When we moved through from the Borders to Greendykes Farm, Macmerry in December 1949. I was surprised to see that horses were still used on the farm. There must have been five or six pairs of horses working, from ploughing to pulling carts etc and each pair were looked after by one farm worker. Horses doing this sort of work were rarely seen in the Borders at that time.
I attended Preston Lodge High School, Prestonpans, and to get there I cycled from the farm to Macmerry, got the bus from there to Birsley garage at the west end of Tranent, and then walked down what is known as Johnnie Cope’s Road to school This journey was made in reverse after school, and in all sorts of weather conditions. Sometimes in the summer months I would cycle right to school, a distance of around four miles. Compare this with children being ferried by car to school nowadays, often over very short distances indeed.
Arnott Craigs off to school, 1951
When we moved to Gullane in December 1952, I travelled to school by bus; although a longer journey it was much easier!
I discovered golf when we came to Gullane, and although most players by that time were using steel shafted clubs, many were still using hickory shafts. Nowadays graphite and carbon fibre shafts are all the rage’.
I am retired after 35 years with the National Coal Board as a mining surveyor and spend most of my time on the golf courses of Gullane.