Discussion Pages from 2013
On these pages we will post comments and information that we receive from you about the Vale or anything included in the website. Links to previous year's discussions are at the bottom of the page.
Please note that this is not a forum and it is not intended to be updated on a daily basis but if you have any points to make, anecdotes or stories (serious or otherwise) about the Vale we would very much welcome your contributions. EMAIL them to us and we will publish them here.
(Most recent first)
27 May 2013
I remember as a child in the 70s going over the hills with my uncle and seeing the 'wild horses' near a dam (not Carman ). My mother remembers wild horses coming down from the hills near Renton in her childhood in the 30/40s. They are never referred to anywhere. Does anyone else remember these?
Ronnie.veronica mcleod
ronniemcleod121 at googlemail dot com
11 Feb 2013
A discussion has started following an email from Billy Scobie about the origin of the well known local expression, "Women and Valemen First."
If anyone has anything to add to this (serious or otherwise) please get in touch.
08 Feb 2013
Hi Harry,
You will be familiar with the expression - "Women and Valemen first!"
I've heard it many times over the years and I know what it means, but have you any idea as to the origin of the saying ?
regards,
Billy---------------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 10
Hi Billy,
I don't have clue and unless we stumble across something in the musings of JG Temple, Alan McLean or Allan Bayne which were occasionally published in the Lennox 1900 - 1930 I don't think we'll get a definitive or at least plausible answer. I don't know why, but I'm quite fond of that phrase, which I suppose should be very un-PC those days, not that that matters in this context.
I'd guess it originates about the time of the sinking of the Titanic because of the numbere of people involved. Ships sinking were an almost daily occurrence at that time and the phrase women and children first would have been in use and probably well enough known, but the huge publicity in the newspapers of the Titanic sinking would probably have impanted it in the public consciousness as never before.
The most likely application would be to the workers trains from Singer or John Brown's although it could also be the trams, especially when Argyll Works were coming out at lunchtime and I don't suppose we could ignore the Loch steamers either.
"Valemen" lends itself to the phrase much better than Dumbartonian or Clydebank man or Glaswegian.
If you'd like we can put it up for discussion, but previous experiences are that such invites attract weird and wonderful replies which don't come anywhere near answering the question.
Sorry I can't be more helpful
All the best
Harry--------------------------------------------------
Any more theories?
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