The Young Family

My name is Wendy Miller (nee Young). I attended Airdrie Academy from 1964-1969 and my dad David Young was a pupil from 1933-1938. These pictures show Dad in his S1 and S3 classes with his friend, May Glen. She later became Mrs Gardner and I taught beside her at Tollbrae Primary school in the 1970s. Her children Ian and Sheila Gardner went to Airdrie Academy.

My dad’s best friend, Dick Lauder is in these pictures too.

My dad was a very talented artist at school. He kept two magazines which I have from 1936 and 1937. He had created lino cut pictures that were published in the magazine. They accompany a short story ‘Der Mesmerismus’ about a murder!

I have the watercolour my dad painted at school in 1936 hanging in our living room but I no longer have the one I did of the same jug and bowl in 1968.

The picture above is a painting on velvet which my dad did at Airdrie Academy. He made the wooden cigarette box there too. The colours and details in both are so beautiful. My dad was very talented. I still have both.

A group of boys from Airdrie Academy who had left school in 1938 decided to join the army in 1939 because they had very little money at that time. This group included my dad and his best friend. The unit they joined was the 240th Field Company of the Royal Engineers.

Once back in Scotland after the war, Dick Lauder (my dad’s best friend from Airdrie Academy) went on to] become a head teacher and my dad was an optician.

I also have a brother called David Young who attended Airdrie Academy from 1959 to 1965 but I have no photos. He became a mechanical engineer.

When I started as a pupil at Airdrie Academy in 1964 it was a Senior Secondary School. Pupils were allocated places to local secondary schools in those days based on performance in school grading examinations. As a result, only a few of my primary classmates transferred to the Academy.

At the time Walter Henderson was headmaster of Airdrie Academy. Most teachers at the time had nicknames and his was ‘Flush’ due to his initials W.C. You wouldn’t dare call him that to his face though!

There weren't any registration classes when I started S1. Attendance was taken at assembly Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at first class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm sure this was the case throughout my time.

There was a range of subjects taught to S1 classes including courses in English, Maths, French, Latin, Geography, History, Science, Art and P.E. Domestic Science which was taught by Miss Marie Henderson. We sewed aprons in P7 which we wore in her class along with a white hair band to keep our hair off our faces.

The four house groups were Cleddans, Faskine, Monklands and Rochsoles. The houses were allocated according to your surname. For all my time as a pupil at Airdrie Academy I was in Rochsoles house. Our house colour was white. You can see my Rochsoles badge on this photograph:

I have mostly very good memories of Airdrie Academy. I enjoyed Latin, Art and French best of all. Mr John Cookman was a great Latin teacher. I liked the younger teachers as they were much friendlier than the older and much stricter ones.

I loved playing hockey at school and was part of the team for three years. I have included some photographs including one signed by all the players.

I also fondly remember trips to Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore for skiing and sailing. I also remember the climb using ice axes vividly.

Here are a few photos from that trip. It was lots of fun!

Left picture at Glenmore lodge

Left to right

Joyce Pugh, Wendy Young, Anne Russell and Sheila Faulds.

Right picture left to right

Sheila Faulds, Marjorie Goldie and Wendy Young.

In my fifth year we went on a school trip to Iceland. It was a fabulous trip. We stayed in Reykjavik. We went to Gulfoss waterfall. We went to the whaling station where we saw the whales which had been harpooned - the stench was dreadful! We had a day on Icelandic ponies. We saw the geysirs and we went to the national museum. I still have a box of 90 slides which I took there.

I made lifelong friends at school and have enjoyed reminiscing for this very special project.

Happy 175th anniversary, Airdrie Academy!

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