Early Childhood Memories
"A Forfar Loon "
by Cortachy Primary (9)

Pete in Primary 5

Pete Mungall's early childhood memory: I remember my first day at Forfar East Burgh Primary School. My mum had taken me along with a friend who lived in the same street. His mother was working in the jute mill in Academy Street and couldn't take him. When my mum left us the teacher, Miss Laing, gave us our seats. The desks were arranged into groups (back in 1951) and she sat me beside Wendy C - Peter and Wendy! I remember one boy in the class who went through the same routine from the very first day. His mum brought him right into the classroom and into his seat. As she left he always said the same thing. "Gie's a kiss afore ye go Ma! The classroom had a fire behind the teacher's desk and there were gas lights. I remember clearly Miss Laing made us say the sound for "G" as she pulled the chain that lit the gas because that was the sound the filament made as it lit. Once a week the P2 class came in for a sort of assembly. Each week different children were asked to take part in a little dance and song. Five or six children crouched down (sleeping flowers) and as another child danced amongst them (the sun) they opened out. One day the teacher asked, "Peter, would you be the sun this week?" I distinctly recall saying quite firmly,"NO!"(I was a shy boy!) The other teachers I had at Forfar East were: P2 - Miss Laing (again), P3 Miss Ferguson, P4 - Miss Whyte, P5 - Miss Roger, P6 - Mr Dundas, P7 (the Quali) - Miss Essen and the Headteacher was Mr Ewen. My earliest distinct memory is standing in the garden with my grandfather, a retired shale miner from Mid Lothian, with him pointing to the sun which was blue! Only recently have I found out that this really did happen after a huge forest fire in Canada. About Pete Mungall's early childhood memory: Mr Mungall is the Advisory Teacher for this project. He visited us quite a few times. He says he used to spend his holidays up the Glens where most of us live now and so we asked him about what it was like at his school in Forfar. Pete Mungall is 53 years old now and was 3 years old at the time.