The Kintyre Forum

Hi, I am John Ferguson. I had the pleasure to be a student at Campbeltown Grammar School from Nov 1972 until June 1974.
I'm trying to find any friends who may remember me. I have my red hair still and wear nicer glasses than the horrible black plastic "Buddy Holly" frames I had back then. I believe I was the only Yank at the school during my time. My father was serving at RAF Machrihanish back then. I look back on my years in Campbeltown & Machrihanish with great affection and I really hope I can reconnect with some of my pals from those times.

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum

I was in the Grammar at that time. What year were you in?

Malky

Thanks Malky for the welcome. I don't recall what year I was in, but I'm 49 now and I was taking a lot of O level classes. One mate I recall for sure was Alec McKinnon, I remember faces better than names most times. A number of the lassies stand out in my minds eye especially . I would dearly love to find class pictures.
John

RedhairedYank wrote:Thanks Malky for the welcome. I don't recall what year I was in, but I'm 49 now and I was taking a lot of O level classes.

Welcome on board John

Obviously not in the same year as Malky as he left year's before!

Must be some old school photos out there to help.

John, I thought someone would direct you to the Down Memory Lane site, or perhaps they did in private.

http://www.campbeltown.info/dml/index.htm

There are a number of links on top there, one of them is Schools. I think they have school pics in there by decade.

These are all of Primary Schools Bobbie, none of Grammar pupils.

Alex MacKinnon - isn't that 4th Gen's cousin? Does Alex not work in Glasgow University's Astronomy dept or have I imagined that? 4th Gen will be along soon and will tell us

Malky

Thanks for the help so far. Alex at Glasgow Astronomy Dept. would be exactly where I'd expect him to be.

Does anyone know which primary school the RAF Machrihanish children attended in the early 70's ? My brother Richard is 5 years younger than me and I thought I saw him in one of the pics on the Memory Lane page. I don't remember which school he was in, but I know he rode in on the bus to town. It annoyed me endlessly cause I couldn't go off with my mates until I saw him on the return bus each afternoon.

I just found the last letter I had from Alec in May 1979 and he was at University in Glasgow studying physics and astronomy. About that time I was at University of Florida helping it earn a reputation as the top party school in America. Shortly thereafter family troubles and life in general caused me to become quite self absorbed and I lost touch with everything outside my immediate surroundings for quite a while. As I approach age 50 I find nostalgia creeping in....

Bye the bye, my studies at Campbeltown Grammar School put me in excellent scholastic position on returning to the States. I was able to enter the University a year ahead of my contemporaries and with many scholastic scholarships (lots of cash! for a student anyway) . So at 17 I was off on my own at school and then disco hit! I was a mad dancer and won many competitions in my day.

Thanks all! John

RedhairedYank wrote: Does anyone know which primary school the RAF Machrihanish children attended in the early 70's ? My brother Richard is 5 years younger than me and I thought I saw him in one of the pics on the Memory Lane page. I don't remember which school he was in, but I know he rode in on the bus to town. It annoyed me endlessly cause I couldn't go off with my mates until I saw him on the return bus each afternoon.
Thanks all! John

Welcome John

It could be one of three schools, Dalintober, St Kierans and I can't remember if Milknowe was knocked down then and they moved to Castlehill (someone will come back on that).

I left the Grammer around 72, quite a few of my classmates came from the base, Andrews, Linton etc.

I will post some pics of the base and accomodation block shortly for you.Some changes over the years with the houses upgraded for selling, part of the base taken over by Vestas (windfarm Company) and so on.

Alex MacKinnon - isn't that 4th Gen's cousin?

Alex MacKinnon is also my double cousin

Send me a Private Message if you want to reach him, RedhairedYank, and I will get your details to him.

I think that Millknowe was vacated the same year as the current Grammar was opened, which would be 1969, I think, and before the period in question. I also thought that most RAF and US service children went to either Dalintober or Drumlemble. That said, there were a couple of families that lived in Southend, so they naturally came to school with us, I recall.

Did the Machrihanish base children not go to Kilmichael School when it was open? That is a separate topic ... when all these wee schools closed. Maybe for the History section ...

Thank you Mary G and jdcarra, I must say everyone makes me feel very welcome here. As I said in another thread, I wish I found the board years ago.
We lived at 2 Islay View at the base, I had a look at it on Google Earth and it appears much the same.

John

Success so far... . Thanks to the nice people here I've reached one friend and have hopes to contact others soon.

RedhairedYank wrote:
We lived at 2 Islay View at the base, I had a look at it on Google Earth and it appears much the same.

John

John

Some quick snaps I took on Sunday. The houses have been refurbish quite a bit since your day and when I used to go out there as a boy.




Looking down to the control tower.


Old main entrance gate.

i hope your not selling these photos to the russians jd

I remember you, that's my year... there are a lot of us still around the Campbeltown area. I can't ever remember having a class photo from Grammar school days though...only the whole school photo which I think was taken in October 1972, start of our second year, which you would have missed.

The pics are great , thank you jdcarra. I'm trying to puzzle out which house was ours. My wife is quite jealous, visiting Scotland is a dream for her.

Hi April Fool, It's nice to hear you recall me. If you would like to tell me who you are so I can see if my decepit memory can remember you , please drop me a private note (if you wish).