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family intro page
Rachel and Steve page
Aunt Isobel page
Ann and Scott page
Mum and Dad page
Stewart and Aunt Isobel page
Gran and Grandad page
Grannie and Papa page
pets - past and present pageGod-daughter Chloepage

Gran & Grandad

Gran and Grandad at their Surprise Golden Wedding Anniversary Party

Gran passed away on 20 March 2004.

Grandad died on 1 July 2002.

Mabel

Bill

Born Mabel Mardle on 1 July 1925 in Glasgow.

Her mum was called Margaret (died at the age of 71), and her dad was called Abraham (died in his late 80's). Her mum was a housewife, her dad a postman.

Mabel has 2 brother's and 2 sister's. Her brother George is still alive. Agnes, Margaret (Maggie), and Robert (Bobby) have all passed away. Bobby was a partially sighted referee, so you can imagine the football chants! Mabel was the youngest of the 5 children.

Mabel grew up in Possilpark, Glasgow, and went to St. Agnes, and then St. Theresa's school, up until the leaving age of 14.

Mabel began work as a message girl for a high class dress shop where she delivered boxes of dresses to customers. She went on to work in many shops (always behind the counter), then when she was 19, she joined the A.T.S (Army Territorial Service) which are now known as the W.R.A.C.S. She served from 1944-1946 as a Bat Woman (looking after the Officers).

Mabel then began work in a Warehouse for Hairdressers (where she met Grandad's sister Nessie who was a hairdresser). It was at the works dance that she was introduced to Grandad. They married in 1949, and she moved to Stirling to live with him. Throughout the years, they have lived all over the town centre in Stirling:

  • a room in Drip Road (Raploch),
  • then a room in Barnton Street,
  • they moved to a house in Baker Street when Dad was born,
  • then a house in Douglas Street for 6 months, and finally,
  • moved to Irvine Place - which they originally shared with a sitting tenant, and they have lived there for over 30 years.

Dad was born in 1951 and Gran worked for a brief spell as a home help once he was at school age. Another child (Julia) was born in 1954, but sadly died 19 days later.

In November 1973, Grandad opened his first shop in Kincardine, and as he was still working as an Electrician, Gran tended the shop for the first 4 years, until the night before I was born (22 December 1977) when she fell and broke her heel.

GRAN spent the final years of her life in Wellgreen Residential home, where she enjoyed sitting outside her room with best friend Jessie and smoking! She also read a lot, and watched the football on terrestrial TV, and constantly won many toiletries at the Bingo nights which she always gave to us!

The family were able to visit Gran regularly, and in 2003/2004, when Gran suffered ill health and ended up in hospital through catching pneumonia a couple of times, the Doctors were able to finally diagnose her with lung cancer. Gran passed away on 20 March 2004. We all miss her loads, and I am missing a good friend in my life that cannot be replaced.

Born William (Bill) Thomson on 9 June 1924 in Coalburn (near Motherwell).

He had a dad called John (who my dad is named after) and a mum called Nancy. His dad died when Bill was only 14, and his mum died in 1973. He had one brother (Tom) and one sister (Nessie). They have both passed away.

Bill grew up in Coalburn where he went to Coalburn Primary and Secondary schools, then when he left school, he worked down the pit in Coalburn where he learned his trade as an electrician. Once he was qualified, he moved to Stirling to begin work as an electrician with the Department of the Environment as a maintenance engineer.

He married Mabel in 1949, and they have lived in the town centre in Stirling ever since. Dad was born in 1951, and Bill got a job working as a maintenance engineer at the Police College in Kincardine.

My parents began their married life in Irvine Place sharing a house with Gran and Grandad.

In November 1973, Grandad opened a convenience store in Kincardine (Exise Street). Gran worked there while he continued to work at the Police College, until she broke her heel 4 years later and Bill had to leave his job to work in the shop full time.

In 1978, they got a dog called Kim.

The shop was so successful, that in the late 1980's, he moved to a bigger shop in the high street (Elphinstone Street) in Kincardine. The shop was called B&J Stores (named after its two owners Bill, and John Kinnell - his partner).

Grandad retired in 1994, and spent all of his time tending to his large Garden until ill health kept him housebound.

 

Since 2001, Grandad had various bouts of illness and ended up in hospital on 11 June 2002, where his condition worsened. He passed away on 1 July 2002 and is much missed...

Gran and Grandad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary when mum threw a surprise party for them. Please take time to view Gran and Grandad's Golden Wedding Photo's from 1999.

Gran with mum and dad outside the Caird Hall just after my graduation Gran with a newly born Stewart in August 1977
Picking up Gran for the wedding of Ann and Scott Gran getting presents on CHRISTmas Day 2002
Gran at Ann's Graduation Jessie enjoys a festive drink with her best friend (Gran) during my All Singing All Dancing festive juggling show!
Gran in her fave chair in Irvine Place house  

Grandad's Photographs

Grandad kindly lent me these photographs to put on this site.

Garden (aerialview) Aerial view of fish pond Greenhouse at bottom of garden
Grandad catches a fish Grandad on his driveway Grandad hard at work
The view from my Grandparents house Grandad looks over his garden Dad on the left with Grandad and friend
  Grandad behind the counter in his shop  

(Family Intro) (Ann) (Rachel & Steve) (Mum & Dad) (Stewart) (Aunt Isobel)
(Gran & Grandad) (Grannie & Papa) (Pets - Past & Present) (God-daughter Chloe)

Steve is a professional juggler - www.jugglingworld.biz
with a mail order juggling equipment and novelty item store - www.jugglingworld.biz/shop.html