy we chose what you wanted to work at. so the Choices were Navigation, Technical or Commerce.

That was for going to Sea, or working on the land, support industries or working in businesses and maybe going to UNI etc.

Navigation built a sailing dingy, we built a go-kart in technical, we did science, maths, english etc, but not so much as techy drawing, woodwork and metal work. and in commerce you did normal classes.

We had the most modern library, sound and vision, and lots of stuff years before other schools in Scotland or the UK.

As to English, well we were taught to spell as we spoke which was a bit much for when i went to Carnoustie High School who thought they were something special but were really not and years behind Banff Academy.

Edited 16 September, 2023 by toot

[SteveTheElder]

34 minutes ago, toot said:

Was that the Reid family by any chance? One of my cousins married into them. 

Alas not; they were Hepburn IIRC. I just knew them as Jonny and John

[P-J]

4 hours ago, @Lee said:

I think I was fourteen when I got a Gat gun. .177 I think they were. Bought at a fishing tackle shop and no real check on my age.
A year later I got hold of a Webly Vulcan air rifle. .22

 

Yes, same here. I had two Gat air pistols and then moved up to a BSA Meteor .22 air rifle - all bought from the local sports shop with no bother.

I spent hours shooting tin cans on the old railway lines.

 

[Ootohere]

@SteveTheElder

One of my cousins married Bill Hepburn who was a relative.  lol.

He worked at the Macduff Boat Building Yard, Banff end of the harbour, my dad was at the other end where the boats were fitted out or repaired.

He was my dads pal.

 

The Gat Guns we got from the scrappy were ones from the carnival that were used to fire a cork because the darts were used to shoot people obviously.

 

..........

Just imagine if these become viral and this winters big thing at primary schools, 

like Clackers did back in the day. (Offensive Weapons)

 

Bill & Jean Hepburn & my Mum and dad.

& my Gran & Grandad with the Family 1953, you can tell which ones are Walkers by their ears or maybe the glasses. 

Edited 16 September, 2023 by toot

[SteveTheElder]

1 hour ago, toot said:

@SteveTheElder

One of my cousins married Bill Hepburn who was a relative.  lol.

He worked at the Macduff Boat Building Yard, Banff end of the harbour, my dad was at the other end where the boats were fitted out or repaired.

He was my dads pal.

 

The Gat Guns we got from the scrappy were ones from the carnival that were used to fire a cork because the darts were used to shoot people obviously.

 

..........

Just imagine if these become viral and this winters big thing at primary schools, 

like Clackers did back in the day. (Offensive Weapons)

 

Bill & Jean Hepburn & my Mum and dad.

& my Gran & Grandad with the Family 1953, you can tell which ones are Walkers by their ears or maybe the glasses. 

Love it.

 

Small world eh!

[Aspman]

Oh god I remember Gat guns, not sure if I had one or not. I had a spud gun and would sit and shoot at the cars as they passed. You'd probably get a full tactical team on you now for that.
Spirograph was great loved it.

Lots of the old toys are still around but the quality isn't the same. #2 has lots of fuzzy felt and a number of the old FisherPrice toys like the telephone on wheels, and a learning clock, and the wind up record player. She still gets lots of fun from them.

 

[J.R.]

Using a Spirograph today would result in a Swat team deployment with social workers behind them, the children being put into care and the parents imprisoned for child abuse 🤣

[@Lee]

3 hours ago, Aspman said:

Oh god I remember Gat guns, not sure if I had one or not. I had a spud gun and would sit and shoot at the cars as they passed. You'd probably get a full tactical team on you now for that.

 

You'd remember if you did. A small thumbscrew to open the chambe to load a pellet or a dart and pushing the barrel into a hard surface to c ock it's elastic potential energy. No air involved. No safety catch either if memory serves.

 

Scunthorpe effect.

Edited 16 September, 2023 by @Lee

[lol-lol]

Anybody mentioned cap rockets ??? 

Tear a explosive dot or three from explosive dots strip, insert dots in the percussion chamber of the little rockets, they were about a couple of inches long, and then lob it some people you saw chatting away and get quite a bang and watch the people poo themselves.  Getting the rocket back could be tricky, and to do it quick before they composed themselves. 

Edited 17 September, 2023 by lol-lol

[J.R.]

I was feeling hard done by as I could not recall those but seeing the picture I did have them or maybe access to one, I expect it was confiscated by either mine or my friends parents quite quickly or by a victim bigger than me.

 

I never had access to darts for my gat gun or air pistol, they did not exist on my small planet, perhaps the shopkeepers agreed not to sell them, despite not knowing they existed I tried very hard to make my own ones but could not get the bore seal close enough.

 

I reckon I created the nut & bolt bombs after my cap rockets were confiscated and had forgotten about them as kids do when they move on.

[skomaz]

We had a lad at school almost lose an eye to a nut an bolt bomb.  He'd made it and lobbed it against a wall when one of the bolts came back at him and got him in the eye.

 

Other than that I think I remember all of the above but was never allowed an air pistol or gun, so had to resort to using my mates ones.

[Warrior193]

4 hours ago, lol-lol said:

Anybody mentioned cap rockets ??? 

