56 thoughts on “ALL OUR YESTERDAYS”

  1. Part of the Beecham’s Pills heritage was the legendary conductor Sir Thomas (weren’t they all knighted except for some reason Vernon Handley ?). Presumably the family fortune provided the wherewithal for his musical career.

    30 mph seems ambitious for the Raleigh moped – and certainly not attainable uphill. At that time, machines of less than 100 cc didn’t need a speedometer – and of course, pre – crash helmet days.

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    1. If I remember aright (not guaranteed(, didn’t the early motorway notices say, “NO MOPEDS”? They certainly would’ve had a job keeping up with the Bonnevilles. Gold Stars and Dominators! 🙂

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      1. I think they still may prohibit motor cycles etc of less than 50cc – as did the A1 dual carriageway and the Edinburgh bypass. Haven’t noticed the signs of late but then haven’t looked.

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      2. I’m sure that would have made sense. Early motorways (and most in Scotland to this day) only had two lanes. A moped running along at 15 mph and having to be overtaken, would have been a real danger.

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    2. The ice cream looks like a block of Walls’s – I am not sure if this was what was called a Neapolitan since my recollection of that type was of only two flavours. For some reason, we saw Walls ice cream as somehow ultra – desirable but looking back, it wasn’t in the same class as the local Italian ice cream parlour product, which, if it is not being racist, was known locally as a “Tally?” which was what I would be dispatched to fetch on a summer evening.

      I think the Eagle or similar had a comic strip featuring “Tommy Walls”,a sponsored affair (an advertoon – neologism for today ?) in which ice cream invariably played a part in the resolution of the weekly adventure, a bit like spinach in Popeye.

      Only the second time (railway pic) that I have seen the name Jebb. The other was in the Belfast Distillery football programme in the 60’s, which carried an ad for a plumber called Spendlove C Jebb,which looked to me like a name from Spike Milligan’s Puckoon. On last visit to Belfast (several years ago) I was delighted to see the firm still in place beside the big fortified police station on or near the site of Distillery’s old Belfast ground, Grosvenor Park.

      Will stop before I am barred for senile ramblings.

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      3. Nah, never that. I love ramblings… and they aren’t senile. Interesting.

        I was told my a friend that Neapolitan was supposed to represent the flag of Italy. which is Green, White, Red. Pistachio ice cream was the Green, bu as very few British people liked it, they changed it to chocolate, but kept the name. True?

        I’d agree that Walls, by today’s standards, was pretty indifferent ice cream.

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    3. My sister had a Puch moped of very similar design that had a speedometer which promised far more than it could deliver – a lure for sixteen year old boys I’m sure.

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      1. The Raleigh was built under license from Mobylette, a French company, the engine is entirely french, 49cc, 2 stroke and not allowed on motorways. As to the velocity, I’ll report back when I complete the restoration of one.
        I suspect that I’ll have to pedal hard to get near 30 mph.
        The truant officer for our area had one to visit missing from school children.

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  2. Ah noticed that the railway station picter, (pace Cairnallochy) shows Alex Jebb & Sons as bein at Argyle Street, Glasgow, so Ah’m guessing that this is Glesca. Frae the garb o the men and the weans wi nae shoon, Ah’d say 1880s-1900. Ah remember ma da tellin me that when he wis a boay, an that wis efter that, he only wore shoes goin tae schule and in the winter. He said that in the summer everybiddy jist went aboot in their bare spuds. The past isnae sae faur ahint us an it can noo an then tell us whit’s cummin doon the road. Pey attention an get yirsels ready. It’s comin yet for a’ that!

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    1. My guess on location was somewhere on the Ayrshire coast given the references to both Glasgow and Belfast companies on ads. But unable to speculate further beyond possibility of a ferry port with a Belfast link.

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  4. Off topic entirely.

    Just to say that the guy that died, an ex-Thai Navy Seal, should not be forgotten. The bravery and dedication of people like him that are attempting to save these children is the best of us humans.

    Over and out.

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    1. Absolutely agree.

      This is a terrible thing and all of our thoughts should be with those poor kids stuck underground with the water rising.

      The bravery of the man who, now retired, volunteered to help in the cave, is beyond astounding. That is real heroism… and it ended in his death.

      I have to ask, particularly at a time just before the monsoon, what the hell were they doing taking kids so far underground?

      Of course no one imagined something like this, but kids that can’t swim…?

      The organisers need to be taken to task, once the children are, hopefully, all out, and safe.

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  6. Looks like Dudhope Park, Dundee – a trade union march to support the NHS.
    I would guess early 80`s although trying to remember when the big roundabout at the bottom of Lochee Road was built.

