<p> Interview Summary 11 </p><p>Accession Number: 2009-16-11=2 Interview Date: 18/4/05</p><p>Interviewee: Anna Kearns Anonymous contributor No</p><p>Occupation: Date of birth: 18/12/22</p><p>Subject areas covered Recording Summary description time reference Museum Theme</p><p>Family background Grandmother was born 1856 and died 1942. My Working Life: The 3 Js and other other Grandmother was born in 1866 and died in Dundee businesses 1952. Father was an engineer who worked in the mills - he was a mill mechanic. Mother was in the mills as well - she was a Cop Winder. No brothers or sisters, just cousins. My husband died 18 years ago - I am blind (retinitus pigmentosa) Father had been unemployed since 1919 - on 17 December 1922 he was told he was to start work as a mill mechanic in Grants on Constitution Street. I upset my mum - she was so overjoyed that I came a week early - the very next day. Born at 7 o'clock in the morning on a very cold December day - in Church Street. This was a two roomed house on the 'pletty' with a shared toilet. The toilet had newspapers on a 'cleek'. My mother went back to work when I was six weeks old, and I was looked after by Granny and Grandfather. Granny was 68, and Grandfather 65. They lived at 100 Victoria Road. 'Grandfather was a wonderful man - he travelled the world' Urban Dundee: Transport and Describes at length, the story of her grandfather - getting around how he went to New York and was attacked, and of how he was a painter on the Tay Bridge when he downed tools in the middle of the day and sailed to America without telling anyone Talks about Grandfathers family, who were publicans. They lived in two cottages put together, where Norries Pend was on the Hilltown, which was 'countryish' at that time. Tells story of one of Grandfathers brothers who at 22 married a middle aged lady Publican, and died of drink 5 years later, aged 27 Urban Dundee Describes vividly Grandmothers tough early life - she was orphaned and destitute after a flu epidemic in 1871. Urban Dundee: Transport and Describes vividly Grandmother's sister seeing the getting around Tay Bridge collapse, and the engine fall into the Tay These family stories were told to her by her grandmother. In 1937 Grandfather died with a massive stroke. In 1942 Granny died - the year I got married. Granny had gone to live with Mum and Dad when Grandad died. Earliest Memory Describes early memory of Mum taking her to Grannies house, to look after her while Mum was at work. She would run the last part of the journey herself, aged only 18 months . Remembers running down Wellington Street to meet Granny. Workmen at the Callander used to shout hallo, and call me 'Wee laughing face' 16:51 Describes going to Piano lessons with her dog Daisy, who carried her music books in her mouth. The men at the Callender called her 'the dog that went to the piano' They would shout out 'How's Daisy getting on, has he learned to play the piano yet? - 'I'd say '''Yes'' ' The Parish Boot 18:16 Went to St Mary's Forebank primary school in the Urban Dundee: Politics and 1920s. Some of the girls in her class were Causes barefoot, others had 'tackety boots' Grandmother's Cooking Describes cooking over a range and making soup Living in the City 'kail' Grandmother's literacy Describes how Grandmother could only really Living in the City: Education write her name. She could read a little. Describes how Grandmother was trying to read the 'Evening Telegraph' to her friend Mrs Preston. 'Oh, she says tae Mary - they're affy things they Turpy- Doos' The other thing she said was 'Crushers' instead of Cruisers. 'Crushers' and 'Turpy-Doos' 'They were kind, good people - I was very lucky' 'The Sosh' 23:21 Describes visiting the Co-operative Society shop - Living in the City: Shopping this was a social occasion. 'Ye heard everything when ye went tae the sosh' 'Canons' Land' 24:30 Describes living in a backland of the Hiiltown Urban Dundee: The built and known as 'Canons' Land', because it was built on natural environment land owned by the Church Games 25:13 Mentions childhood games, and of being a Living in the City: Leisure time tomboy - two boys as playmates. Played cricket using pieces of old wood. Played Tennis on 'sixpenny tennis rackets from Woolworths', in the back green. Played 'Relief-O', 'What's the time Mr Wolf?'. The girls played at skipping. 'We never lacked for anything to do' Toys 26:08 Lists the sort of Toys she would get for Christmas Living in the City: Leisure time and Birthdays. Tells the story of wanting a particular doll that she knew was too expensive. Mother had told her that they were not able to afford it. She got another doll, but it was not what she had really hoped for, so she flung it across the room. Mother was so incensed at the ingratitude that she gathered up all her Xmas presents and gave them to a poor family of 10 kids who lived in the flat above. The General Strike 30:26 Describes vividly the background of industrial Urban Dundee: Politics and unrest in Dundee, and of how it affected the causes family (not able to afford enough coal to heat the house). Talks of communist agitators Mary Soutar and Bob Stewart. Describes