William Ballantine (b. 1905) was due to stand in the 1932 council elections in Perth for the Independent Labour Party (ILP), which had split from the Labour Party a short time earlier. He stood outside ILP policy in doing this and received criticism for his actions. Born into a rural […]
Jean Millar Valentine (7 July 1924 – 17 May 2019) was born in Perth, Scotland, the only child of Mr and Mrs James Valentine of Wilson Street. Jean was an operator of the Bombe decryption device in Hut 11 at Bletchley Park in England. This was the machine designed by […]
This story is of Bessie Bell and Mary Gray, “who beautiful in their lives, in death are not divided.” These beauteous lassies were said to have charmed the heart of all the local laddies. They are still fondly remembered to this day, in song and by the naming of hills […]
Victoria Drummond was also a second world war hero who bravely saved the lives of 49 of her ship mates. She sailed as a ship engineer on many dangerous convoys across the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Victoria smelled the gunpowder in World War Two before most other woman and men. […]
The story of Jessie Jordan has been told many times, in books and newspaper articles, but few know of her Perth connections and her complicated life. What was the reason for doing what she did by turning traitor against the country of her birth? Perhaps the story of her life […]
As an ‘Ordinary Director based in London’ of The Standard Life Assurance Company (‘one of the oldest and most successful of the Scottish Life Offices’ established in Edinburgh in 1825), John Lindsay travelled extensively throughout Britain and internationally. He maintained his London house (26 Laurence Pountney Lane) and a house […]
Margaret Cunnison was born on 29.05.1914, the second daughter of James and Isabella Cunnison (nee Inverarity). There appears to be some dubiety around the location of Margaret’s birthplace: one Wikipedia site names it as Haddington, East Lothian, whilst census records state it to be King’s Norton, Warwickshire. (Her Royal Aero […]
‘The Mother of Radar’, Margaret Robertson was born in St Catherine’s Road, Perth. Her father, David, was a draughtsman and her mother was employed in Campbell’s Dyeworks. Her father was a partner for a few years, along with Alexander Robertson in the Perth Foundry business, Paul Street, off the Old […]
On 23 May 1959 the Perthshire Advertiser included a death notice for James Barbour (66) 26 Victoria Street ex-Bailie; former milkman death (20.5.1959); husband of Christina Barbour. and the following obituary: ‘Ex-Baillie James Barbour, 26 Victoria Street, who was the only Communist ever elected to Perth Town Council died on […]
Bill Wilkie MBE is one of the great pillars of Scottish accordion music, a master and tireless champion of the instrument and an impresario and businessman who has promoted and encouraged many of the leading players on the Scottish music scene. Born in Perth on January 6, 1922, Bill began […]
