Dangerous things we did when young

[jarneilh]

Hey Chris, do you remember making water bombs and dropping them out the upstairs window onto wains wanting their halloween ?

[Milda]

Now that's pure nasty.

[JimMcCub]

We used to play a game called dead man's falls at a sandbank that used to be up at the Villas it was about 20-30 feet high we used to throw ourselves off in an "artistic way" and then vote who was the best shot man, and we used to"dreep"aff things the higher the better, and play on the old gun emplacements over the shore the jumps as we called them many skint and cut legs and elbows I collected there Happy days!

[Hughie]

Used to put carbide in a bottle with a wee bit of water put the stopper and watch it blow up - from a safe distance. They used the gas for cutting steel at the shipyard before acetylene I think. It was also used for used for miner's lamps.

[BobP]

Now that`s a topic, but sitting here a wee bit scunnerred with Bobbydarg`s death- Did not know him personally but enjoyed his posts, realised 3T`s would be pretty sterile without the auld yins and my 3T`s are important to me.

Keep the thread going cos there are stories to tell, I`ll come back when the man is laid to rest

[Meg]

Now that`s a topic, but sitting here a wee bit scunnerred with Bobbydarg`s death- Did not know him personally but enjoyed his posts, realised 3T`s would be pretty sterile without the auld yins and my 3T`s are important to me. Keep the thread going cos there are stories to tell, I`ll come back when the man is laid to rest

Bob - how true your words are - I have said elsewhere that we have had the stuffing knocked out of us- and I think Robert would be gobsmacked at the effect his passing has had on us. It underlines just how the effect our (virtual) community has on us, and just how much we all try and be part of that community. Thursday will be a sad, sad day and I am so sorry I cant be there - but I hope we can start to pick up the pieces and move on - however, I feel it will be a while before we can look back on Robert and smile.

Meg

[John Donnelly]

When I was a boy in Castle Avenue, in Stevenston in the 50's, I seem to remember a Grayston family in Greenhead Avenue, somewhere just facing into Hawthorn Drive.

Would this be Robert's family by any chance? We could have known each other as boys. Any-one know?

JD.

[Hughie]

What boy in the 60's didn't have a knife with a tartan handle with which we played 'knifey', landing the blade, in order to score, within 3 inches of our opponent's toes. The object of the game, of course, was to extend the distance between your pal's feet until he fell over or vice versa. Strangely, I don't ever remember my toes being severed. Strained a groin or two though.

Remember us young lads had sheath knives in our young days for use when we were up the country - wasn't seen as a problem back then. Yes, and they did have tartan handles. How things have changed - I'd be a wee bit suspicious of a lad with a knife strapped to his belt in this modern age walking round the streets.

[michaelm]

Remember us young lads had sheath knives in our young days for use when we were up the country - wasn't seen as a problem back then. Yes, and they did have tartan handles. How things have changed - I'd be a wee bit suspicious of a lad with a knife strapped to his belt in this modern age walking round the streets.

Don't know how the law works elsewhere Hughie, but certainly on Scotland's street's nowadays unless someone who's found to be in possession of a knife of any kind has a very plausible and legal explanation for doing so they'd be arrested and most likely charged with carrying an offensive weapon.
An offence not to be made light of - but as you say it's changed days now.

[margb]

I think it would still have been an offence for you young men to carry knives back in the day. I remember in the 70s in Girls Brigade having to take the holster home so I could carry the colours on parade the following Sunday. As I used public transport remember having to be careful because of the buckle. Seemingly it could have been classed as a dangerous weapon!

[tapnagol]

Re Hughies post. Carbide in bottle. This was a common device in bygone days used by poachers to stun fish in deep pools in river. The fish would float to the surface and, and could be easily recovered.Possibly the practice is still in use.