being held aloft on her Dad's shoulders and witnessing a mounted Police charge on demonstrators in Victoria Road at the foot of the Hilltown. Remembers people screaming and shouting, and falling to the ground. Vivid description of incident shortly after the strike. She and her cousin were standing outside a mill when Bob Stewart drew up in his ModelT Ford car. A woman standing nearby harangued him: 'It's all right for you, wantin' us out on strike, but I notice you're drivin' around in a car' The woman went on: 'You don't go to work in a mill - you don't do anything like that, all you do is want to get men out on strike, and then we can't get any food, we can't get anything - an you're the one that's causin' it!' His reply was: 'Aye, wumman, if you were as clever as me, you'd be driving around in a car as well' Describes Bob Stewart - '...he was a horrible man' Comments that the unrest was a result of agitators such as Bob Stewart. 11B Remarks that her dad was a member of the Union 'but very keen to keep the communists out, because they were causing the trouble'. Dad understood that the end was to get a better deal for working people, but that a succession of strikes was not the way to go about it Secondary School 1:28 Was expected to go to Lawside school, but the Living in the City: Education bursary was means tested - parents could not afford it. Went to St Johns - eighteen months later, fee paying was abolished, and she was transferred to Lawside. Tells the story of her French mistress, who, in the summer of 1939 was going to marry a German - he was a member of the Luftwaffe. Early in the war his plane was shot down and he was killed. Adolf Hitler Describes being aware of Adolf Hitler 'a madman' Urban Dundee: Politics and in Germany, through magazines and Cinema causes newsreels. She was aware of the German 'youth' cult, with their young people hiking, and biking, and generally looking very healthy. 4:28 'We didn't realise that this was fodder for another war, because we didn't think it would happen. The 1914 war was enough' Recalls in the 1920s ex-servicemen without arms or legs, begging because they had no money. War declared Describes the announcement of war by Neville Urban Dundee: Politics and Chamberlain. causes Anecdote about Mum shouting at the radio when Lord Haw Haw was broadcasting misinformation about the Tay Bridge being bombed. Describes how she was sitting eating ice cream and pears when the announcement came on the radio - talks about Mum's emotional reaction 'We're gonna get bombed - an all she can do is sit and guzzle herself with ice cream and pears.' Talked about going to dances at the Palais and dancing in gasmasks when the air raid sirens sounded The Home front and Tells lengthy story about a neighbour she had casualties of war grown up with who joined the RAF and whose Urban Dundee: Politics and plane was shot down over the English Channel. causes Details about the telegram boy appearing outside their Tenement, wearing a black armband. Her husband, home on leave from the RAF at Biggen Hill tells her what it feels like to lose colleagues: '..You're in the hut with the blokes, and you're all in the mess talking together, and the next day they don't appear' Dunkirk survivors in 12:37 Describes vividly the arrival of trainload of Dundee casualties from Dunkirk. Urban Dundee: Politics and causes 'Hospital Blues' 14:22 Describes uniform of people who were dressed in Urban Dundee: Politics and 'hospital blues' denoting that they were walking causes wounded and temporarily unfit for service. War Poem 14:58 Recites poem she wrote for 50th anniversary of VE Day VE Celebrations Describes the celebrations for VE day, and the Urban Dundee: Politics and mixed emotions it evoked. causes Tells the story of meeting an old acquaintance after the celebrations, who was surprised at the celebrations. When the acquaintance was told that the celebration was because the war was over she said 'Oh well, it disnae matter ti me - none o' mine are comin' back' She had lost 4 sons to the war Blindness 19:18 Describes the onset of her blindness, and how she has adapted to it over the course of many years The 1930s 32:49 Comments on consumerism in the 1930s - Urban Dundee: Politics and remarks that you could buy a dining suite for your causes house (her Aunt bought one) for £11. Commented that you could go down to Henderson in the Wellgate and buy a bedroom suite for about £14 - you could buy it on 'tick' and pay it up at £1 per week, which was affordable then. The start of the 30s was 'the hungry 30s' but people were more affluent from 1936 on - until we went to war in 1939. Drink was still a problem, and you would not get any money from the Parish if it was known that the man would use it for drink 'The Soupy' 35:00 Describes the soup kitchens for disadvantaged Urban Dundee: Politics and kids at the top of Rosebank Street causes Evacuation 36:48 Tells of how, as a 17year old schoolgirl, she Urban Dundee: Politics and assisted in the evacuation of Catholic children causes from St Andrew's Primary School in the Overgate. She looked after a group of 16-17 young people on their evacuation by rail to Banchory</p>