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  7. I cleared out my Dad’s house around 8 years ago and threw one of these mopeds in a skip. Probably a 1950’s model, or thereabouts.

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        2. The moped was in reasonable nick. Original faded paintwork. Probably should have gone to the Transport Museum, but didn’t have time to stuff around unfortunately. Only over for a month and spent a lot of it painting, cementing and fixing up his house. As well as clearing out lots and lots of junk.

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  9. Re Beecham’s powder, I’m reminded of Victor Spinnetti’s autobiography where he was in a hotel lobby talking to the Rolling Stones. He noticed that Brian Jones was choked with the cold and nipped upstairs and brought him a powder.

    ‘There you are, Bri’
    ‘Oh thanks man’ he said, and snatching the open white paper, snorted the lot.
    ‘It’s a Beecham’s Powder!’ I squawked. ‘Yeeeah?’ he went and gave the paper back to me.
    With it still in my hand I waved him goodbye, turned around and found myself nose to nose with the manager.
    ‘Mr Spinnetti please! ‘Do not give your friends, er, things in the lobby of my hotel.’
    ‘It’s a Beecham’s powder’ ‘Ye-es, that’s what they all say.’

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      1. I’ve never had a Beecham’s Powder but when I was a wee fella I had quite a few Askit Powders (remember, “Askit fights the miseries”?). My mother swore by them. A few years ago there was a bit of a stooshie about them being addictive and the impression was given that countless folk who took them for pain relief had become hooked on them and even that the Askits had hastened their deaths. They’re no longer available now, so I guess we in Scotland have been saved from a further generation of Askit junkies – we’ll just have to make do with our complement of smackheids, I suppose.

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        1. My granny swore by them, andi.

          She called them “poothers”

          All that time she was getting high on them and warning me about the dangers of drugs…. Tut tut, old folk, eh?

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  10. The NALGO march shows that very little has changed regarding NHS funding. I assume that ‘THE WAY OUT” sign was before Latin was invented. Conan and Niko will know!

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    1. Britain has apparently always underfunded NHS, compared to similar countries. I remember Blair promising to bring the level of spending up to the average European spend (by proportion of GDP). It never happened and then austerity has meant that it has fallen even farther being. May’s “bonanza” won’t even bring it back to 2010 levels.

      So much for the Brexit bonus.

      Are you saying that Niko and Conan can remember a time before Latin?

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          2. He certainly did 🙂 A wise man is still wise two thousand years on [was gonnae dae that in Latin, but wiznae happy wi it as av hud a wee drink watching yon Southron laddies beat the fine upstaunin men o Sweden].

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  11. Ah, those old adverts were great. “You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with pepsodent”
    Whatever happened to Jaaps Health Salts? A very refreshing drink I remember.
    We had an Itiallian ( Mike the Ice Cream man) – had a bicycle with the Ice cream fridge on the front. I can still remember the shrill whistle he used.

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    1. and…

      https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uDlfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT468&lpg=PT468&dq=japp+health+salts&source=bl&ots=6RQbzKeb04&sig=bquP4G1TDDFUhst_PWPqDq6fFbk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGrLiVhY3cAhVlD8AKHf_UBSgQ6AEIYTAF#v=onepage&q=japp%20health%20salts&f=false

      It advises some places that it should only be taken under medical supervision.

      The health salts seem not to be available, although there is a page on Amazon for them.

      We’ve got an ice cream van that comes around here, like the old days, playing a jingle…

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      1. There’s a hindu guy (first gen immigrant) who lives on our street whose only business is one van – he lives in a house bought 15 years ago for about ÂŁ250k (should be pushing 350k now) and theres beamers & mercs all over the drive.

        Ice cream vans are surprisingly profitable it appears.

        I can’t help remembering Comfort & Joy and wondering if “sprinkles” mean something else these days 🙂

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        1. There’s always been money in ice cream it seems…

          Wasn’t there some sort of “war” in Glasgow, called the Ice Cream War?

          What was that all about… Cones at 20 paces?

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    2. I remember nicking my dad’s Andrews Liver Salts powder from the tin in the bathroom to make fizzy drinks. Took him ages to work out why the level went down so fast. My excuse is this was the days before fizzy pop was widely available, especially deep in the country.

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  12. Does anybody remember the ad campaign in the 50s. for ‘White Rain’?

    For what seemed like months the billboards were covered with ads that said ‘White Rain is Coming’.

    Nobody had a clue what White Rain was and it was a matter of much speculation.

    Once the ads had their effect of arousing much curiosity the truth came out and it was a total anti climax.

    It turned out that White rain was some sort of women’s hair product – I can’t remember if it was a home perm kit or just a shampoo.

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