Tear a explosive dot or three from explosive dots strip, insert dots in the percussion chamber of the little rockets, they were about a couple of inches long, and then lob it some people you saw chatting away and get quite a bang and watch the people poo themselves.  Getting the rocket back could be tricky, nned to do it quick before they composed themselves. 

Used to stuff as many caps as I could load into the chamber 😁

[lol-lol]

51 minutes ago, skomaz said:

We had a lad at school almost lose an eye to a nut an bolt bomb.  He'd made it and lobbed it against a wall when one of the bolts came back at him and got him in the eye.

 

Other than that I think I remember all of the above but was never allowed an air pistol or gun, so had to resort to using my mates ones.

 

A friend of mine was big in to air rifles, knew all the tech to over pump them and put more power than they we suppose to take and we were going through this estate his dad was part of the grounds staff, beautiful part of Devon. A flying machine came over that looked like a model aircraft so he had a couple of pot shots at it.  Then we say the pilot of the powered glider move, oops it a was a manned glider. Always hoped those little air pellets never reached him as he was probably much higher than it first looked. Do not see or hear of such weapons anymore and good thing too I reckon.

 

Edited 17 September, 2023 by lol-lol

[Aspman]

On 17/09/2023 at 00:06, @Lee said:

 

You'd remember if you did. A small thumbscrew to open the chambe to load a pellet or a dart and pushing the barrel into a hard surface to c ock it's elastic potential energy. No air involved. No safety catch either if memory serves.

 

Scunthorpe effect.

I definitely played with one, just can't recall if it was mine or a mates.
 

19 hours ago, lol-lol said:

 

A friend of mine was big in to air rifles, knew all the tech to over pump them and put more power than they we suppose to take and we were going through this estate his dad was part of the grounds staff, beautiful part of Devon. A flying machine came over that looked like a model aircraft so he had a couple of pot shots at it.  Then we say the pilot of the powered glider move, oops it a was a manned glider. Always hoped those little air pellets never reached him as he was probably much higher than it first looked. Do not see or hear of such weapons anymore and good thing too I reckon.

 

Lol yeah I had a few, 2p coins in to beef up the spring. Used to ping cans in my mates garden until the local plod came round and had a (genuinely) friendly word. Ended up on another mate's farm hunting rabbits. I used to target shoot as a youth as well and I was quite handy up to 600m (not with an air rifle). Did some cadet international shoots down at Bisley.

There is a range near me as well but I don't recall thinking very favourably about guys who were in gun clubs. Lots of odd folk. Still would love a crack at the Jubilee range at Blair Atholl, it goes to 3/4 mile (1200m).

[lol-lol]

35 minutes ago, Aspman said:

I definitely played with one, just can't recall if it was mine or a mates.
 

Lol yeah I had a few, 2p coins in to beef up the spring. Used to ping cans in my mates garden until the local plod came round and had a (genuinely) friendly word. Ended up on another mate's farm hunting rabbits. I used to target shoot as a youth as well and I was quite handy up to 600m (not with an air rifle). Did some cadet international shoots down at Bisley.

There is a range near me as well but I don't recall thinking very favourably about guys who were in gun clubs. Lots of odd folk. Still would love a crack at the Jubilee range at Blair Atholl, it goes to 3/4 mile (1200m).

 

I get annoyed that so many rifles and guns of all sorts can only be fired in a right handed way.  

 

[SteveTheElder]

1 hour ago, lol-lol said:

 

I get annoyed that so many rifles and guns of all sorts can only be fired in a right handed way.  

 

Frustratingly, I'm right-handed but left-eyed (and wear specs) - a right PITA when it comes to using a many a things - DSLR, air rifles, archery,...

[@Lee]

1 hour ago, lol-lol said:

 

I get annoyed that so many rifles and guns of all sorts can only be fired in a right handed way.  

 

 

3 minutes ago, SteveTheElder said:

Frustratingly, I'm right-handed but left-eyed (and wear specs) - a right PITA when it comes to using a many a things - DSLR, air rifles, archery,...

 

When I was in Sea Cadets on a course at HMS Royal Arthur I had my first experience of firing a live rifle (a Lee Enfield .303 converted to fire .22 rounds). I couldn't close my left eye ( still can't) so had to fire left handed. Certainly made it awkward when cocking and ejecting. 

[lol-lol]

3 minutes ago, @Lee said:

 

 

When I was in Sea Cadets on a course at HMS Royal Arthur I had my first experience of firing a live rifle (a Lee Enfield .303 converted to fire .22 rounds). I couldn't close my left eye ( still can't) so had to fire left handed. Certainly made it awkward when cocking and ejecting. 

 

It is said that eye dominance is even more important that handedness.  I am left in everything.

 

[@Lee]

1 minute ago, lol-lol said:

 

It is said that eye dominance is even more important that handedness.  I am left in everything.

 

Yes. But I'm right eye dominant 😞 

[lol-lol]

13 minutes ago, SteveTheElder said:

Frustratingly, I'm right-handed but left-eyed (and wear specs) - a right PITA when it comes to using a many a things - DSLR, air rifles, archery,...

 

There are some sports, like cricket particularly, when it is hard to work out except when bowling but some bat the opposite to the way they bowl, left all the way for me but my lad is left handed but bats right handed.  Don't get me started on burning my hand on cooking hobs which are solely built for righties, cork screws, writing with an ink pen etc.

[@Lee]

Sounds like you need ...